Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-01-08

S. w. Van Dyke, Rockton: cam over
for short visit with old friends about
Springville, where we so long lived We
are well satisfied with our new possess
ions, where we have $40 acres of land,
watered by eleven fine springs and well.
We have on the farm S25 head of horses.
cattle and sheep. The place is not only
a good stock ranch, but we have about
300 acres under cultivation, fine belt
of timber, productive tobacco soil and
the best of grazing and grass lands.
Father and three of us boys do all the
work within ourselves. Yes, the east
ern section of our county is making
wonderful industrial strides.
John H. Seal, Genoa: 81 am a pio-
neer of the first order, having passed
through Viroqua with father and moth
er and our family November 20, 1850,
when there were few if any others here
than the Deckers and Dunlaps. We
located at Springville, where we resided
for many years. We came here direct
from Illinois, requiring six weeks to
make the trip with OK teams. As we
passed Viroqua we found Ananias Smith
putting logs on the ground for his first
house, which stood just across the road
from the old fair grounds till few
months ago. where | recently noticed
the old logs in a heap, mostly decayed.
AT Springville we lived in sod house
the first winter, and out main subsis-
tence was rutabaG2 IS and corn meal.
Graham had a little mill there for that
kind of gristing. What marvellous
changes have come over our section
since these daysi And our common
country has progressed in proportion,
till we are the greatest land on the globe.
We ought to be a thankful people. |
recently closed a nine-days trapping
stunt along the Mississippi Lear my
home, the net result being 104I musk
rats, coons, 8 minks, which brought
me $44. The river closed on December
20, the latest can remember of com
plete freeze-over since | have lived
along its banks. -
f. Wise, Mississippi City, Mississippi;
at seems good to get the paper and
see what is going on in our old home
county of Vernon.
Jo. M. Clark, Mound Park: Forty
five years ago today, January /, 1863,
as a volenteer in the Fifteenth Indiana
Regiment, / was in the thick of the
fight at Murphreesboro, or Stone River.
That battle continued for six days. The
main fighting was before New Year. |
closing on the End of January, 1868 |
The regiment to which, was attached
lost onc-half of its original number in |
that famous siege. One shell killed and
MANNED six men. Witness that large
hole in the top of my skull. AS we
were advancing on Missionary Ridge,
November 26, 1864, ball entersd the
top Of my Uranium, and have carried
it to this day. Surgeons were unable
to locate and extract the almost deadly
lead messenger. At different times
since ! was wounded twenty-one pieces
of bone have been removed from my
skull. II has given me much annoyance
and partially paralyzed my right side,
but ! am here, and glad that | served
my country in Its most trying days.
Ed. Thorsgaard, Westby. II, too,
am among the early ones of this coun-
ty's pioneers, arriving from Norway
with my fathers family Of parents,
eleven children and three other relatives
who were members of fathers family.
We came in ssiling vessel, requiring
twelve weeks, lsnding at Quebec in the
vGar 1874. Six of our ship mates died
Of cholera. We went from Quebec to
Stoughton taking thirteen days for the |
trip. We came here from Lake kosh- |
konong with four OK teams, and we
were obliged to lead the oxen every
foot of tho distance because none of US
could speak to The critters in the lam |
guage in which they had been broken, |
and we were seventeen days on the |
road. Either paid $50 per team for |
the oxe'i. lt ban been a long time |
since those days, flll of exertion and |
experience for US pioneers, but W. nave |
the satisfaction that We blaZed the way |
for those who are 10 follow us. We |
have done our part, now lCt them make |
good in carrying on the work we have |
founded. But personals. j am yet |
full Of days work and / am not feeling |
old or out of commission. ! am proud |
of my adopted country and the com
munity in which have so long dwelt. |
/ hope to have many New Years yet |
with my family and neighbors. .
Rev. Finstad, Folsom; MRS. Fin
stad and myself have been the recipients |
of many appropriate and substantial re-
membranes from my Utica and Sold |
iers Grove congregations, during this |
precious holiday season"
John jacobson, rural carrier on route |
2, Chaseburg: II certainly received |
generous treatment from a large num-
ber of patrons on my mail route during |
the holidays receiving horse-feed, meats, |
money Ito buy feed With and many
other kinds of acceptable articles. 1t is
certainly very nice for me to see that
so many appreciate my humble service
in such a substantial way, and | GER
tainly appreciate their Kindness 20 me.
Those who contributed are: Oscar
Newton, VIM Campbell, d. Il. Noble,
A. Kish, w. K. Patterson, l.. 0. Ron
ningen, Edward Olson, J. A. Geary,
Samuel Boyce, Julius Schroeder, Jonn
Kuester, Otto Kuester, Robert Bluske,
Carl Dahlke, P. j. Bjerke, Ole Larson,
c. M. Stafslien, +. r. Slette, e. w.
Thompson. NJ. l.. Krokom, G. J. Staf-
slen, s. j. Galstad, G. NJ Markins.
Chairman Helge Larson, Coon: IL
J. erewith redeem a New Year resolution.
and contribute my good wishes and
remittance Of 81 in making happy the
big family reunion. 1t is well for breth-
ern to dwell in unity together, saith the
good book. "