Kenosha County, being one of the early settling points of the state, has more than its share of families that can count more than a century since their arrival here and has already recorded many farms and properties that have been carried through generations of Kenoshans for more than a century. Work in Families Division of the State Centennial Observance and research that seeks permanent state-wide record of early settling family units was begun months ago under the leadership of Mrs. Alice Bright Parker of Fort Atkinson, who is the state chairman of the division. Families Division work was the first State Centennial activity to start in Kenosha county since that phase of the celebration pre-dated the decision of the county board to participate in the date wide observances on an official basis. The work has continued as a part of the Centennial program with Miss Carrie Cropley as chairman of a committee that includes Mmes. B.S. Benson, Joel Walker, Minnie Ozanne, and Mrs. Lynn Shermann.
Several other firsts
There are several other "firsts" in connection with this work. A large volume of valuable material has been prepared and filed by members of various families. Kenosha was the first, if not the only, county to keep transcripts of this before the original copies were sent to Mrs. Parker. This will be bound in book form for future reference, so that it will not be necessary to go to Madison for research on some questions of local history and genealogy in later years. Kenosha County and Grant County are the two leading counties in the mass of family history obtained. The history of properties, especially farms, is also a part of the work of this division. Recently it has been decided to issue certificates signed by the governor of the state to families who fill out and file blanks provided for that purpose, one for 100 year families and one for 100 year farms. These are coming in still and probably will conintue to do so for some weeks yet.
A long list of those families or properties concerning whom information has already been filed is published:
100 Year Farms
The Fowler farm, Bristol, 1840
The Dexter farm, Pleasant Prairie, 1839-1840\
The Frisbie farm, Bristol, 1841
The Barter farm, Pleasant Prairie, 1847
Holbrook-Powell farm, Bristol, 1845
Jackson-Husted farm, Bristol, 1842
The Leet farm, Somers, 1836
The Paddock farm, Salem (6 generations), 1838
Rhodes farm, Brighton, 1842
Shermann farm, Randall, 1840-1844
Kingman-Shotliff farm, Bristol, 1845
Upson farm, Bristol, 1838
VanAlstine farm, Salem, 1836
Leach farm, Brighton, 1848
Walker Bros., Bristol, 1838
Toelle farm, Wheatland, 1846
Thompson Bros., Somers, 1836-1839
Bushing farm, Salem, 1842
Dowse farm, Pleasant Prairie, 1838?
Williams farm, Pleasant Prairie, 1836
Ozanne farm, Somers, 1842
Stockwell farm, Salem 1839
Two farms that were sold a few years ago had been in the family for over 100 years: the Holt farm, for 106 years; the Riley farm for 100 years 6 months; the latter was sold to a descendent of one of the first settlers of Southport, Chester Allen.
100 year families
In the compilation of the 100 year families of Kenosha and Kenosha county, the
listing includes the biographer, the family and the date of arrival of the first
member in this area as follows:
Mrs. R.B. Whitaker, N.R. Allen family, 1835
Mrs. Edw. Barter, Barter family, 1847
Mrs. Lawrence Ozanne, Jos. Bradley family, 1842
Mrs. Lee Benedict, Benedict family, 1840
E. Bishop, Bishop family, 1842
Mrs. E.H. Burgess, Burgess family, 1842
Mrs. P. Leger, Hale family, 1842
Miss F. Stewart, Crosit Stewart McCoy families, 1835
M.V. Dexter, Dexter family, 1838
Mr. M. Gammon, Major R. Dodge, 1845, Austin Stone, 1837
Mrs. Mary B. Fowler, Fowler family, Dutton Blackman, 1840
Adelaide Kupfer, English family, 1842
Mrs. Dora Hansen, Fisk family, 1842
Miss B. Frisbie, Frisbie family, 1841
Mrs. E. Hartley, George family (Robinson), 1840
J.R. Gottfredsen, Jacob G. Gottfredsen, 1846
Lynn T. Hannahs, Capt. C. Hannahs, 1835
Mrs. E.E. Powell, Holbrook family, 1845
Carrie Cropley, Cropley family, 1848
Earle and B. Holt, Holt family, 1836
Mary J. Taylor, Husted-Jackson families, 1842
Lawrence Jacobs, P. Jacobs family, 1846
Merlie B. Jordan, Jordan family, 1842
Geo. Leet, Leet family, 1836
Mrs. Andrew Chapman, Lonergan family, 1848, Tobin family, 1838
S. Elizabeth Lyman, Lyman family, 1843
Mrs. M.B. Benson, Marsh family, 1837
John Milward, Milward family, 1846
E. M. Murdock, Murdock family, 1844
Mrs. E.H. Burgess, Newberry family, 1838, Northway family, 1836, Weed family,
1835
Alvin Paddock, Paddock family, 1838
Mrs. E.M. Shuart, Pierce family, 1837, Shuart family, 1844, Ward family, 1844
Mrs. Eva Reynolds, Reynolds family, 1844
Rhodes Bros., Rhodes family, 1842
Mrs. E.R. Thomey, Riley family, 1843
Mrs. Lawrence Ozanne, Wm Robertson family, 1844
Mrs. J.L. Todd, Runals family, 1840, Stryker family, 1836-1837
Mrs. Lynn Sherman, Sherman Archdale families, 1840-1844
Mrs. E.R. Jorgensen, Shotliff Kingman families, 1845
Donna Rasch, Slade family, 1838
F. Upson and Mrs. J. Stanley, Upson family, 1838
Mrs. J.V. Burdock, VanAlstine family, 1836
Mrs. M.V. Murdock, Vincent family, 1845
Mrs. Harvey Slater, Vollmer family, 1843
Mrs. Ellen M. Stratton, Waldo family, 1839
Mrs. Harvey Gaines, Whitcher family, 1842
Mrs. Mary Whiteley, John and M.J. Whiteley, 1838
Mrs. Charles Glaschen, Geo. Foote, 1839
Frank Hubbard, Lansing Wilcox born in Southport -- still living 1846
Mrs. Richard Rowe, Esmond Torrey family, 1839
Mrs. Joel Walker, Walker family, 1836-1838
Edw. C. Toelle, Tolle family, 1846
Wm. C. Thompson, Stetson Thompson families, 1839
Arthur Bushing, Brown-Cull families, 1842-1847
Michael Ward, Ward family, 1841
Historical Society file, Grant family, 1835
Dr. L.E. Kaltenbach, Kaltenbach's in Grant County, 1832
Old families who came later than 1848
Mrs. Mary B. Benson, Coburn Bacon families
Mrs. Laura Allen, Barnes Judd families, Allen family (Silver Lake)
Miss. Luella Carpenter, Burns family, 1850, Carpenter family, 1851
Mrs. Emma G. Evans, Gaines family, 1850
Edith M. Murdock, Gunther family, 1851
Mrs. J.T. McGrory, Pirsch family, 1857
Mrs. T.J. Christensen, Rooney Hunt families, 1857
Glenn Swartz, Swartz family, 1849
Florence Tillotson, Tillotson family, 1850
Mrs. Charles Glacken, Ward White, 1857
Mrs. S. Gile, Voight Wieber, 1849
Mrs. C.F. Williams, Williams Lane 1854
Since large families were usual in the early days of the county and a number of
generations have passed,the number of families that can claim descent from these
pioneer families make a list long beyond possibility of publication in this
article.