Wisconsin AHGP

Part of the American History and Genealogy Project

Town of Lind

The Town of Lind consists of Township 21, Range 12. It is bounded on the north by Waupaca, on the east by Weyauwega and Fremont, on the south by Waushara County, and on the west by Dayton.

The soil is mostly a clayey or gravelly loam, easily worked, and producing excellent crops. Wheat, corn, and potatoes do well, but the soil appears to be peculiarly adapted to stock raising and dairying. Sheep do well; and probably no town in the County can show better horses than may be found among the farmers of Lind.

The first settlement was made in the spring of 1849, when Simon C. Dow and Colonel John W. Chandler moved in.

In 1849, Mr. Dow built the first log house. It is still standing on Section 1.

In the fall of that year came Tyler Caldwell and his son. Captain C. C. Caldwell, George W. Taggart, Jarvis Rice, James S. Potter, A. Rice, Charles Coffin, Hiram and James Sexton, Alonzo Vaughn, Moses Selleck, and John Shaw.

The first school was taught by Mrs. Susan Chandler, in the ''Chandler Settlement," commencing June 5, 1851.

The same year, Miss Maryetta Caldwell, now Mrs. Bowers, taught in the Pope district.

The first school house (log) was built in the Chandler district in 1851. It is still standing.

The first saw mill (water power) was built in 1853 and 1854, on Section 25, by Mr. Strong. It has been lately torn down.

The first grist mill (water power) was built by C. H. Ritz in 1876. It is now owned by Charles E. Roberts, of Waupaca, and known as the Hatten Mills.

The first church (Methodist) was completed in 1865, on Section 28. In 1888 a Wesleyan Methodist church was built on Section 21.

The first birth was a child of Hiram Sexton, in the spring of 1850.

The first death was Mrs. Foster, in 1851.

The first marriage was John M. Dewey and Mary Chandler, November 15, 1852. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Peter Prink, a Baptist.

The first sermon was preached in the shanty of Mr. Caldwell, in 1850, by Elder Baxter.

The first post office was established in December, 1850, with George W. Taggart for postmaster.

Mr. Taggart named the town in honor of the famous Swedish singer, Jenny Lind.

The mail was carried on foot, once a week, to Berlin and back. John Harris, familiarly known as ''Old Zach," was carrier. The name of the mail contractor was S. M. Booth, not ''Shearman."

The first store was started by Mitchell, in 1859.

The first apple trees were planted by A. Rice in the spring of 1851, and he raised the first apples.

Hollis Gibson built the first brick chimney, and the first stone cellar wall, in 1853.

Alvin Pope made the first pair of boots.

The town was organized at a special meeting of the County Board, held March 5, 1852. Five other towns were organized at the same meeting; but as Lind stands first on the records we may safely put it down as being the first town organized in the County.

The first town meeting was held April 6, 1852, at the house of Thomas Spencer. The following officers were elected at that meeting:

Mr. Dayton being unable to attend the annual meeting of the County Board, Supervisor Beadleston represented the town at that meeting.

The first Fourth of July celebration ever held in the County was in this town, in 1850, on Lone Pine Hill. The Declaration of Independence was read by Simon C. Dow, of Lind, after which national songs were sung, and patriotic toasts were given. Then the party, thirty-three in number, partook of a bounteous repast which was served under the spreading branches of some beautiful oaks at the foot of the hill.

In June, 1850, M. A. Stinchfield built a regular frame house on the south bank of Crystal River, in Section 6. It was one of the first frame houses in town, if not the first. The lumber was hauled from Weyauwega.

One day Mr. Stinchfield employed a man at Weyauwega to haul a load of lumber with a yoke of oxen. After getting on the lumber, he finished off by putting on a few supplies that he had got from Oshkosh, among which was a jug of choice liquor, which, he assures us, was purchased ''expressly for medicine." He managed to hide the liquor from the man, knowing his propensity for such things. Mr. Stinchfield and another man went ahead to look out the road, and left the teamster to follow. All went well for a long time, when, upon looking back, Stinchfield saw his man slyly transferring the contents of the hidden jug to his stomach. Upon investigation, the jug was found half empty, and the teamster was so "full" that they had to tie him on the load to keep him from falling off".

When they got the load off they tried to keep him till he got sober; but he would start back, although it was almost night. So, after fixing him up as well as they could, they let him go. He soon went to sleep, and when he awoke it was towards morning and he was fast to a tree, and unable to tell where he was. It was afterwards found that he was on the edge of the Spencer marsh. He finally got things straightened out, and reached Weyauwega the next night, tired out and nearly starved.

Town officers, 1889

Waupaca County

Source: History of Waupaca County, Wisconsin, by J. Wakefield, Waupaca, Wisconsin, 1890