History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties

"History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties Wisconsin"

Compiled by George O.Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others. Printed in 1924 by H.C.Cooper. Jr. & Co., Minneapoli-Winona MN. ill. 787 pages. The first two hundred pages are history of the three counties, the remainder of the book is biographies.

Biography

Munroe, Seneca W. a pioneer of Lincoln County but a few years deceased, was born in Bristol County, Rhode Island, Nov. 20, 1832, and there resided until arriving at the age of 15. Then coming west, he spent three years in La Salle County, Illinois, returning at the end of that time to Rhode Island and locating in Pawtucket, where after a while he became a somewhat prominent citizen and held the civic office of superintendent of streets. He was there married April 12, 1855, to Sarah Jane MINOR, who was born in Bristol County, R. I., Oct. 3, 1834, and after his marriage he again came west, this time accompanied by his wife, they settling on a rented farm in the town of Peru, La Salle County. Later they moved to Livingston County and from there subsequently went to Iroquois County, where for $6.25 an acre he bought a farm of 76 acres of which he was engaged in general farming until 1880. His wife Sarah Jane died in January, 1871, and he sold his farm for $25 per acre and moved to Lincoln County, Wisconsin in 1880. He was married the second time in 1874, to Leafy BALCOM, who, like his first wife, was a native of Rhode Island. They first settled in Jenny, now Merrill, but after a while took a homestead of 160 acres in Section 13, town of Rock Falls, which was then practically virgin territory so far as farming was concerned, the only other settlers there besides himself at that time being Artemus WILSON, Jack MCQUILLAN and John PARROTT. Mr. MUNRO was confronted at the outset by one of those difficulties which so beset the pioneer farmer, having to cut a road to his place through the woods and brush. This done, he began his clearing and built a log barn and dwelling, using both horses and oxen. He was especially fortunate in his team, which was the envy of the few scattered settlers round about, one of whom offered in exchange for it a good piece of land on the present site of West Merrill, but he refused to trade. He cleared 18 acres of his own land, in time built a good frame house and was engaged in farming and dairying until several years after the death of his second wife, who passed away in 1911. In 1914 he came to Skanawan to live with his son Jesse, at whose home he died in March, 1918 in his eighty-sixth year. He was the father of four sons and three daughters those now living being: Charles, of Irma, Lincoln County, Wis.; Henry, of Seattle, Wash.; Jesse M., of Skanawan; Frank, who is in South Carolina; Laura, who married S. J. JOURDAN, whom she survives, being now a resident of Cotter's Mill, and Mae, wife of Ira WHITEHOUSE of Vancouver, Wash. The other child Jennie, died at the age of 20 years.

Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 552, History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties Wisconsin; Compiled by George O. Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others 1924, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co

You are our [an error occurred while processing this directive] Visitor --Thanks for Stopping By.

© Copyright: All files on this website are protected by the US Copyright Law, Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, they are not to be copied or altered in any way for commercial use. Individuals may copy the information for their personal use. WIGenWeb Oneida and Vilas County Coordinator Judy Groh.