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The Fairwater Historical Society has joined with the Fairwater Lions Club, Mattox-Henslin American Legion post, Fairwater Fire Department, and Zion Lutheran church in exploring the idea for a weekend of homecoming events and entertainment to encourage past and present area residents to renew their acquaintanceships. The homecoming weekend was the suggestion of Larry Beuthin, commander of the Legion post, who recently participated in a similar celebration in Texas. There the weekend has become a popular annual event. Representatives of the community groups will meet at the Lions Club March 3 to discuss possible dates for the event and ideas for activities. The hope is to combine the celebration with the historical society’s open house and the Lions’ traditional corn roast. Several early suggestions have already been made, including a baseball game in the village park between past and present residents. In remembrance of an old tradition, it has also been suggested that Main Street be closed in the downtown business district for a street dance. A second long-standing tradition, free movies on the lawn, has also been suggested. For many years, evening movies were projected across the highway and Church Street for audiences who sat on the lawns at the top of the Main Street hill. The movies were later moved to the lawn in front of the school. Gerald Sanders, a member of the histrorical society, has located the projector originally used for the movies.
Bids Invited for Museum Work The society has invited area contractors to submit bids for heating, painting, and electrical work in the former public school building as part of the historical society’s goal to make the building usable as a Fairwater area museum in 2001. The society’s newly created planning, display, and research committees met at the end of January to plan for the development of exhibit space in the former primary division classroom for its growing collection of church memorabilia and village records. At its February meeting the society’s Board approved the recommendation to make completion of utility work the priority for the year. The committees also identified a need for display and library facilities in the intermediate division room. The room, targeted for use as a period classroom, was inaugurated during the society’s first open house in October. The upper division classroom, which has had significant water damage since the school was closed nearly two decades ago, has been targeted as the society’s initial restoration project. Society Seeks Military RecordsIn its planning for this year’s Memorial Day events, the society and Mattox-Henslin Post of the American Legion are asking Fairwater area families for information and memorabilia related to the area’s veterans. The items will be on display in the society’s museum, the former Fairwater Public School, following the annual Memorial Day parade and ceremonies. 1862 "East Fairwater" Tax Roll Contributes to Society’s Tour Book Property tax rolls for the town of Metomen are preserved in the archives at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Polk Library, one of the fourteen Area Research Centers of the State Historical Society. The surviving rolls include 1862-1864, 1875, 1877, 1882-1895. Early tax rolls for the town of Metomen are proving to be an important resource for the society’s proposed Fairwater walking tour book, which will document the village’s early buildings and residents. Early census records do not identify who lived in the village as it was recognized prior to incorporation in 1921, but the tax rolls offer a lot-by-lot record of village property owners. The earliest surviving tax roll for Metomen, the 1862 booklet, properties and owners in East Fairwater, the platted area in the east half of the southeast quarter of section 30. The records indicate that there were at least sixty-five residents in 14 Fairwater households. Census information indicates that the heads of household in these homes were on average 35 years old and hailed from New York (7), Vermont (2), New Jersey (1), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), Scotland (1), and Wirttemburg (1). The occupations represented included blacksmith (3), merchant/grocer (3), carpenter/joiner (2), laborer (1), millwright (1), harness maker (1), shoemaker (1), carriage manufacturer (1), and painter (1). Excluded from these numbers are properties identified as near to but not in East Fairwater. Among them were Oliver Besley, the owner of the original 1847 Dakin & Lathrop flour mill in West Fairwater, and Samuel Smith, pastor of the Freewill Baptist church on the corner of Main and Church streets. A count of all of the families living within current village boundaries would have given the village a population of nearly 120. The list of East Fairwater property owners at the beginning of the Civil War included the following men and women. South Side of Washington Street C. Latimer (Block E, Lot 1, $75 valuation) Chancey Latimer is identified as a 36-year-old farmer from New York and farming near the Plocker farm in the 1850 census. Ten years later, the census identifies him as a painter in East Fairwater. Chancy S. Latimer (1834-1918) and his wife Elizabeth C. (1838-1913), apparently Latimer’s son and his wife, are buried in the Fairwater cemetery. Mrs. Somes (Block E, Lots 2 and 3, $80 valuation) The 1860 census identifies Mary Somes as a 30-year-old widow from New York living with the Priest family in Fairwater. Her husband, W. H. Somes, M. D. (1828-1860), is buried in the Fairwater cemetery. The 1864 and 1875 tax rolls also list Mrs. Somes, but she does not appear in the 1882 tall roll. H. Brown (Block E, Lot 4, $50 valuation) Harris Brown is identified as a 56-year-old carriage manufacturer from Rhode Island and living with the Chancey Latimer family in the 1860 census. The 1870 census identifies him as a 65-year-old laborer from New York living with his son John Brown in Fairwater. Brown (1804-1898) is buried in the Fairwater cemetery next to his son. Mrs. Landrus (Block F West Fairwater, Lots 1 and 2, $60 valuation) The 1860 census identifies Nancy Landross as a 36-year-old from Connecticut, the wife of Benjamin Landross, a 39-year-old shoemaker from New Jersey, and three children. She was apparently widowed at the time of the tax roll. Mrs. Landrus appears in the 1864 tax roll but is not identified in the 1870 census and does not appear in the 1875 tax roll. Benjamin Landruss is buried in the Fairwater cemetery [dates unreadable]. R. M. Harwood (Block F, Lot 3, $40 valuation) Rufus M. Harwood is identified in the 1850 town of Alto census as a 37-year-old farmer from New York living near the Milton Talcot family. Harwood (1814-1862) and his wife Suphronia (1813-1900) are buried in the Fairwater cemetery. The Harwoods were charter members in 1850 of the Fairwater Freewill Baptist church, and Mrs. Harwood apparently moved to the village shortly after her husband’s death and lived there until her death. J. Warner (Block L, Lots 1, 2, and 3, $275 valuation) The 1860 census identifies Jacob Warriner as a 28-year-old harness maker from Wirttemburg living near the Landrus home with his wife, Margaret, and daughter. Warner appears in both the 1864 and 1875 tax rolls, but by 1882 the property is identified as belonging to William Loechelt. W. Wirth (Block L, Lot 4, $50 valuation) William Wurch/Wurth is identified in the 1860 census as a 23-year-old from New York living with the Priest family. By 1870, he was living near Brandon, and the census identifies him as a 35-year-old farmer and shoemaker from Prussia.
North Side of Washington Street J. Fairfield (Block D, Lots 1 and 6, $125 valuation) Joseph Fairfield is identified in the 1860 census as a 32-year-old carpenter and joiner from Vermont and married to Anna Fairfield. He is also listed in the 1864 tax roll, but the 1870 Metomen census identifies only a William Fairfield family farming just north of Fairwater. John Brown is listed in the 1875 tax roll as the owner of the property. Fairwater cemetery records list a Demaris Fairfield (1832-1856) as the wife of J. C. Fairfield. Although Fairfield is not identified with the village after 1864, daughter, Mary (1872-1873) is buried in the cemetery, as is Fairfield’s second wife, Anna (1830-1904). John Priest (Block D, Lots 2, 3, 4, and 5, $350 valuation) The 1860 census identifies R. H. [John H.] Priest as a 29-year-old blacksmith from New York. Tax rolls for 1864 and 1875 continue to attribute the properties in Block D as Priest’s, although the family does not appear in the 1870 census. Jaye Priest (1856-1859), a son, is buried in the Fairwater cemetery. North Side of Church Street A. B. Postin (Block A, Lot 4, $40 valuation) Alexander P. Posten is identified in the 1850 census as a 31-year-old farmer living near the Mansfield farm north of Fairwater. The 1870 census identifies him as a 54-year-old farmer from Pennsylvania. Postin apparently never was a resident in the village, and his properties appear to be those of an early investor. A. C. Bisbee (Block A, Lot 3, $20 valuation) A. C. Bisbee is identified in the 1860 census as a 36-year-old millwright from New York living near the Somes house. The Bisbee family does not appear in the 1870 census. The 1864 tax roll indicates that Bisbee was paying property taxes on Lots 3-5 in Block B, 5-7 in Block E, 1-4 in Block G, and 4-6 in Block F, all of them apparently undeveloped and probably speculative investments. The original 1857 deed for the Fairwater Freewill church (Block A, Lot 5) also indicates that Bisbee was the seller of that property. Lot 3, listed here, is the lot on which the Lutheran church was constructed in 1872 and was not developed in 1862. D Horton (Block B, lots 4 and 5, $40 valuation) The 1860 census identifies Daniel B. Horton as a 39-year-old farm laborer from Ohio living near the Warner and Landrus families. The property attributed to Horton in the 1862 tax roll is credited to A. C. Bisbee in 1864, and the 1870 census lists no Horton family living in the town of Metomen. No home existed on the Block B lots until the construction of the Lutheran parsonage in 1904, so apparently the Horton family was living elsewhere in the area during his brief association with the village. Other A. C. Bisbee (NE C[orner] 1 3/4 acres E 1/2 SE 1/4 Section 30, $250 valuation) Village property abstracts indicate that Augustus Bisbee purchased the E 1/2 of the NE 1/4 of Section 30 from Helen White in 1850 and subsequently sold portions of the property to James Butterfield and Henry Boardman. The abstract does not record transactions for the remainder of the property, and the location of this 1 3/4 acres is not precisely known, although the 1862 plat map for the county identifies Bisbee as the owner of the 40 acres in the SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of section 30. Given its valuation, it appears that the property identified here probably was developed and may have been the family home. J. Fairfield and W. Elmer (Lot E - A Drummond, $120 valuation) The 1860 census identifies William Elmer as a 26-year-old joiner from New York living near the Latimers in Fairwater. Elmer is not identified in the 1870 census and does not appear in the 1875 tax roll. The location of this property is uncertain. The 1864 tax roll identifies only Lots 1 and 6 in Block D as remaining in Fairfield’s ownership and only an unidentified Lot 6 ("WSo of the highway from W Line") as belonging to Elmer. Given its valuation, it appears that the property identified here was developed. The following properties are not attributed to any of the platted blocks in East Fairwater but may have been located north and south of the highway [Washington Street] west of the platted blocks. A Drummond (1, $100 valuation) A note in the 1864 tax roll identifies Drummond as from Ripon. He is identified in the 1870 census as Alex Drummond, a 48-year-old carpenter from Scotland and living in the Fairwater area. The location of this property is unidentified. A reference to an A. Drummond property in the 1864 tax roll describes that property as a "5r Lot from E line E 1/2 SE 1/4 Section 31." The 1875 tax roll identifies an A. Drummond property as "Beginning 21 rods from W. line 10 rds N&S 4 rds E&W." Given its valuation, it appears that the property identified here was developed. Jacob Carter (2, $60 valuation) Jacob Carter was one of the first settlers in the town of Metomen, arriving in 1845 and establishing a farm one mile north of the village. The 1880 History of Fond du Lac County identifies Carter as the only postmaster of the short-lived Grand River Post Office, the first in Metomen. Carter, a prosperous farmer, is identified as the owner of numerous investment properties in East Fairwater. The 1864 tax roll appears to identify this as "Lot 1 WSo highway from W line." Carter (1830-1890), his wife, and several children are buried in the Fairwater cemetery. A. B. Postin (3, $60 valuation) The 1864 tax roll appears to identify this as "Lot 2 WSo highway from W line" and notes Postin AB due 4.33 paid." Jacob Carter (4, $60 valuation) The 1864 tax roll appears to identify this as "Lot 3 WSo highway from W line." W. Elmer (5, $100 valuation) The 1864 tax roll appears to identify this as Lot 6, "now W. Wirth" While the Elmer family resided in the village it is not certain which of William Elmer’s two properties was the family’s home. J. C. Spooner (L 6 & p. 7, $125 valuation, $735 personal property) Philo C. Spooner is identified in the 1860 census as a 43-year-old grocer from Vermont living near the Pangburn family in Fairwater. The 1870 census identifies him as a laborer. The 1864 tax roll identifies this property only as a store lot. Jacob Carter (L p. 7, $200 valuation) This is listed as a store lot in 1864. C. F. and B. H. Harkness (Lot 8, 3 1/8 acres, $200 valuation, $927 personal property) E. H. Harkness is identified in the 1860 census as a 30-year-old merchant from Pennsylvania. Neither C. F. nor E. H. Harkness appears in the 1870 census. Clarence Harkness (1858-186_), son of E. H. Harkness, is buried in the Fairwater cemetery. N. D. and R. M. Harwood (NE C[orner] 5 acres of E 1/2 SE 1/4 of Section 30, $500 valuation) The 1860 census identifies N. D. Harwood as a merchant from New York living near John Fairfield in Fairwater. This property was located along Main Street and was eventually divided into lots that included the Blodgett house, Laper’s Garage, and the Frank Born, N. Holmes, and Rudolph Kussman lots. Two of N. D. Harwood’s children, Zilda (1846-1863) and Eugene (1852-1863), are buried in the Fairwater cemetery. G. Drummond and Henry Pangburn (Lot 9, 3 1/4 acres, $400 valuation) The abstract for the Anna Lenz/Winton Lenz property on Church Street indicates that this was a property running north from Washington Street to the millpond and lying just to the west of the village’s original Center Street. Both Drummond and Pangburn appear in the 1855 Wisconsin census as living in the vicinity of Reeds Corners. George Drummond is identified in the 1860 census as a 43-year-old blacksmith from Scotland. Pangburn is identified in the 1860 census as a 37-year-old blacksmith from New York. Pangburn enlisted in the Union army in 1864 at the age of 41 and, becoming too sick to serve further, returned home in the spring of 1865, only to die the following day. He is buried in the Fairwater cemetery next to his wife and infant son. N. D. Harwood (Lot 1, Original Plat of Fairwater, $250 valuation) The tax roll does not identify the Block. N. D. Harwood (Lot 2, Original Plat of Fairwater, $150 valuation) The tax roll does not identify the Block. Jacob Carter (16 by 16 f. by Besley Store, $10 valuation) The store referred to is almost certainly the original store in the village, mentioned in the 1880 county history as having been established in 1847 by Franklin Lathrop and William Dakin. Its location is uncertain. |
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| NEWSLETTER Fairwater Historical Society PO Box 151 Fairwater, Wisconsin 53931
Meetings The Fairwater Historical Society meets the first Saturday of each month at the Fairwater Lion’s Club on south Main Street. An exchange of photographs and information begins at 2:00, followed at 2:30 by the meeting. The public is invited. The annual meeting is held the first Saturday of March. Acquisitions The Fairwater Society accepts donations of items with historic ties to the immediate Fairwater area. Contact Lois Schmuhl, accessions officer, at Radio Road, Brandon, WI 53919. Membership Membership in the Fairwater Historical Society is $10 annually for individuals and families, $100 lifetime for individuals. Contact Arlene Leppin, PO Box 151, Fairwater, WI 53931 Web Site The Society maintains a Web site on the Wisconsin Local History Network. Featuring projects, activities, calendars, and copies of the FHS newsletter, the society’s site can be browsed at: www.wlhn.org/fairwater_histsoc Newsletter Current issues are available at the Fairwater post office. Past issues and mailings are available through Bob Schuster, 6020 Kristi Circle, Monona, WI 53716 (608-221-1421).
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