Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1902-08-13
TWOEARLY PIONEERSDEAD
WIN. PAINTER AND COL. j. W.TAYLOR
Both Were Residents of the County in an
Early Day, the Former One of the
Founders of DEBORAH.
WILLIAM PAIN TER.

The past few months have noted
the passing of several of the pioneer
residents of DEBORAH and vicinity, but
none who were so we'll known and
whose names are so widely connected
with the early history of the city as
William Painter.
William Taylor is accorded the dis
tinction of being one of the first
settlers in DEBORAH at all
events, he followed the Day fam
lily, and was prominent in the
early history of the town. We
are unable to obtain a better sketch
of his early life here than that en-
bodied in the address of Rev. E.
Adams on "The First Things of De-
corah'' which has been printed and
reprinted by DEBORAH papers, but will
never fail to interest our people. AS
has been quoted, Mr.. Adams tells of
the coming to DEBORAH of the Day
family in June, 1S49, and then takes
up the arrival of the Painter family
as follows:
In the same season of lS49 there
came man with his family, who
the years previous, on an exploring
tour through this region, had seen
such visions of mi wheels. mill
stones, OF saw mills, turning lathes,
possibly OF wooden mills even, in con.
nection with the curves of our river,
and the adjacent springs, that he had
already made his claim and put up
his cabin to the square-a man who,
endowed by nature with more than or
binary mechanical skill, has been fol-
lowing up his visions ever since one
who is still frequently upon our
streets, the fruits of whose labor all
OF us are reaping more or less; one of
those by whom the world is more beue-
flied than is by the world acknowledge
ed. This man as of course many of
you know, was William Painter, a
native OF Green county, Ohio.
His cabin was built upon the pro-
perty known as the Butler property,
nearly opposite the present machine
shop 81. Ammon & Co. s. where, as
the fruits of his labor, may now be
seen the first well dug in town. In
his family was the first birth, his son
George Patten, born in the fall of
lS49, in honor of which, and also be-
cause he took the names of two sons
OF the Day family, George and Pat
ten, he afterwards had the present of
town lot.
In his milling propensities Mr..
Painter commenced Immediately in
lS49 on what is known as the Spring,
or Dunning's Mill. He brought a
small pair of burrs from Cincinnati
and set them running by the simplest
machinery possible, in log mill
about sixteen feet square The Heiv-
ly power was in his claim, but he did
not think it best to commence the inn
provement of this till his means
should be more ample and the country
better settled In 1851 Mr.. Philip
Morse bought of Mr. Painter portion
of the Heivly water power and COM
Inenced the saw mill now upon it, he
and Mr.. Painter building the dam and
race together Mr.. Painter built,
about the same time, grist mill, the
frame of which still stands within the
walls enclosing the present building
-(then known as the Heivly mill and
now the property of A. Bernatz &
sons.
Some twenty-five years ago Mr..
Painter moved to Fayette county, near
Brainard, where he erected a saw mill
and operated it for number of years,
later removing to Coddington county,
South Dakota. For the past ten years
he had been an invalid and after lay
ing in stupor for three days. passed
away July 26, 1902, at the age of
eighty-two years. He was the father
of five children, one of whom, George,
still lives in Decorah and sister,
Mrs. Rebecca Earle, lives in Hesper