| From History of Dane County, Wisconsin, publ. by Western
Historical Company, Chicago, 1880, page 954 ANDREW BISHOP, Street Commissioner; was born Nov. 30, 1819, in Litchfield, Litchfield, Co., Conn.; he has a practical common-school education. On the 1st of January 1839, he left Homer, Cortland Co., N.Y., with a team load of home-made clothes and stockings; he sold the goods and team for cash in Coldwater, Mich. Putting all his worldly possessions into a "brown tow knapsack," he trudged on foot and alone to Chicago, about 150 miles; then, getting a ride of seven miles across the marshes, he walked to Aurora, Kane Co., Ill., forty miles; and, after a few days' visit with friends, started for Southport, now Kenosha, Wis., a distance of 100 miles; on a stormy night, when about twenty miles from Kenosha, his boots, while drying under the stove, were burned to a crisp; he put on three pairs of woolen stockings and bound on, with tow strings, the soles of the roasted boots, and began plodding his pathless journey, through slush and mud, across prairie and ravine, arriving in Southport on the 2d of March, 1839. He soon engaged on a farm, for a Methodist minister named CURTISS, who was from Prairieville, now Waukesha; in the fall he bought this farm, upon which he had worked, which was located a few miles from Racine, Wis. He then returned to New York, by way of the lakes, on Capt. BLAKE's steamer "Illinois," and also through the Erie Canal; he induced two brothers and two sisters to return with him; they came overland, by way of Canada, and reached the farm Jan. 1, 1840; both the brothers are now dead, one sister married Oliver IVES, and lives in Decorah, Iowa; the other is married and lives in Homer, N.Y., she is now (summer of 1880) visiting Mr. BISHOP, in Madison. After farming a few years, he turned his attention to "staging" both in Illinois and Wisconsin; from 1852 to 1855 he was engaged in the livery business in Madison. He was married in March, 1582, to Miss Marion McDOUGAL, daughter of a Rock Co. pioneer; they have buried five children, all in early childhood; the one living is named Kittie, and is in school at home. He was elected Sheriff in the fall of 1854, and served in that office four years, and afterward two years as Under Sheriff, he was Chief of Police fully ten years; also Street Commissioner as long; his business also included street-sprinkling and water-furnishing; he owns residence on Pinckney street. During the war he bought not less than 2,000 horses for Government use; he was in early times, a boon-companion of Harvey FRINK, son of the FRINK of staging fame In the "free and easy" pioneer times, he was "one of the boys." During the last forty years, Madison has grown from a sidewalkless village to a queen city, and he has grown into a useful and honored citizen. Transcribed and contributed to this site by Carol |
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