Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1922-01-25
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tBy Judge Wilmottl

lHOHdS Anderson came 10 the
/ British Hollow mines from England
at an early date, bringing a family
/ with him. Ii / am correct there were
| his wife and five children, three sons
James, George and Thomas, and two
daughters, Eliza and an elder sister
who became the wife of John Bell, a
young man, who in the early days
/ conducted smelling furnace down
near Platte river. In later years John
Bell removed to Dubuque and became
very prominent business man in
that city. He first opened up a retail
| dry goods store, that afterwards de-
veloped into a large wholesale store,
and the firm of John Bell and Co. was
well known throughout the land
He died in Dubuque some years ago.
Mary Anderson, his first wife, had
preceded him in death. Eliza Alder
son became the wife of Christopher
| Peacock Jr., commonly called Kit"
He was a bright and ambitious man
who followed mining with success
and afterwards was engaged in the
mercantile and grist mill business in
/ North Andover. In later years he
conducted flour mill in Potosi with
| George j. Bonas, practical miller.
His wife died about the year of l871.
Her brother, James. had been to Eng
! land for visit in his native land. On
his return trip he contracted small
poX. She waited on her brother dur
| ing his illness and in consequence
contracted the disease, and being in
a delicate condition, died from the
effects. Thomas, George and James
Anderson went to the gold fields OIL
California in early days. Thomas and
! George never returned. James Alder
son returned to British Hollow, re-
puted to be worth a lot of wealth.
He was married to Miss Jennie Wise,
the handsome daughter of Pemberton
Wise, an early pioneer. This marriage
did not prove cOngenial and a divorce
resulted. The wife received valuable
property in Independence, Iowa, and
custody of the two children, boy and
girl. He afterwards married young
woman with whom he had become ac-
quainted on his trip to England. They
resided for a time in British Hollow,
then removed to BeetOWn where he
purchased a general store and did
business there for some years or until
| he was appointed supt. of the county
| farm and asylum This position h<
held with his wife as matron for a
number Of years, or until he ended
his life with razor a few years
ago. No reason was given for the
rash act. Mrs, Anderson did not long
survive. Both are buried in the
British Hollow cemetery
Christopher Peacock was another
early arrival to the mining camp of
British Hollow, coming here from
England with family in about 1916
He followed mining and other ca
tons, at one time owning a tract Of
land down on Platte, in the town of
Harrison. His family consisted of
his wife, three sons, Christopher Jr.,
called Kit" John, known as Jack"
and Edward, who was known as
Ned" and a daughter, Agnes. There
may have been others whose names
am unable to recall. Ned, when a
boy in his teens. was killed by light
ming The writer's father and another
man were making hay for Mr.. Pea
cock on his land in Harrison, when a
heavy thunder storm came up. Tne
men stood in the field bnt the boy ian
for shelter under a big tree. tite men
advising him not TO do so. but to stay
in the open Lightning struck tie
tree and the life.css body Of the boy
was picked UP by tie men Altnr re-
siding in the British Hollow camp
for a number Of years. Mr.. Peacock
removed to tho B 9etown mines and it
was here that he AMI his son, KIT,
and his son-intaw, named Atkinson
who had married the daughte", Agnes
opened up fabulous mine t.:at
yielded hundreds Cf thousands CT
pounds of leaI and made the interest
ed parties quite wealthy. Some sears
after the mine had been worked out,
Atkinson and Kit removed 10 North
AndOver and opened up general
store. They purcha Sod the Douglas
Oliver wooden mill property in North
AndOyer and converted the building
into a -four mill or grist mill. Mr.
and Mrs. Christopher Peacock Sr. and
Mr.. and Mrs. Atkinson have passed
away and lie buried in the British
Hollow cemetery. Kit Peacock was
twice married, first to Miss Eliza Al
derson, who died as heretofore stated
then to Hannah Petty, daughter of
Joseph Petty, who also left him 4
widower He is now living at an ad-
lvanced age with daughter in the
northern part of Wisconsin.
James Piewett and family were
early arrivals to the mines from Eng
land He followed mining as a pur
suit for a number of years in the
British Hollow area and subsequently
removed to Beetown and for a number
of years followed mining. He then
engaged in the saloon business. He
was twice married. His first wife
came with him from England and
after her death he married q daughter
of John Dobbs, an early pioneer
Both have passed away and are bur-
led in the British Hollow cemetery
Mr. Blewett had son born in Eng
land by his first wife named James,
but in early days he was called Jim.
The writer can we'll remember see
ing the boy, Jim, proudly wearing a
red sash that was a custom among
/ the English, old and young, in those
early days. James Jr. went to the
gold fields of Idaho and Montana in
about the year 1864. Returning he
succeeded his father in the saloon
business in BeetoWn, subsequently
removing to Bloomington and en-
gaging in the same business. After