Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1921-12-08
More About the Alban
Family, Pioneer Residents
They Taied at Blue Mounds Then Called Moundv Before
Crossing Into Sank Countv
o. D. BRANDENBuRG
)SSlne into Sauk County
az o. D. RRANpENeuRe

/ James, who died at Wausau
Cora Jane, wife of Dr. Winifred
Wylie, at Los Angeles.
! When Col Alban returned to Wis
consin with his second wife he To-
Gated at Plover. practiced law. was
chosen to the senate and assembly,
and at last met soldiers death Shi-
lob.
Elizabeth Shane Alban Brown, the
Blue Mounds baby, had five children,
as follows:
Evylin, wife of Charles Shaffer and
mother of Mrs. Matchette
Luther, who died in Rhinelander
about fifteen years ago.
Oliver, died fourteen years ago.
Sybil, died at two years in Plover.
( Schuyler, died at Seattle seven
years ago.
Only one of these, Evylin, wife of
Charles Shaffer, had children, FIVE,
as follows
Charles Andrew Shaffer, Hazelhust.
Fac, wife of Mr.. Matchette.
4 Ada, Waukesha school teacher.
John Alban, Chicago, travelling sales
man.
Anna, died in infancy.
All were born in Plover but John,
and he at Green Bay Mrs Merlin
Hull of Black River Falls, wife of a
former secretary of state, is sister
of Mr. Matchette
Mrs Matchette produced a letter
written by Amanda Harris Alban, first
wife of Col James S. Alban, in 1887,
while she and her husband, their lit
tie daughter Lucinda and her year-old
son Stephen was hating at Blue
Mounds, before venturing across the
Wisconsin river into the Winnebago
country beyond. Here is the document,
yellow with 81 years of aging, repro
duced verbatim, and it has dignity and
diction that indicate much refinement
on the part of the writer. The letter,
folded and sealed with wax, thus form
ing its own envelope, is addressed to
"Mrs. Lucinda Robinson Millersburg,
Holmes county, Ohio" with Mound
vile 18th Nov. w. T Gin lower left
corner and the scriptic figures "25"
representing that many cents Of
postage, in the lower right, runs thus:
Moundeville, Dane County, w. t.
November 4, 1887
Dear Sister:
l avail myself of the oppor-
tunity which few moments leisure
has afforded me to address you. You
will be SO kind as to pardon my
negligence in not having written to
you sooner, for feel sensible that
negligence is the only excuse
have to offer We are far separated
from each other but I trust we Dear
the same love for each other that we
did when we lived together. For my
part / feel that separation
only strengthens my affections for my
absent relatives and causes many
anxities about them which I should
not otherwise feel Since it is our loo
to make our home in land far dis
tant from that which was the home
of our infancy we should not repine
but bear in mind that there is a
home where if we live up to our privi-
leges we shall meet to part no more.
We are enjoying our usual state of
health and are comfortably situated
at the blue mounds. Our children are
thriving very well and like parents
generally do we think they are the
most interesting in the world. We
heard sermon preached few nights
ago by Presbyterian preacher, the
first we have heard since we left
Ohio. We expect to hear our circuit
preacher next Tuesday night after
which we expect to have preaching
once in two weeks. Times are very
hard here money scarce and provi-
sions high but clothing is not much
higher than in Ohio. We have but
little society here, one or two neigh
bors, some miners and few blanket
ladies and gentlemen of the Wenaba-
go tribe. Alban has written Mr.. Robin
son and requested an answer but
never received one. 1t is our earnest,
desire that this letter should be an
swered Immediately on its reception.
Alban sends his love to you and broth
er Robinson. Give him mine also
/ am yours affectionately
Amanda Alban
Lucinda Robinson
From this it is evident that there
enlisted place known as Moundville,
though Charles |. Brigham, who owns
and resides on the old Ebenezer Brig
ham farm on the the Blue Mounds,
was not aware of the fact till he had
communicated with William T. How
cry. PIONEER settler who reported
that "Moundville was the real name
of Pokerville,-that in front of the
hotel in Pokerville there used to be
large sign,
X y X y * z y y * X y * X *
3 MOUNDVILLEp HOTEL" y
x x y * = x =