Town of Farmington

Historical sketch of the Town of Farmington
by C. L. Green
Centennial Celebration in the Village of Rural, July 4, 1876

Township 22 north, of Range 11 east, known as the Town of Farmington, was first settled by Ambrose M. Gard, who made his claim in September, 1849, on the ne¼ of the nw¼ of Section 25.

As the tide of immigration was fast pouring into the then 'far west,' the country soon became settled. Among the first settlers may be named Roswell Hicks and Granville Jones, who made their claims on Section 27 in the Fall of 1849, building the first house in the town, into which they moved about the 28th of December, having passed a portion of the Winter in a cloth tent at Waupaca Falls, undergoing all the privations and hardships of frontier life; being surrounded by Indians and wild beasts ; living for several months upon com ground in a common coffee mill, and deprived of many of the comforts of civilized life.

The first white child born in the town was Rollin Jones, in 1851.

The first plowing was done by Mr. Jones in the spring of 1850. The nearest grist mill being at Plover, in Portage County, they were obliged to take their grain there to be ground, taking three days to go and return with oxen.

C. O. Brown*, a native of Sweden, came here in 1849. Going to New York in 1851, he returned with about seventy families of his countrymen, a number of whom settled in the northeast quarter of the town.

On the 4th of July, 1851‡, just a quarter of a century ago, the patriotism of the country united in the first grand celebration of American Independence held in Waupaca County. The celebration was held on the farm of Granville Jones, on the north side of Maple Island Lake. The orator of the day was Wilson Holt, then residing at Waupaca. Fifty persons were present, having come from all directions, on foot, and with oxen.

As the land in this part of the country had not yet come into market, it could not be entered. It was not until the year 1852 that it was offered for sale. In that year the following named persons entered land at the land office in Menasha: Abigal C. Sessions, Roswell Hicks, Horace Dewey, Ambrose M. Gard, William Dudterman, Merrick Barton, John M. Dewey, Caleb Preston, John McArthur, F. S. King, Robert Morrison, A. R. Gray, C. O. Brown, S. Leonard, J. K. Parish, George W. Ross, Otis Beck, Jonas Nordeen, John Harris, Francis Beardmore, A. E. Erickson, Alfred Godfrey, Maurice Hearn, Eastman Arnie, George Roberts, William P. Edwards Granville Jones.

April 15, 1853, the town was formed, the name Farmington being given to it by Mr. Beardmore. Previous to that time it belonged to Waupaca.

The first election was held at the house of John Fischer, on the first Tuesday of April, 1854. Forty votes were cast. The officers elected were:

In 1861 an effort was made to build a railroad from Fremont to Stevens Point, via Waupaca.

Aid was asked of the several towns along the proposed line of the road. Farmington responded by voting $700, also by subscriptions from individuals. The funds were used, the grading partly completed to Waupaca, and then the project was abandoned. Since that time the Wisconsin Central railroad has been built through the town, giving it good transportation facilities.

The chief products are wheat, corn, oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, potatoes, hops, and wool.

An incident of the early days may be here related: A large black bear invaded the territory, and the settlers congregated to drive him away.

He was driven across Maple Island Lake to what is called Raspberry Island. Roswell Hicks, seizing his large saber between his teeth, swam across the lake and drove him back to the main land, where he was slain by the land forces.

The foregoing well written sketch was published in the Waupaca County Republican, but we copy it from the original manuscript, kindly lent us by Mr. Green. It is in the main accurate, so far as it goes, and we gladly avail ourselves of its assistance in writing up the town.

The Town of Farmington is bounded on the north by Scandinavia, on the east by Waupaca, on the south by Dayton, and on the west by Portage County. It is a good farming town, is settled by an enterprising, industrious people, and is getting well improved. It is a good place to settle in, and the emigrant could easily go farther and fare worse than by setting his stakes there.

The first school taught was by Miss Orlie, in the Leonard district, No. 1.

The first school house was built in the Leonard district.

The first church (Lutheran) was built on Section 10.

Mr. Leonard built the first saw mill. In 1874 he also built the first grist mill.

The first post office was established on Section 7, with W. H. Cipperly as postmaster.

The first mail route was from Waupaca to Plover.

The Government survey was made in 1851. The next survey was made by A. V. Balch in 1852.

The first store was kept by W. H. Cipperly.

The first apple tree was planted by Francis Beardmore, in 1854, and he raised the first apples.

Town officers for 1889

Footnotes
*C. O. Brown first came in 1850, and went to New York and returned with the emigrants in 1852. J. W.
‡This is a mistake. The first Fourth of July celebration in Waupaca County was held on Lone Pine Hill, Lind, in 1850. J. W.

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