The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-12-31
Jacob Montgomery First
White Settler in KenOshd

/
tober 5, 1887, about 80 people gath
cred at the house Of A. B. Jackson to
hear sermon by Rev. Barlow. This
was the first regular Sabbath service
in Bristol. At this service arrange
ments were made for Other religious
meetings to be held at different
homes. The first religious organiza-
tion ir the town was formed March q
1888.
July. 1887, Jason Lathrop surveyed
the road running from Southport to
Geneva, the first surveyed road west
from Southport. In December of this
year a meeting was held at Bristol to
petition for mail route from South
port to Geneva. At this meeting the
town was named Bristol A. b
Jackson was appointed postmaster
The first town meeting was held at
the home of A. R. Wilbur. The first
meeting house in the town was known
as wesley Chapel" on Walkers
Prairie. The first district school
house was at Nixon's Corners. At the
first town meeting after organization
Serene Fowler, P. Judson and Ira
Pierce were elected school commits
sioners; supervisors elected were John
Benedict, chairman; Ira Pierce and
Samuel Tarbell, assistants. Two as
SCISSORS were elected each year up to
1860. The Town Hall was built in
1858. In 1843 the valuation of the
town was $54, 681, in 1924, $2,655, 1876;
total town tax in 1843, $16480; in
1924, $47,150.16. At the first town
meeting it was decided to raise tax
of one mill on dollar for the sup
port Of common schools!
A Select Private School.
In June, 1887, there came into the
county Serene S. Fowler, a graduate
of Harvard, and his wife, Lemira Tar
bell Fowler. graduate of a select
young ladies' school in Southampton,
Mass. Both were teachers and soon
established private school in part
of their house which they expected,
eventually, to grow into an academical
institution. Students were attracted
from the neighboring towns and to
take care of the growing business the
Fowlers built for their school the first
frame house in Bristol. This build
ing still stands, on the north side of
the Geneva road and is known as the
old Tarbell place. Mrs. George S.
Baldwin, Mrs. Simeon King. Mrs. DR..
Saunders and the -Bullens were among
their many students. Because of fail
ing health Mr.. Fowler was compelled
to close down the school in 1847, to
the regret and loss of the county.
Mr.. Fowler planted the first peach
and apple orchard in the town, having
brought the seed from his childhood
home, Hartford, Connecticut.
Bristol Village.
The land on which the village of
Bristol is located originally belonged
to Alfred ,Giddings. who laid it out
into town lots. Asbury Chapel, built,
in 1912, Hosmer Chapel, built in 1857,
and St. Mary's Roman Catholic church.
built in 1855, are among the first
churches.
Town of Paris Settled in 1o42.
When the town of Paris was first
organized in 1912 it took in one tier
Of sections in town and part of Som
ers, but the town records do not show
the boundaries of the town. Some of
the early settlers were S. B. Myrick,
James Harris, Captain Lindsey, F. M.
Weeks. Jacob Myers, James N Marsh,
Rufus Marstin, 2. P. Rich, E. D. Dun
ming, John Craney, H. A. Newbury,
Patrick Murray. Frederick Chambers,
Jake Miller and Francis Magin. The
foregoing came in 1898. There were
several farms opened in 1887. My
rick came first and named the town
"Paris" after Paris, N. Y, from where
he came. Elder Bristol preached the
first sermon at the funeral of George
Myrick in the fall of 1841, at the
house of S. B. Myrick. The Congre-
gational church was organized by
Thomas Tenney in 1851, and the
church built in 1853. Richard Jones
opened the first store in town. George
McCarty kept the first tavern in Jug
Vile. The first officers of the town
were electedS at the house of Chaun-
cey Kellogg, in April 1912.
The Civil War Soldiers monument
in Paris Town was dedicated early in
the spring of 1866. This is the first
monument to the soldiers of the Civil
War pair for by an appropriation of
town board to be erected in the state
of Wisconsin, and probably in the en-
tire nation. Lieut.. George Hale was
chairman of the Board of Supervisors.
His father, Obed ]. Hale, canvassed
the town to create public sentiment
in favor of the expenditure. Follow
ing are the honored names on this
monument at Paris Center: Capt. J.
F. Lindsey, Sergt. w. H. Coburn, F.
A. Tinkham, G. E. Toner, B. Wagner
N. Gloss, M. Hansgen, B. s. Wood, F.
b. Taylor, Corp. ]. H. Ellsworth, S.
Van Colt, J. Evans, N. Johnson, w
Lieber, A. Harris, G. Bohanan, Corp,
B, w. Palmer, N. Bohanan. J. Dun
kirk, M. w. Hale, P. Kreuscher, ]
Grav. Lieut G.. Hale. 6. Terry