LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES - FIRST PERMANENT SETTLEMENT - PIONEERS - SETTLEMENT ON "ENGLISH RIDGE" - FIRST METHODIST CLASS - ORGANIZAITON OF UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH - ESTABLISHMENT OF PRESBYTERIAN AND BAPTIST CHURCHES - FIRST TOWN OFFICERS.

    The first permanent settlement within the limits now comprising the town of Marshall was made in 1851, by Joseph Marshall, for whom the town was named. During the spring of the year following John G. and Simon Marshall, natives of Jefferson county, Ohio, came and entered one hundred and sixty acres of land on sections 3, 4, 9 and 10. In the fall of the same year their mother, then a widow, came, accompanied by two other sons, Mahlon and George L. They lived together until 1855, when Simon died, and soon afterward the mother was taken ill and went to live with her daughter, Mrs. John Hart, where she died December 25, 1855. John G. went to the mountains and engaged in mining for a time, then returned and settled on the southwest quarter of section 6, but afterward removed to Tennessee. Mahlon died in 1879.

    Abel P. Hyde, another pioneer of the town of Marshall, was born in the town and county of Otsego, N. Y., and there attained his majority and was reared on a farm. In 1845 he came to Wisconsin and located in Lafayette town, Walworth county. In 1848 he went to Dane county, purchased forty acres of land and remained there until 1852 when, during the month of September, he came to Richland county and settled in the town of Marshall. He was of a roving disposition and lived in a number of places within and without the county during the succeeding years. In 1860 he went to Pike's Peak and engaged in mining a few months, then returned and settled in the town of Rockbridge. In 1882 he went to Dakota and made a claim in Miner county, remained one year, then sold out and again returned to Richland county. He was a veritable pioneer, was well known as a hunter and a good shot, and until late in life was fond of the rifle. He was prominent in town affairs and filled many important offices.

    Archibald Wanlass, also a pioneer of Marshall, was born in Wood county, Virginia, May 12, 1823. When he was town years of age his parents moved to Wheeling, where his father, who was a quarryman, worded at his trade, remaining there six or eight months, then removing to Guernsey county, Ohio, where he worked for one year and thence to Harrison county, where the mother died, Archibald being at that time seven years old. His father next removed to Carroll county, and there the boy grew to manhood, obtaining his education in the district schools. When he was twenty-three years of age he went to Jefferson county, and was there employed in farming for two years, then went to Belmont county, from whence he came to Richland county and entered land on section 5, in what is now known as the town of Marshall. He was a single man at the time ad did not immediately settle here, but returned to Ohio, where he remained until fall, and then returning to his land commenced clearing. In the spring of 1853 eh put in his first crop of corn and potatoes, and after planting them he returned to Ohio. It was in the fall of 1854 that he came to Richland county and settled permanently. He always took an interest in town and county affairs, and filled offices of honor and trust in the town and county, serving as chairman of the first board of the town of Marshall.

    Robert B. Wilson came from the eastern part of the state in 1852 and claimed the northeast quarter of section 10. In 1853 he sold to Josiah McCasky and removed to Vernon county, where he laid out the village of Kickapoo Center, and spent the remainder of his life there. Josiah McCasky entered the land Mr. Wilson had claimed and improved the farm, remaining there for a number of years and then removed to Taylor county, where he died in 1879. Harvey Gillingham, a native of Ohio, came in the spring of 1852 and entered land on sections 11 and 12. He erected a log cabin on the southeast quarter of section 12, and remained there until he died. Louis and Nelson Muso, Canadian Frenchmen, came in 1853. Louis located on the southeast quarter of sections 13, and Nelson bought the claim of A. P. Hyde, on section 24. They remained a few years and then sold out and moved away.

    In the fall of 1853 William Minett and John Graham came from Rock county and made the first settlement on Horse creek. William Minett was born in Cambridgeshire, England, April 11, 1828. There he grew to manhood and was reared to agricultural pursuits. At the age of twenty-two he left his native land and came to America. Hew went to Onondaga county in the state of New York and there remained for ten months, employed in teaming. He then came to Wisconsin and located in Walworth county. He came to Richland county in 1853, entered land in the present town of Marshall, and then in the following years settled there, building a cabin of round logs, as his first home, and soon became a successful farmer, but later in life he removed to Richland Center and died there, June 8, 1906. During the war he served in Company H, Forty-sixth Wisconsin Infantry.

    John Graham, for himself and others, entered land on sections 34 and 35. He and Mr. Minett then returned to Rock county and remained until October, 1854, when they came back, accompanied by Thomas and Charles Graham and James Ward. John Graham settled on the east half of the northeast quarter of section 34, where he improved a farm, erected a stone house and lived until the late sixties, when he removed to the town of Henrietta. Thomas Graham settled on the southwest quarter of section 35, where he still resides, and Charles Graham and James Ward settled upon farms on the same section. Mr. Ward now resided in Richland Center. Thomas Knouse came from Ohio in 1854 and located on section 4. A few months later he sold to Jacob Ream and moved away. Ream came from Indiana and remained several years, then sold out and removed to Nebraska. Martin Copenhefer, a native of Ohio, came from Indiana in 1854 and entered land on section 3. He improved a farm and lived there until 1880, when he sold his property and moved to Spring Valley now known as Bloom City. Edward Pinnick, a native of Ohio, came in 1854 and settled on the northeast quarter of section 6. Two years later he sold out and removed to the town of Henrietta, where he erected a saw mill and laid out the village of Yuba. Later he removed to Nebraska. Rensellaer Brewer, a native of Vermont, purchased the land which Pinnick had claimed, on section 6, cleared about twenty-five acres and lived there until 1866, when he sold out and removed to the town of Dayton, where he died. During the war he served in Company I of the Twelfth Wisconsin Infantry. His widow now lives in Richland City.

    Jonathan Totten, a native of Ohio, came in 1854 and settled on section 3, where he lived until the time of his death.

    Arthur Cook, a native of Pennsylvania, came from Ohio in the fall of 1852 and entered the southwest quarter of section 31, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was one of the upright men of the town and died about 1903, lamented by a large circle of friends.

    Benjamin W. Queen was born in Luzerne township, Fayette county, Penn., September 11, 1823, and was on e of the pioneers of Richland county. He was reared to agricultural pursuits and received a liberal education in the public schools. After his marriage he settled in the county of his birth and remained there until 1854, when he and wife started to seek a home in the west, traveling by steamboat as far as Galena, Ill. They accomplished the remainder of the journey to Richland county by team. He had previously entered land on section 8, town of Marshall, and had a log cabin built, into which the family moved immediately upon its arrival, in the month of May. He commenced clearing at once, and that year raised a small crop of corn, potatoes and garden vegetables. He remained there and continued clearing and farming until 1865, in March of which year he joined the Eleventh Regiment, Company G, Wisconsin volunteers, and died in the Marie hospital at Mobile, September 2, 1865.

    John Hart, another of the pioneers and representative men of the town of Marshall, was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, March 17, 1826. There his childhood and youth were spent, his time being occupied in going to school and working upon the farm. He remained in Ohio until 1854, when he came to Richland county and entered timber land on section 11, in the present town of Marshall. The first tree cut on the place was for the pioneer log cabin, and he cleared a large farm, remaining there until the time of his death, April 14, 1876. He had lived to see the wilderness in which he settled transformed into a finely improved and cultivated country, with good schools and churches. He had the respect and confidence of his fellow men to a remarkable degree, and his death was a loss not only to his family but to the community and county in which he lived.

    Daniel Noble was one of the pioneers of the town of Marshall. He was a native of Scotland and was but ten months old when his parents left their native home and came to America, settling in Columbiana county, Ohio. There his childhood and youth were spent, his education being obtained in a subscription school, that being the only opportunity at that time. He remained in Columbiana county until 1854, then came to Richland county and entered land in the present town of Marshall. He and family came by water as far as Galena, taking passage at Wellsville, Ohio, on the streamer Minnesota Belle. They were twenty-one days in reaching Galena, where they embarked with teams for Fancy creek. On their arrival they stopped with a neighbor for a short time, while Mr. Noble selected his claim and built a log cabin. The first year he rented a small piece of cleared land and raised a crop of corn and vegetables. He raised the first crop on his own land in 1855, and sowed the first wheat in the fall of that year, and he lived upon the farm until 1878.

    Henry Merrill, a pioneer settler of Fancy Creek valley, was born in Stark county, O., Mar. 5, 1826. When he was five years old his parents moved to Carroll county, and his father there purchased timber land and cleared a farm, in which the youthful Henry assisted. Taking advantage of the opportunities then offered, he received a fair education, and upon reaching manhood he bought land in Carroll county and remained there until 1855, when he settled in Richland county. In coming here he traveled by rail as far as Warren, Illinois, which was then the nearest railroad station, and there he hired a horse and sled and completed the journey. He first built a rude cabin of round logs, covered it with "shakes" and made puncheon for the floor.

    Joseph Benton, Sr., was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, April 20, 1803, emigrated to America in 1834, settled in Ohio and lived there until 1855, when he removed to Wisconsin and settled on Fancy creek in the town of Marshall, where he resided until the time of his death, July 14, 1880. He was one of the early pioneers of the county, and contributed of his means and energy to develop its natural resources. He was the father of Joseph Benton, Jr., who resides in Richland Center.

    Richard Caddell, a native of the state of New York, came from Ohio in 1854 and bought land on section 22. He settled there in 1856 and remained until the Civil War broke out, when he enlisted and died in the service, being killed in battle on April 9, 1865, in the capture of Fort Blakely, Alabama.

    The first settlement on what is known as English Ridge was made by James Brightman, a native of England, who came from Walworth county in 1854 and entered land on sections 27 and 34. He settled there in the spring of 1855, but a few months later sold to John McKy and moved to section 28, afterward removing to Richland Center. In the fall of 1854 John Anderson, a former sailor, came from Walworth county and entered land on section 28. He shortly afterward sold to James Brightman, removed to Illinois, and later to Iowa. John Donegan, an Irishman, came from Illinois in 1854 and entered a tract of land on section 34. After a time he was appointed postmaster of the Buckeye postoffice, but got into trouble, was convicted of robbing the mails and sent to the state penitentiary at Waupun. Upon his release he removed to Janesville.

    Among those who came in 1855 and secured homes were the following: Daniel Slusser, Henry Kepler, Alanson Clark, Joseph Kerby, George Davis, William Coulter, T. Knapp, Joseph Moon, William Richards, John and Abraham Harris. Daniel Slusser came from Indiana and located on section 9, where he remained a few years and then sold out and removed to his former home.

    Henry Kepler was born in Greene county, Pennsylvania, in February, 1811. When he was ten years old his parents migrated to Ohio and settled in Columbiana county, where he grew to manhood. While a young man he was engaged in a mill, and learned the trade of carding and cloth making. In 1855, having been married, he and wife started west to seek a home, taking with them a yoke of oxen, a span of horses and two wagons, also household goods and cooking utensils, camping by the way. After traveling forty days they arrived at Mill creek and settled on land that Mr. Kepler had entered a few months previously. He at first built a round log house, and later one of hewed logs. He lived there until his death, and his son, William F. Kepler, still resides on the place.

    Alanson Clark, a native of Ohio, came in 1855 and bought land of John Fogo, on section 12, living thereon until the time of his death. Joseph Kerby was a native of the state of Maryland, but came here from Indiana, entering land on section 30.

    George Davis was born in Loudoun county, Virginia, in August 1823, but when he was twelve years of age his parents moved to Ohio and settled in Knox county, where he grew to manhood and was married. In 1855 he and wife started west to seek a home and came to Richland county, making the journey overland with four horses and a pair of oxen, and bringing their household goods with them. They worked and camped on the way, and after four weeks travel reached their destination. Mr. Davis entered land on section 30 of the town of Marshall, and there he first erected a log cabin covering it with shakes, and using split puncheon for the floor.

    William Coulter was born in Clinton county, Ohio, September 27, 1815, and in that county he grew to manhood, obtaining his education in the district school. At twenty-two years of age he left home and went to Indiana and located in Delaware county, purchasing land there and improving a farm. In 1855 he came to Richland county and entered land on section 7, town of Marshall. He then returned to Indiana and remained until August, 1856, when, in company with his family, he started with a pair of oxen and a span of horses for their new home, taking their household goods and cooking utensils with them. They camped out upon their way and arrived at their destination after three weeks of travel. They first moved into a log cabin in Sylvan, until Mr. Coulter could build one on his land. The following winter, while the husband was absent from home, one of the children informed Mrs. Coulter that there was a deer near by. She armed herself with the rifle and went out and shot it, and when her husband returned he found her and the children engaged in skinning the animal.

    T. Knapp came from Ohio in 1855 and settled on section 18. A few years later he sold that place and settled on section 21, but later took up his residence in the town of Rockbridge.

    Joseph Moon was one of the first settlers on English Ridge, having come there in the fall of 1855. He had previously entered land on section 27, and there he cleared a good farm. Hew was a native of England, born in Cambridgeshire, in May, 1812, and was reared to agricultural pursuits. In 1854 he and his wife left their native land for America, taking passage in a sailing vessel. They were six weeks in crossing the ocean and landed in New York in December of that year. They spent the winter in Buffalo, and removed to Wisconsin in the spring. Mr. Moon rented a farm in Walworth county, where they remained until 1855, and then came to Richland county. John R. Moon, a son of the above, served during the war in Company H. of the fifth Wisconsin Infantry. He now resides in Richland Center.

    William Richards, one of the earliest settlers of English Ridge, was born in Cambridgeshire, England, September 6, 1816. In 1850, accompanied by his family, he came to America, landing at New York, and then came directly to Wisconsin and located in Walworth county, where they remained until 1855, and then came to Richland county and settled on section 27, of the town of Marshall. There he cleared a farm and built a log cabin, which was replaced a few years later by a frame house, in which he lived until the time of his death. He was an enterprising and industrious man, respected by all who knew him.

    John Harris and son, Abraham, natives of England, came from Walworth county in November, 1855. The father entered two hundred acres of land on section 28. Joseph Conkel, a native of Pennsylvania, came in 1855 and settled on the southeast quarter of section 29. He improved the land and remained a number of years, then traded the property from a farm in the town of Dayton and took up his residence there. William Ewers, a native oh Ohio, also came in 1855 and settled on section 31, but he afterward took up his residence in the town of Dayton. Patrick Redington, a native of Indiana, came at an early day and settled on section 7, where he lived the remainder of his life. William Hall, a native of Virginia, accompanied by his father Simeon Hall, came in 1856 and settled on section 4. His father died there about 1898. Thomas G. Ewers, a native of Virginia, came form Ohio in 1856 and settled on the southwest quarter of section 29, living there until the time of his death.

    Thomas Parsons was born in London, England, May 12, 1812, but his father having died when he was only eight years old, he was sent into the country to live, and there grew to man's estate. He came to America in 1841 and located in Canada, but in 1844 he moved to the state of New York and purchased a home in Onondaga town, Onondaga county. There he was employed on public works, remaining until 1856, and then came to Richland county. Here he purchased a tract of timber land on section 28, town of Marshall, built a house and continued to reside there until the time of his death, which occurred January 25, 1876. He was very industrious man, and had the satisfaction of leaving his family provided with a good home.

    Abraham Elliott was another early settler. He came from the southern part of the county, in 1859, and located on section 17, afterward selling to Joseph Berkshire.

    During the year 1857 religious services were held at the house of Joseph Kerby, by Rev. Thomas Mason, from Woodstock, and a Methodist Episcopal class was organized there with about seventeen members. The class was kept up for a few years only, meeting at private houses and at the schoolhouse on section 29. Services of the United Brethren denomination were held in an early day at the house of J. H. Hindman, on section 2, and also at the residence of Richard Hampton, an early pioneer who was a native of Richmond, Va., and the father of Wade Hampton, who is now a resident of Richland Center. In 1859 a log church edifice was erected on the northeast quarter of section 2. There the congregation worshiped until 1881, when a neat church edifice was erected on the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 13. The first meetings of the English Ridge United Brethren church were held at the house of John McKy in the fall of 1857. Jeremiah Payne was the first preacher, and under his administration a class was organized with about nineteen members. The class met in various private houses until the school house was built, and then services were held in that until 1879, when a frame edifice was erected on the southwest quarter of section 27. The Presbyterian church of Fancy Creek was organized at the house of Alanson Clark, June 11, 1859, by Rev. J. H. Mathers. A log church was erected on the northeast quarter of section 14, and this building was used until the summer of 1883, when a large frame church was erected near the site of the old one. At an early day a Sabbath school was organized in connection with this church. The Ash Ridge Regular Baptist church was organized Aug. 9, 1873, by Rev. N. L. Sweet, at the schoolhouse in district No.3, and the society continued to worship there until 1877, when a hewn log church was organized in 1871, at the schoolhouse, with G. W. Putnam as superintendent. In the fall of 1882 Rev. Elihu Bailey organized a class at Lowery schoolhouse, on section 19, and soon after the organization the class erected a log church building on section 20.

    The town of Marshall assumed its present limits in 1856, the first town election being held on April 19, at the house of Josiah McCaskey. The following were the first town officers elected: Supervisors, Archibald Wanlass, chairman, Henry Merrill and Abraham Harris; clerk, Andrew Wentz; assessor, John Ewers; treasurer, John Hart; justices of the peace, James Brightman, Andrew Wentz and John Fogo.

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