Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-08-29
PIONEER DIES.

After an illness of several weeks, Mrs.
Francis Bressett died at an early hour
yesterday morning at the home of her
son, Baptist, at Mosinee at the advanced
aged of eighty-five years. During all
her life she had been an unusually
active woman aad had always enjoyed
good health up to few weeks ago,
when the infirmities of old age seized
her and she gradually failed until the
end came. Mrs. Bressett claimed two
distinctions: She was the first white
woman to settle in this locality and she
was the mother of the fl rst white child
born here.
Deceased was a native of Scotland
and at an early age emigrated to lower
Canada and at Ottawa she met and was
married to Francis Bressett, young
Frenchmaa, WHO was then employed in
lhmbering. Laler they moved to Wis
consin and settled at Sank Rapids. In
1889 they started north, carrying their
goods and provisions by OK team The
roads as far as Stevens Point were
roads in name only; and north of that
town they had to pick their way over
trails of the Indian. They landed at
what is now Mosinee on New Years
day, 1870 Mosinee then had saw
mill, few log shanties and a popula-
ton of about fifteen white men, one
woman and about fifty Indians. They
Staid there a week and then came on to
Big Bull falls. On the present site of
Wausau there were then few log
shanties and three saw mills, surround
ed by dense forests of pine. James
Moore owned mill on the present site
of the Plumer mill; Peter Kelley then
conducted what was afterwards the j
G. Clarke mill and Geo. Stevens, who
was the pioneer in this section, had a
mill on or near where the Alexander
Stewart Co.'S mill now stands.
Mrs. Bressett, to the people of a
younger generation, was a very inter
esting person. Coming here at so early
time she went through all the exper-
fence OF pioneer who lays the founda-
ton for future settlement and civiIiza-
ton. She could relate many an inter
esting, story of early struggles. At the
time she came here the Chippewa chief,
MOsinee, after whom that village was
named, often visited at their log hut.
He died at the age of t07 years, and left
four sons, Malta cush, Wa-ba-sha, Wa.
born-a-shu and Papoose, the elder OF
whom filled his place as chief There
were thousands of Indians in this re-
gion at that time but they never modest
ed the whites, aside from begging or
stealing.
At a later day Mrs. Bressett worked
out in private houses as nurse and
housekeeper, and many of our older
residents remember her as woman
possessed of many of the finer qualities,
though of the sturdy character common
of her race. Her husband followed
numbering, rafting, cruising and farm
ing and died some years ago at the
remarkable age of l05 years He was
active up to short time prior to his
death, and year before he died walked
into town from his farm on Rib hill
and procured hunting license.
Mrs. Bressett was the mother of eight
children, six of whom survive her. Two
sons were drowned and were buried at
Schofield and it was her dying wish that
she be buried beside them and that her
husbands's remains, now lying in Pine
Grove cemetery, be dsinterred and
placed beside her, which wish will be
carried out. The living children are
Mrs. Pat Pigeon, Wausau; Mrs. Chas.
Brandt, Mrs. Louis Davis, town of
Flieth; William, of this city; Baptiste,
of Mosinee, and Mrs. Heines, Mime
sofa. Thirty-six grand childrenj and
twelve grand children also survive her