Audus

Sarah E. Audus
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers, Wisconsin
(Source:  Photo Courtesy of Larry & Linda Kopet, USGenWebArchivesProjectWisconsin)

Partial 1887 Map of Somers Township
Section 26, Wm Audus: 2 parcels of 80 acres

William Audus
Among Kenosha County's substantial citizens who are natives of England is William Audus, who was born in Cambridgeshire on the 17th of January, 1850.  He has long resided in the county, however, having been a representative of its agricultural interests for thirty-seven years, and at one time he was actively engaged in the cultivation of a large farm of 180 acres which he owned.  His parents, Samuel and Sarah Audus, spent their entire lives in England.
It was in that country that William Audus acquired a common school education, after which he began providing for his own support by working the day.  He continued in England until he reached the age of 21 years and then bade adieu to friends and native land, having determined to try his fortune in America.  Crossing the Atlantic to the United States, he made his way to Illinois, where he remained until 1875.  During that period he engaged in farming and in the latter year he left the middle west for California, where he spent four years but returned from the Pacific coast in 1879, in which year he took up his abode in Kenosha County.  Here he purchased sixty acres of land and afterward added to his holdings from time to time as his financial resources increased until he had extended the boundaries of his farm to include 180 acres.  He carefully and persistently tilled the soil, annually gathering good harvests, and his labors brought him substantial reward.
At the present time he owns only 25 acres, having sold nearly all of his land.  Success in substantial measure had attended his efforts and now enables him to largely live retired.
On the lst of January, 1897, Mr. Audus was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Pye.  They have a pleasant home noted for its warm-hearted hospitality, and in the community they have many friends.  In his political views, Mr. Audus in an earnest Republican.  In his religious faith, he is a Methodist.
(Source: City and County of Kenosha Record of Settlement by Frank H. Lyman, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1916)

Note about Pye
The Pye family were neighbors of the Audus family.  The parcel is shown on the map above.  On the 1880 U.S. Federal Census, William Audus lived with the Pye family as a boarder.

U.S. Naturalization Record Index for William Audus
Date of Arrival:  May 1871
Port:  New York
Witnessess:  James Cavanagh and Samuel Pye

U.S. 1920 Federal Census
Alice Robinette (Mrs. Julius Robinette) was a widowed niece of William Audus.
She was born in Illinois and lived with William Audus as shown on the census.

U.S. 1850 Census
Samuel Pye (born about 1814 in England) and Sarah Pye (born about 1825 in England) lived in Downers Grove, DuPage County, Illinois.

U.S. 1870 Census
Samuel Pye (born about 1814 in England) and his wife, Elizabeth (born about 1832 in England) lived in Downers Grove, DuPage County, Illinois with their daughter Emma A. who was born in Illinois in 1854.

Spencer



Spencer Family Plot
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers Township
(Source:  Photo Courtesy of Larry and Linda Kopet, USGenWebArchivesProjectWisconsin)

James E. Spencer
James E. Spencer, one of the prominent farmers of Kenosha County, residing on his farm in Section 8, was born in that county in what was then known as Pike Township, now Somers, Township, December 9, 1846, a son of Ambrose and Martha (Evans) Spencer.
The first of the Spencer family to locate in America was William Spencer, who came from England in 1631 and settled at Cambridge, Mass., although he evidently returned to England to marry his wife, Alice, in 1633.  He was counted a prominent man at Cambridge in 1634-35 and afterward was one of the first settlers in Hartford, Conn.  He had two brothers, Jared and Thomas, who came to America some years later than William, the first settler.
It only requires tracing to our subject's paternal great-grandfather to find a Revolutionary patriot in the person of Asa Spencer, who was in the fifth generation from the first William.  It is proved by records that Asa Spencer served faithfully, and was a personal friend of Washington and also of Thomas Jefferson, and as he was a man of prominence we can easily believe that on many occasions he exchanged views on public questions with these great statesmen of our country's early days.
The paternal grandfather of Mr. Spencer was the well known Judge James B. Spencer, who was born in Salisbury, Conn., and moved in an early day to Fort Covington, Franklin Co., N.Y.  He was one of the early settlers there, and for years a prominent man and political leader in the northern part of the State, holding many important offices, at one time being in the Custom House, as collector. He was a representative in the State and National Legislatures and was an eminent member of Bar and Bench.  He served with distinction in the War of 1812.  He was staunch Democrat.  His death occurred in 1848, at the age of sixty-eight.  He had three sons and one daughter.
The maternal grandfather of Mr. Spencer left a large family, eight sons and two daughters.  He resided in Mississippi at the time of the birth of his daughter, Martha, the mother of Mr. Spencer.
Ambrose Spencer was born in New York and was an early settler in Kenosha County, coming here in 1842, and buying a farm of 160 acres in Section 8, Somers Township, where he reared his family.  He died on this farm in 1886, aged sixty-eight years.  He was a member of the M.E. Church.  In his young manhood he was on a Government vessel, a man-of-war, in which he crossed the ocean a number of times.  After the death of his first wife, in 1850, he married (second) Arvilla Woodward, a native of Vermont, who died in 1893.  In religious belief she was a Methodist.
Two children were born to Ambrose and Martha Spencer: James E., of this sketch; and William H., of Seattle, Washington.  The children of the second marriage were, Walter A., of Kenosha; Clark W. of Appleton, Wisconsin; Florence, wife of Lafayette Owen of Burlington, Wisconsin; and Watson B., of Racine.
James E. Spencer was reared on his father' farm in Somers Township, and obtained his early education in the district schools, later attending a seminary at Richmond, Michigan., and a commercial college at Racine.  He lived at home until he reached his majority and then bough his present farm of eighty acres, which he has continued to improve until the present day.
Mr. Spencer was married September 24, 1872, to Miss Helen A. Clemons, daughter of Hosea Clemons, and they had three sons and one daughter:  James C., Estella, Ambrose, and Edgar.  James C., who is a carpenter in Kenosha, married Amelia Longmore; Estella died aged seventeen years, and Ambrose died aged two and a half years; Edgar lives at home.  Mrs. Spencer died in 1895, aged forty-two years.  She was a much beloved woman in her neighborhood and was a consistent member of the M.E. Church.
On October 27, 1898 Mr. Spencer was married (second) to Miss Mary L. Rhodes, daughter of Jonas W. and Caroline (Rutan) Rhodes, natives of Sussex County, N.J.  The father came West in 1842 and the mother in 1843, in which year they were married at Vernon, New Jersey.  They settled in what was then known as Pike township, now Somers Township, Kenosha County.  The father followed farming and was also well known as a stock and wool buyer.  He died in 1891, aged seventy years.  His widow who still survives, is now eighty-five years of age.  Of their eight children the survivors are: Anna, wife of Dr. F.H. Longley, of North Platte, Neb.; Mary L., wife of James E. Spencer; and Kitty Clyde, wife of Charles Mitchell, of Milwaukee.
William Jonas Rhodes, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Spencer, was a native of New Jersey, and in early life was a blacksmith, later a farmer.  He died in New Jersey when over seventy years of age.  He married Anna Courter, and they had eleven children, the survivors being:  Caroline, mother of Mrs. Spencer; Abraham, of Sussex County, N.J.; Elizabeth, widow of William Faber, of Unionville, N.Y.; Julia, Mrs. Ferguson, a widow, of Paterson, N.J.; Catherine, widow of Nicholas Faber, of Sussex County, N.J.; and Carlotte widow of John Moore, of Canadaigua, Michigan.  The maternal great-grandfather, Abraham Rutan, was a soldier in the Revolutionary War.  He married Rebecca Rutan.  They were of Dutch extraction, their ancestors coming to America from Holland.
James E. Spencer is a Democrat, and he has served as Somers Town Clerk for the past nine years.  He is president of the Farmers' Mutual Life Insurance Company, having been a Director for a long period.  Both he and his wife are member of the M.E. Church.  He belongs to the fraternal order of Woodmen.
(Source:  Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Racine and Kenosha Counties, J.H. Beers & Co., Chicago 1906)

Mrs. Helen Clemons Spencer Obituary
"Mrs. Helen Spencer, aged 42 years, wife of James E. Spencer, died Monday at 5:30 p.m. at her home in the Town of Somers, of consumption, after an illness of over a year.  The deceased was a daughter of the late Hosea Clemons, of Mt. Pleasant, and was born and grew to womanhood in this vicinity.  She was a woman devoted to her house and family and to her bereaved husband and three children.  She leaves besides four brothers and five sisters to mourn her untimely death.  Deceased was a member of the Somers Methodist Church from which place the funeral will be held Wednesday at 10:45 a.m.  A brief service will be held at the house at 10 o'clock and the interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery, at Somers.
(Source:  Racine Journal June 13, 1895)

Spencer "In the News"
"W.A. Spencer, who for years has served in the capacity of butter maker at the creamery, has tendered his resignation.  Mr. Spencer has given good satisfaction and we hope that his place will be filled by a person fully as competent."
(Source:  Racine Journal Feb. 21, 1900)

Dearsley

1861 Partial Somers Township Map
Section 6.  Walter Dearsley parcel, lake shore

William S. Dearsley
William S. Dearsley, who is operating a fine farm on Section 6 in Somers Township was born in England on the 29th of September 1846 and received his education in the common schools of that country.  When thirteen years of age, however, he accompanied his parents, Walter and Ann (Shepard) Dearsley, on their emigration to the United States.  The family settled in Kenosha County, where the father bought forty-five acres of land.  He engaged in operating that place during his remaining years and gained recognition as one of the successful agriculturists of his locality.  He was a Republican in politics and for several years, served as district clerk and for one term as a member of the Town Board.  In religious faith he was an Episcopalian.  He was married in 1845 and his children were two in number:  William W. and Laura.
William S. Dearsley continued his education in the public schools of Somers Township until he was eighteen years of age, when he concentrated his energies upon assisting his father with the farm work.  He was so engaged until the later's death in 1893, when the home place came into the possession of our subject, who is still cultivating it.  Everything about the farm is kept in excellent condition, the land is in a high state of cultivation, and the improvements are substantial and modern.  Mr. Dearsley is energetic and progressive, and his well directed labors are rewarded by a good financial return.
In 1875 Mr. Dearsley was married to Miss Helena Wyman, a daughter of Michael and Emeline Wyman, who were among the earliest settlers of Racine County.  Six children have been born to this union, as follows:  Mabel who is at home; Grace, the wife of George Scheckler a resident of Mt. Pleasant who whom she has two children, Irwin and Ethel; William Walter, who married Inez Shaw and has had two children, Lorraine and Virginia, deceased; Isabel who is at home; Ethel Lucy; and Lillian, deceased.
(Source:  City and County of Kenosha Record of Settlement by Frank H. Lyman, Vol. II, Chicago, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1916)

William S. Dearsley
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers, Wisconsin
(Source:  Photo by Larry & Linda Kopet, USGenWebArchives Wisconsin)

Laura I.  Dearsley
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers, Wisconsin
(Source: Photo by Larry & Linda Kopet, USGenWebArchives Wisconsin)

 Ethel Lucy Dearsley
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers, Wisconsin
(Source: Photo by Larry & Linda Kopet, USGenWebArchives Wisconsin)

Lena  Dearsley
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers, Wisconsin
(Source: Photo by Larry & Linda Kopet, USGenWebArchives Wisconsin)

Mabel Dearsley
Oakwood Cemetery, Somers, Wisconsin
(Source: Photo by Larry & Linda Kopet, USGenWebArchives Wisconsin)

More About Dearsley
"Michael Wyman, age 86, died at the home of his daughter at Berryville, Mrs. W.S. Dearsley.  He was born in Germany and came to America in 1852.  Funeral services will take place at the Berryville church."
(Source:  Racine Journal News, publication date April 10, 1903)

"At the last meeting of the Berryville church Sunday School, the following was elected:
 Miss Grace Dearsley, Missionary Treasurer and Teacher of Class No. 4"
(Source:  Racine Journal, publication date August 22, 1899)

"Miss Julia Dearsley of Racine has been visiting Miss Belle Dearsley."
(Source:  Racine Daily, publication date August 9, 1899)

"Three of the churches of Racine held picnics in Berryville on Saturday.  The First M.E. church in Mr. Piper's Grove; the church of the Holy Innocents in Mr. Dearsley's Grove; and the German Evangelical in Mr. Kreuger's Grove."
(Source:  Racine Daily, publication date August 17, 1899)

"Mrs. J.W. Dearsley and son of Racine were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Dearsley in Berryville last week."
(Source:  Racine Daily, publication date September 6, 1899)

"President Larson of the Foreman's National Assoc. in Racine was given a painting, life size portrait, painted by John W. Dearsley, foreman of the molding department of S. Freeman & Sons Mfg. Co. of Racine.  Mr. Dearsley has made other paintings in the past and is classed among the lead amateur artists of the state."
(Source:  Racine Daily, publication date January 13, 1908)

"Farmer Dearsley, residing on the Lake Shore Road in Berryville, came to town last night and stated than unusual thing happened at his barn early in the afternoon.  More than fifteen hundred swallows appeared and swarmed into the barn.  His son went into the building and scooped up the birds in his hands, the same as one would scoop up corn.  The cold appeared to have driven the birds to shelter and they were numb.  The species of the swallow is entirely different from anything Mr. Dearsley has ever seen in this part of the country."
(Source:  Racine Daily, publication date May 16, 1907)

"The funeral service of the late Lorraine Dearsley, 4 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Dearsley was private because of the nature of the illness from which she had suffered.  Internment was held at Graceland Cemetery."  (Note:  This entry is provided to suggest other family members may be interred at Graceland Cemetery in Racine.)
(Source:  Racine Daily, publication date May 15, 1918)

Note:  The biographical sketch of John W. Dearsley is found starting on page 532 of the book:  Biographical Record of representative men of Racine and Kenosha Counties by J.H. Beers & Co. Chicago 1906.  This may provide additional resources to relate the two Dearsley families.


1880 U. S. Federal Census
Walter Dearsley, age 64 in 1880, born about 1816 in England
Home in 1880:  Somers Township, Kenosha County
Marital Status:  Widower
Occupation:  Huckster (Note:  huckster is one who sells wares or provisions in the street, a peddler of fruits)
Lived at this location:
William Dearsley, age 33
Helena Dearsley, age 26, daughter-in-law
Mabel Dearsley, age 4, grand-daughter
Grace Dearsley, age 1, grand-daughter
Laura Dearsley, age 22, school teacher
Christopher Peterson, age 18, farm labor
Frank Grasser, age 15, farm labor

U.S. Naturalization Records
Walter Dearsley was born in England in 1816 and arrived in the United States in June 1856 in New York.
William Shepard Dearsley was born in England on September 29, 1846 and arrived in June 1858 in New York.

Note About Dearsley regarding Shepard
To anyone researching the Dearsley family history, you may want to investigate the Ann Shepard family.  The Township of Somers had a Shepard family (named spelled the same) who lived in the western part of the Township.  You may or may not find a connection.  You will find information about the Shepard family in my Somers Pioneer History web site.  See link above "More Blogs".

Stetson

William R. Stetson
Oakwood Cemetery
(Source:  Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Copyright October 2011)

William R. Stetson
William R. Stetson, who is engaged in general farming on Section 13, Somers Township, Kenosha County, is a native of the Empire State. He was born on the 11th of March, 1817, in Westfield, N.Y. and is the son of William A. Stetson, who was born in Maine. Oliver Stetson, the grandfather of our subject, was a native of New England, and served his country in the War of the Revolution. His father and three brothers were of English birth and emigrated from their native land to America in early colonial days.

Family Notes:  "Cap't Oliver Stetson was born November 12, 1756, Hanover, Plymouth Co., Mass. and died in Westfield, Chautauqua Co., New York on November 10, 1839.  He is buried in East Ripley Cemetery.  The D.A.R. have placed a marker on the grave which reads: "Bailey's Mass. Mil. Rev. War.".  Oliver was  a private in Capt. Amos Turner's company of "Minute Men" from Mass. which marched on Lexington alarm April 19, 1775.  There were seven Stetson in this company Col. John Bailey's Regiment, the "North Company of Minute Men".  Battles engaged in White Plains and both battles of Stillwater.  After finishing his service, he went to Hebron Maine where he married in the year 1780 in Paris, Maine, Miss Jeanette Anderson who was born in Scotland in 1757.  She died in Ripley, N.Y. December 23, 1825 in her 69th year and is also buried in East Ripley Cemetery.  Accordingly to family records, Oliver and Jeanette settled in the "wilds of Maine" far from civilization.  Here their first child was born, Oliver.  The 1790 U.S. Census has Oliver at "Canajoharietown" Montgomery Co.  He next appears in Middlefield, N.Y. where land records bear the signature of his wife, Jeanette.  When John, the youngest child was age 13, the family traveled to Westfield, Chaut Co., N.Y.  They traveled with ox teams thru Buffalo as it lay in ruins after being burned by the British.  In 1819 Oliver bought 109-1/2 acres in Ripley, N.Y. overlooking Lake Erie.  he paid $546.96 for it.  Here he built a brick house and ran a tavern.  They were active in the Presbyterian Church.  On the neighboring farm of James McMahan is a large stone on which has been carved the name of Oliver Stetson and his neighbors as the "first settlers of Chaut. So. N.Y.  He and his neighbor made a long sled a drew their grain by hand to the mill in Buffalo, sixty miles away, on the ice of Lake Erie.
Ten children were born to Oliver and Jeanette Anderson Stetson.  William A. (this story) was born Feb. 1, 1788 and died January 20, 1868. "

The father of our subject was reared to manhood in the Pine Tree State and on removing to New York, settled in Cooperstown, where he later married Jane Anderson, who was born at the place and was the daughter of Samuel Anderson, another of the Revolutionary heroes. After his marriage Mr. Stetson continued to make his home in New York until 1841, when he emigrated with his family to Wisconsin, locating in the village of Southport, now Kenosha, where he resided for a number of years. He died at the home of his daughter in that city. In the Stetson family were three sons and five daughters, the eldest of whom, Oliver, was a railroad contractor, and died in Lima, Ohio; Almira married Sheldon Fisk and is now deceased; Dorliska is also deceased; William R., of this sketch, is the next younger; Janette is the deceased wife of E.M. Kinney, one of the early settlers of Kenosha; Mary Ann has also passed away; Carl G. served in the late war as Captain of Company I, Thirty-Third Wisconsin Infantry. Carl was killed at Spanish Fort, located on the Gulf; and Jerusha, is the wife of J.R. Payson, a manufacturer of Chicago. She and our subject are now the only surviving members of the family.

(Note:  William Eugene Thompson had always thought the Stetson arrival date in Kenosha county was 1835.  They moved from Chautauqua County (previously Norwalk, Conn.) in 1833, through Ohio to Chicago, leaving two daughters at school in Oberlin, Ohio.  Moved from Chicago to Wisconsin as cholera broke out.  Traveled by oxcart.  Immigrant cholera victims buried in cemetery north of Racine, Wisconsin.  Kenosha County Historical Society has travel trunk dated 1833 used during the travels of the Stetsons to Wisconsin.)
(Source:  Thompson family records)

William R. Stetson has for half a century made his home in Kenosha County. The days of his boyhood and youth were passed in Chautauqua County, New York, where he acquired an education. He then went on the river as a pilot, running rafts on the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers, to which business he continued to devote his time and attention for a number of years. He first came to Wisconsin in 1837, joining an older brother in Kenosha but returned to the East in the fall of the same year. The following spring he again went on the river as a pilot but in 1842 made a permanent location. He took up his residence upon the claim which his father had purchased and where he now resides. Clearing it of the timber and brush with which nature had clothed it, he plowed the fields, planted crops, and in course of time had a fine farm. It was no easy task to develop land which was hitherto in its primitive condition but his unceasing labors soon worked a great transformation in the place.
Mr. Stetson was married in Kenosha in 1846, to Eliza Melville, who was born in Ireland, but spent the days of her maidenhood in this country. Unto them was born one son, Charles, who is now a railroad engineer and resides in Alton, Illinois. About 1852 Mr. Stetson was again married, his second union being with Ellen Maely, who was also born on the Emerald Isle and came to the United States when fifteen years old. They became the parents of two children: Julia Bennet, the elder, is now the wife of N.E. Thompson, who is Station Agent at Somers, and until them have been born two sons, William and Harry. Grosvenor A. now carries on the home farm. He was married but his wife died leaving one son, William Sanford."
(Source: Portrait and Biographical Album, Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin, Chicago, Lake City Publishing Co., 1892).

More About William R. Stetson
"Mr. William R. Stetson one of the oldest residents of the Town of Somers, and one of the earliest pioneer settlers of Kenosha County, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. (Julia Stetson Thompson) N.E. Thompson, Thursday morning, October 8, 1903. Mr. Stetson had been in failing health for several years. The deceased was born in Westfield, New York on March 11, 1817. He came to Wisconsin in 1837. In 1842 he took up his residence upon the farm where he lived almost to the time of his death. In 1840 he was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Melville. One son was born unto them, Charles Stetson, now of Chicago. In 1852 Mr. Stetson was again married, his second union being with Miss Ellen Maely. Two children were born unto them - Julia, the wife of N.E. Thompson and Grosvenor A. Stetson, both of Somers.
The death of Mr. Stetson marks the passing of one of the best known men in the county. He was a Republican in politics. He was connected with the School Board for nearly a quarter of a century and was a warm friend to the cause of education.
The funeral services conducted by Rev. McNary, were held from the home of his daughter Saturday afternoon. A large concourse of friends followed his remains to their last resting place in Oakwood Cemetery."
(Source: Racine Weekly Journal, October 16, 1903)

More about William R. Stetson
"William R. Stetson was a farmer, owning 163 acres in Section 13 of Somers Township. He was born in Westfield, New York and came West in 1840. His father, William A. Stetson, kept a hotel for a number of years. He married Miss Ellen Omealy, a native of New York. The Stetson's have two children: Grosvenor A. and Julia B.
(The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin, Chicago, Western Historical Company, 1879).

More About Ellen Stetson, wife of William R. Stetson
"Mrs. Ellen Stetson departed this life on Friday evening at her late home of heart trouble, The deceased was born in Ireland, May 17th 1831 came to this country when 15 years of age and resided in New York State until 1850, when she came to Kenosha. She was united in marriage to William R. Stetson in 1853. Two children, a son and a daughter, were born to them, Julia, the wife of N.E. Thompson, and Grosvenor. They, with their aged and feeble father, survive. Mrs. Stetson possessed rare traits of character which endeared her to all who knew her. She was a true, gentle devoted Christan. The funeral services were held from her late home Monday afternoon, conducted by Rev. O.D. Dale.
(Source: Racine Daily Journal, publication date February 20, 1901)





1861 Partial Map of Somers Township, Kenosha County
Stetson parcels
Section 13
W.R. Stetson - 20 acres
W.A. Stetson - 60 acres
W.A. Stetson - 80 acres
Section 14
W.A. Stetson - 83 acres
W.R. Stetson 17-1/2 acres
W.A. Stetson - 5 acres
Section 23
W.A. Stetson - 50 acres
Click on map for closer view

G.A. (Grosvenor) Stetson
Oakwood Cemetery
(Source:  Photo by Larry & Linda Kopet, USGenWEb Archiv Wisconsin)

Grosvenor Stetson
Grosvenor Stetson will hold an auction sale tomorrow to dispose of his stock and farm implements after which he will move to Kenosha.
(Source:  Racine Journal Mar 21, 1904)


Carlton G. Stetson
Captain Carlton G. Stetson served in the 33rd Wis. Reg, Company "I" in the Civil War
Residence:  Somers
Enlisted:  August 6, 1862.  Lieut. September 3, 1862.
Killed in action April 2, 1865 at Spanish Fort, Alabama
(Source:  Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion 1861-1865, Vol. II)

Carl Stetson
Carl Stetson owned a parcel (value of real estate $3,000) near William R. Stetson.
Name:  Carl Stetson (Stetson)
Age in 1860:  31
Birth Year:  About 1829
Birthplace:  New York
Home in 1860:  Somers, Kenosha County
Members of Household:   Jennie born about 1819 and Myra born about 1857
(Source:  1860 U.S. Fed Census)

Burroughs, Eben and Minnie Fink

Eben Burroughs
Oakwood Cemetery
(Source:  Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Copyright October 2011)

Minnie Fink, wife of Eben Burroughs
Oakwood Cemetery
(Source:  Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Copyright October 2011)

Stephen Burroughs
Oakwood Cemetery
(Source:  Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Copyright October 2011)

Partial 1861 Map of Somers Township showing Stephen Burroughs 160 acres in Section 2.
The north border is Racine-Kenosha County Line Road.  The curved road on the right
is the Green Bay Road.  Current owners of a portion of this property are
Edwin "Red" and Marcella Thomas Mueller, both of Somers Township pioneer families.

Stephen Burroughs, father
Stephen Burroughs, one of the enterprising and substantial farmers of Kenosha County, residing on Section 2, in the Town of Somers, was born on the 19th of May, 1828, in Newburg, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and is the fourth in a family comprising four sons and two daughters.  He comes from one of the early New England families of English descent.
Stephen was a young man when in 1847 he came to Wisconsin and on the 5th of November set foot on Kenosha soil.  Having learned the carpenter's trade he engaged in contracting and building until 1865, when he became bridge carpenter four the Northwestern Railroad Company.  From that time for nineteen years he was in charge of the construction of bridges and buildings on the Milwaukee division.  On the completion of the Northwestern Union that line was also added to his charge and he continued his connection with the railroad company until 1881.  The previous year Mr. Burroughs had purchased the farm which is now his home and in 1881 the family removed thereon, but he continued with the railroad company for a year longer.  For about ten years he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits.  He bought an improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, the greater part of which is under a high state of cultivation and the place is well improved with a substantial residence, good barns, etc.  As a contractor and builder he made of life a success and in his present line of business is also meeting with a well deserved prosperity.
On the 14th of December, 1853, in the town of Wheatland, Mr. Burroughs was united in marriage with Miss Susan Newbury, a native of Michigan who came to Wisconsin with her father, Martin Newbury.  Unto them have been born two children - Clark who now occupies a responsible position in Milwaukee, and Eben, now attending school in Racine.  He will finish the commercial course study in June, 1892.  Stephen and Susan also lost three children, two of whom died in infancy, and Lyman, their first born who was accidentally drowned in the river near Kenosha in 1868, when fourteen years old.
Mr. Stephen Burroughs is a Republican.  He has served as a member of the Somers Town Board of Supervisors and was its Chairman for one term.  Socially, he is a member of both the Masonic and Odd Fellows societies.  He is a Royal Arch Mason and has filled all the offices in both the subordinate lodge and the Encampment of the Odd Fellows fraternity.  His residence in Kenosha County covers a period of forty-four years.  Though not a soldier of the Civil War, Stephen Burroughs gave $300 toward raising funds for supplies for the soldiers and was given an exemption on that account.
(Source:  Portrait and Biographical Album of Racine and Kenosha Counties Wisconsin, Lake City Publishing Co., 1892)

More About Stephen Burroughs
"On Monday morning, March 13, 1899, Mr. Stephen Burrough died at his home after a short illness, aged 70 years.  The deceased was born May 19, 1828 in Ohio.  Being desirous of seeking a home in the west, he left his native state arriving in Kenosha in 1847. "
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, publication date March 22, 1899)

Eben Burroughs, son
Eben Burroughs, junior partner of the well-known firm of Petersen & Burroughs, implement dealers of Racine, Wisconsin, was born in Kenosha, June 22, 1871.  He was the son of Stephen and Susan (Newbury) Burroughs, the former a native of New York and the latter of Ohio.

David Burroughs, the paternal grandfather, was a native of Cleveland, Ohio, and a blacksmith by occupation.  He lived in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, near the city of Cleveland, on land which is now a part of that city.  Both he and his wife, Mary Edwards, attained advanced age.  They had four sons and two daughters:  Mary (wife of Lyman Fay); Cyrus, Alfred, Stephen, Gideon, and Phoebe (wife of O.B. Houghton).  The maternal grandfather of Mr. Burroughs was Martin Newbury, a native of New York, of Holland-Dutch descent.  He was a tavern-keeper, and coming to Wisconsin at an early day settled in Kenosha county, conducting a tavern at the Brass Ball for several years, in Salem Township.  From there he removed his family to Houston County, Minn., where he also conducted a tavern.  He died there, aged about seventy-five years, his wife attaining the ripe old age of eighty-one years.  They had a large family:  Susan, the wife of Stephen Burroughs; Nelson; James; Albert; Mary, Mrs. Judd; and Phoebe, who was the wife of George W. Dunn.  Mr. Burroughs has, on his mother's side two uncles and two aunts still living:  Nelson and Albert Newbury; Mrs. Mary Judd; and Mrs. Phoebe Dunn.  On his father's side two aunts are living:  Mrs. Mary M. Fay and Mrs. Phoebe Houghton.

Stephen Burroughs was a carpenter and bridge builder by occupation.  he came West to Wisconsin in 1846, settling in Southport, where he followed carpentering for some years.  About 1860 he went to work for the Northwestern Railroad Company, as superintendent of bridges and buildings, and he continued to hold that position for twenty-two years.  In 1882 he purchased a farm of 164 acres in Somers Township, and there reared his family.  He died there March 13, 1899, aged seventy-one years.  His wife still survives, and is now seventy-two years of age.  Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Burroughs had five children, all sons, two of whom are still living: Clark, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin., who married Charlotte Wiersch and has two children, Alice and Harry; and Eben, of Racine.  Mr. Burroughs was Chairman of the Town Board of Supervisors of Somers Township for some years.  Though not a soldier of the Civil War Stephen Burroughs gave $300 toward raising funds for supplies for the soldiers and was given an exemption on that account.

Eben Burroughs lived in Kenosha in his early boyhood, and then went to the Town of Somers, and grew to manhood on a farm.  he attended the district and public schools of Kenosha, and graduated from the Racine High School in 1892. after which he went back to his father's farm, where he spent six years.  The next two years he was with the Deering Harvester Company, as salesman and expert.  He then came to Racine and formed a partnership with Mr. George C. Petersen, in the implement and machinery business, the style of the firm being Petersen & Burroughs.  They are located in West Racine.

On June 23, 1894 Mr. Burroughs married Miss Minnie C. Fink, daughter of James H. and Olivia (Leonard) Fink.  Mrs. Burroughs spent eight years as a teacher in the schools of Kenosha County.  She received her education in the district schools and also took a two years' course in the normal school at Oshkosh.  Two children have been born to this union, Bernard W. and Doris E.  Mrs. and Mrs. Burroughs are Presbyterians.  He belongs to Racine Lodge, No. 92, F.&A.M.  Politically he is a Republican, and he was a member of the School Board for six years.

James H. Fink, father of Mrs. (Minnie C. Fink) Burroughs
James H. Fink, the father of Mrs. Burroughs, was born in New York State, and her mother was born in Bristol twonship.  They had seven children:  Jessie A., who is unmarried; Minnie C., wife of Eben Burroughs; Levi R.,; Leonard J.; Roscoe C.; Cora Belle, the wife of Frank Roode; and Evelyn, the wife of Thomas Wilcox.  The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Burroughs was Levi Fink, a native of New York State, of Holland-Dutch Descent.  He was an inn-keeper by occupation, and came to Wisconsin in the early days.  he died in Kenosha County age the age of about seventy-six years, and his wife, Caroline Vroeman, is still living, being eighty-three years old.  They had a small family.  Mrs. Burroughs' maternal grandfather was Samuel Leonard, a native of New york state, and a school teacher and preacher by profession.  He was an early settler of Bristol Township where he died in old age.  His wife lived to seventy-six years old, and they had a family of four children.  Mrs. Burroughs has three uncles living, Dr. Homer C. Leonard, Frank Leonard and Fred Leonard.  Mrs. Burroughs on the Fink side of the house has an uncle and aunt living, namely:  John W. Fink of Somers Township; and Mattie, who is the wife of Joseph Bishop, of Somers Station.
(Source:  Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin, J.H. Beers & Co., Chicago, 1906).

Birch, William and Minnie Witscheber

William and Minnie Birch
Oakewood Cemetery
(Source:  Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Copyright October 2011)

Wedding Certificate for Wilhelm Birch and Wilhelmine Witscheber
June 10, 1888
Evangelical Lutheran Friedens Church, Kenosha, Wisconsin
(Source:  Original Certificate courtesy of Jim and Sharon Bose Smith.  Copyright 2012.  All Rights Reserved.)

William R. Birch
"William R. Birch died at his home on Saturday morning July 17, 1920 following an illness of several months.  The funeral services will be held from his late home.  Burial at Oakwood Cemetery."
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, publication date July 22, 1920).

More About William R. Birch
William R. Birch, who is successfully engaged in farming on Section 18, Somers Township, is a native of the Dominion of Canada, and his natal day was the 28th day of July 1858.
His parents, Edward and Jane Birch, were both born in England, whence they removed to Canada.  In 1863 they came to the United States and located in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where the father purchased one hundred and ninety acres of land.  From that time until his (father) demise, which occurred in 1892, he devoted his time and attention to the operation of his farm and gained a gratifying measure of success in that connection.  His political belief was that of the Republican Party and for four terms held the office of Road Overseer.  In religious faith he was a Baptist.  His wife, Jane Birch, died in 1894, and both are buried in Kenosha.
William R. Birch attended the common schools until he was eighteen years of age, thus acquiring a good education, and after putting aside his textbooks he worked with his father for six years.  He was then for six months a hired hand in the employ of Ben Newman and at the end of that time purchased forty acres of fertile land on Section 18, Somers Township, where he has since made his home.  The place is well improved and everything is kept in an excellent condition.  He is both practical and progressive in his work and as the years have passed his resources have steadily increased.
Mr. Birch was united in marriage in 1883 to Miss Minnie Witscheber, and they have five children:  Paulina, a resident of Burlington, Wisconsin, and the wife of Peter Tennessen, by whom she has one child; Louisa, who is deceased and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery; William, Jr., a dairyman of Kenosha; and Christy and Frank, both at home.
Mr. Birch supports the Republican Party where national issues are involved but otherwise votes for the best man irrespective of his political allegiance. 
(Source:  The City and County of Kenosha, Wisconsin, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1916)

More About Edward Birch
Edward Birch was born in England in 1822.  He arrived in America in 1844, stopped in Canada West for a short time and in 1867 he came to Kenosha County.  He located a farm in Somers Township and has followed farming up to the present time.  He is a member of the M.E. Church.
Edward Birch has held the office of Road Commissioner four or five years.  He married in Canada in 1855, Miss Jane Thompson, a native of England. Edward and Jane had eleven children.  He is the owner of 162-1/2 acres of land in Somers Township, Section 16.
(Source:  The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin, Chicago, Western Historical Company, 1879)

More About Christopher Birch Wedding to Kugler
"The marriage of Miss Ottilliege Kugler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Kugler, to Mr. Christopher Birch, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Birch, was celebrated at the German Lutheran Church, Kenosha, on Thanksgiving Day at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.  Rev C. Buenger officiating in the presence of immediate friends and relatives conducted the service.  The bride wore a white crepe de chine dress and bridal veil.  She carried white bridal roses, and was attended by Miss Amollion Holmes.  William Birch, Jr., brother of the groom was best man.  The bridesmaid wore pink crepe de chine and carried pink roses.  A reception was held at the home of the bride's parents following the ceremony.  The happy couple have gone to housekeeping on a farm in Somers and have the best wishes of a host of friends."
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, publication date December 6, 1916).