The Wisconsin Cartters

Bruce L. Cartter

A Story of

The Wisconsin Cartters

and

Direct Lines From Allied Families

Kellogg – Hollister – Swift

Adams – Willard – Lanpher

Davis – Curran – Knapp

Fitch – Olson

Originally Printed by
Rural Life Press
208 Campus Street
Lake Mills, Wisconsin 53551

Library of Congress catalog card number: 73-91725

Like many others I have said with a sense of guilt, "Why didn't I ask more questions about my family, or listen more carefully to Father as he spoke of them?" No, it was not his fault. I had turned a deaf ear in the direction of family history.

Little did I appreciate then that James Bruce and Isadora (Swift) Cartter, my paternal grandparents, had played such pioneering roles; and that both had descended from immigrant ancestors who came to America in the 1630’s. By varied routes they had reached Wisconsin shortly before it was made a state.

As with most of us when we approach retirement age, I began to realize my neglect, - but not until after many sources of information were no longer available. Other sources did remain, however; and the search has been most interesting and rewarding.

Louise (Adams) Curran 93 years young, my cousin and the only living relative who knew both grandparents, has been a helpful source on family background. Old letters were found which added insight into the joys and sorrows of earlier days. Many of these letters are being preserved and catalogued by my niece, Mrs. John Forssen, of Missoula, Montana. They will later be deposited with the Wisconsin Historical Society. Old pictures and newsclippings also brought to light personalities I had never known. The archives of the Wisconsin Historical Library produced a wealth of information which added much detail and many historic facts about the times.

Perhaps the most interesting experiences have been those trips which my wife Rachel and I made to areas where the Cartter families have lived. Court houses, old farms, and churches were visited. An occasional distant relative was also found.

I have attempted to set forth the results of this search in two parts, the one in story form (non-fictional) and the other in genealogical record. James Bruce Cartter, my grandfather, was chosen as the central figure for the former primarily because he seemed to represent those qualities which characterized so many of our pioneer forefathers.

The genealogical record covers eleven generations of Carters and Cartters in America, the first four being quite abbreviated. Each individual is identified by a number which may be found in the index. Unfortunately the records are incomplete in several places due to lack of information. Any reader who may be able to add facts, or correct errors is urged to contact the author.

/s/ Bruce L. Cartter
Madison, Wisconsin

James Bruce Cartter, a native New Yorker, more recently from Michigan, arrived on the Wisconsin scene in 1843 at a time of rapid change. Peoples' attention was again being turned westward and the migration was on - migration which had repeated itself in successive stages ever since the first settlers had come to New England's shores.

Was James Bruce typical of these migrating Americans? Yes in many ways he was, for he represented the seventh generation of a family who, like so many, had pioneered its way westward from New England. Thomas Carter, of English and Scotch ancestry had arrived at Boston in 1635. Since that date his descendants had through the years settled at Dedham, Watertown, Woburn, Lancaster, Leominster and Westfield in Massachusetts; and at Lowville and Rochester in New York state. From Rochester James Bruce himself was to move on to Utica in Michigan, and to Racine County in the Wisconsin Territory. The journey for James was not to end here; it would take him deeper into Wisconsin Country to the Black River region, later to be known as Jackson County.

But what of the Wisconsin which James entered from the southeast? It had been organized as a territory in 1836 comprising in addition to its present area the lands now known as Iowa, Minnesota, and part of the Dakotas. Tenney and Atwood in their book Fathers of Wisconsin painted the following word picture of early migration to the territory.

"Except about military posts and with slight other exceptions, permanent settlement first began in Wisconsin about 1826, in the lead region, or present southwest counties, and for many years population pressed in by way of the Mississippi river before the route by the Great Lakes was opened. For a long period Galena was more of a commercial mart for supplies to the interior of Wisconsin than Milwaukee of other lake ports, while Chicago was scarcely known in that connection. Lead mining had developed into a leading industry on one side of the territory, while agriculture was commencing on the other. The two streams of settlers finally met about midway, but several years elapsed before the eastern current largely dominated. As a result, the diversity of interests, ideas, and modes of thought between the two sections were much more striking in early times than at present."

The tremendous lumber harvest for which Wisconsin became famous was building toward its peak at this time. It would soon overtake mining as a major source of income only to be later surpassed by agricultural productivity. The output of pine lumber from Wisconsin's saw mills in 1853 alone, was estimated at 200,000,000 board feet. The varied nature of occupations available explains in part the rapid growth of population and the wide diversity of nationality attracted to its borders. The 1840 U.S. census shows a population of 30,945 which increased seven times in the next ten years to 305,391, reaching 775,000 by 1860. H. Russell Austin in his book The Wisconsin Story says, "More than one-third of Wisconsin's people were foreign born in both the 1850 and 1860 census. German born were more than one-third of the foreigners in 1850 and nearly one-half in 1860. - - - Wisconsin was in this period (1850-60), the most polyglot of states having also significant groups of Scandinavians, Irish, British, Canadians, Poles, Dutch, Belgians and Swiss. - - - New Yorkers and New Englanders were among the earliest Wisconsin farmers. - - - Nearly two-thirds of Wisconsin's 305,000 people in 1850 were American born and more than one-third of these, nearly 69,000, were New Yorkers; 10,000 were Vermonters and roughly the same number were from the rest of New England."

Another factor attracting large numbers into agriculture during the 1830's and '40's was the development of the U.S. Government Survey which made it possible to sub-divide land and establish positive ownership. It was in 1831, when Wisconsin was still a part of the Michigan territory, that Lucius Lyons, U.S. Commissioner, while surveying the northern boundary line of the State of Illinois set a post and erected a mound of earth six feet square at the base and six feet high at a point where this boundary line intersected the 4th Principle Meridian. It was from this point that the Wisconsin public land survey was begun in 1832. It was completed "up north" in 1867. Lyons surveyed sixteen townships in S.W. Wisconsin in 1832-33, which opened this Territory for settlement.

The intersection mentioned above is referred to on a Wisconsin Historical Highway marker, placed one-half mile east from a nearby highway, as "The Point of Beginning." It was from this point that all survey lines East, West, and North were established. Government land sales were opened in 1834 at Green Bay and Mineral Point and in 1839 at Milwaukee. By 1840 all Wisconsin south of the Fox-Wisconsin waterway was divided into surveyed townships and was being settled rapidly.

This then was the situation into which James Bruce Cartter, age 28, projected his energies and experiences. Would he find his future home here or be inclined to move even further west? What of his background? His family back in New York state? His brothers widely scattered? His training and experience? How about his more distant ancestors? Who were they? What of his own descendants who were fortunate enough to have known him? And what did he add to Wisconsin's past and future?

It is our hope that the following chapters may be of interest to our readers as they attempt to fit time place and person together into a proper perspective; we do this not that we may pass judgment on past generations but in order that we may more fully understand the contributions made by those generations. In the process it is hoped that we may become better informed concerning those relatives of ours who through the years have been separated due to the constant migration occurring in the history of all early American families.

This narrative does not pretend to be all-complete concerning the life of James Bruce and his family. There are many gaps in information that the author would like to have filled and many personal experiences that it would be desirable to relate. Perhaps someone else may bring these added facts and bits of information together.

James Bruce was born January 13, 1815 just ten months after his father David Kellogg Cartter (1), his mother Elizabeth, and his three older brothers had made that difficult cross-country journey from Lowville in the Black River Valley of New York state to a little unnamed settlement later known as Rochester, N.Y., a settlement located near the mouth of the Genesee river on the south shore of Lake Ontario. Little has been recorded concerning this trip which traversed wilderness country and was made largely by horseback following Indian trails.

We can imagine how James Bruce later envied his brothers as they told their tales of hardships, danger, sight of wild animals, views of natural beauty, forests, waterfalls and rapidly moving streams. They would tell of those times when trails were uncertain, when fatigue at the end of the day was to be endured and when unpredictable March weather was upon them. These were all things which must have spelled adventure in capital letters to James' brothers 7, 3, and 2 years of age at the time of the trip. The family did arrive safely March 28, 1814.

This family move followed a quick trip to the same destination made by David alone in 1813. The first trip had probably been prompted by the suggestion of his brother James Bruce (1) that this new country held many promises for a young family and for its breadwinner David, whose trade was classified back in Lewis County as "carpenter and mill-wright" with experience in both fields.

On the date of the Cartter arrival there were only fourteen buildings in the settlement, which was later to be known as Rochester. One of these buildings was a small one and a half-story house built by Uncle James next to his blacksmith shop. This house he turned over to the new arrivals. James Bruce (1) (the first bearer of the name recorded in the Cartter family) had come to Rochester in 1812, the same year that Colonel Rochester had surveyed an area of some 655 acres for settlement. Uncle James had the distinction of being Rochester's "first blacksmith and tool maker." He is credited with "ironing the first wagon built in the settlement." His shop was located on the grounds now part of Front Street on the bank of the Genessee River.

For a glimpse of what the settlement provided, here is a quotation recorded by Jenny M. Parker in her Rochester a Story Historical. She is quoting Mrs. David Kellogg Cartter.

"I remember my first Sunday in Rochester" said Mrs. Cartter. "It was in 1814. There was Enos Stone's family, Colonel Issac Watson's, Abelard Reynold's, Hamlet Scrantom's and Elisha Ely's. There may have been others that I have forgotten. The only pleasant rooms in the place was the cellar-kitchen of Mrs. Reynold's house, and that stood where the Arcade did afterwards - - - I went to meeting that Sunday in Barnards tailor shop. Silas O. Smith had a few prayer books and read the Episcopal service. Mrs. Barnard, Delia Scrantom, and her father and mother did the singing."

During the summer of 1814 Rev. Chauncey Cook, brother-in-law of Mrs. Cartter, visited the settlement and preached a few times. All of the early services were union in nature. The first move to establish a church came from these meetings and resulted in the establishment of "The First Presbyterian Society of the Town of Gates" August 15, 1815. The first church, Presbyterian, was built, and services were begun May 1, 1817. Rev. Cook preached the first sermon and later was a member of the Genessee Presbytery for nineteen years.

Jenny Parker further quotes from Mrs. Cartter with respect to Rochester's first school. "At the organization of the first school too few scholars were reported to justify the employment of a teacher. There were in this exigency eight bachelors here who generously proposed each to pay for a pupil, whether one came or not to receive their bounty. Soon after, a school was opened in the rear room of Barnard's tailor shop, and Miss Huldah Strong, a sister of Mrs. A. Reynolds, was engaged as teacher. The first school room and the shop it was located in was on Buffalo St. a little East of the present entrance to the Arcade."

At this time mail was carried from Canandaigua to Hanford's Landing and Rochester once a week on horseback and part of the time by a woman. The year 1817 seems to have been a significant one for the new settlement. On March 21 the request for a village charter was granted. The New York Legislature approved the completion of the Erie Canal to be routed through Rochester, crossing the Genessee River by way of an aqueduct. This structure when completed was hailed as one of the nine wonders of the world.

The first flour mill with four runs of stones was erected in 1815 plus several smaller mills all of which helped to build Rochester into what was later to be known as "the Flour City." Buildings flourished and trade grew. Population increased from a 331 census count in 1815 to 1,049 in 1818 and gave promise of even more rapid future expansion.

At this point let us pause a bit and turn back the Cartter pages of time another generation, to the fifth, in order better to understand the western movement of migration out of the mother state, Massachusetts. This migration climaxed in the 18th and 19th centuries. David Kellogg Cartter (1) and James Bruce Cartter (1), whom you have just met, were two of six brothers caught up in this movement. You will be introduced later to the others. The spirit of extended migration had arisen and they with others were to pass this spirit on to succeeding generations.

The early settlements of Westfield, Springfield, and Hadley in western Mass., Farmington and Hartford in Conn., were destined to play an important role in the lives of many pioneering families who were intent on moving westward. The location of these settlements in the Connecticut River Valley placed them in the natural path of westward migration. Of these settlements, Westfield was particularly important as the starting base for a westward-looking Cartter family. Here two families, descendants from early immigrant pioneers, were united through marriage. These two pioneer immigrants were: Rev. Thomas Carter of Woburn, Mass and Lieut. Joseph Kellogg of Farmington, Conn.

The unions of these two families came about on September 8, 1768, when Mary Kellogg, oldest daughter of David Kellogg married Nehemiah Cartter who had recently arrived at Westfield from Leominster in Mass. It was the family of Nehemiah and Mary Cartter that constituted the fifth generations in America of both families and gave birth to the Cartter family whose descendant James Bruce (2) was to arrive in Wisconsin in 1843. But first a bit about these two early families.

The name Carter is a very common one in early New England history and therefore has made it difficult for genealogists to always keep relationships clear. For a background of the name let's turn to a most recent book A History of the Carter Family published in 1972 by the American Genealogical Research Institute where we find the following quotes:

"The evidence and circumstances of a number of ancient records, plus an understanding of British history, allows us to make a number of fairly safe assumptions about the family line. Chief among these is a consideration of the family name Carter, which according to all recognized authorities is one of the great class of family names which was derived from the occupation of its first bearer. Undoubtedly, the name Carter originated in its application to the tender or driver of a cart or small wagon, and we can safely say that the use of the term "carter" as describing that person who drives a cart probably had its origin sometime during the great crusades. This period of English history 1096 to 1204, was the period of the flowering of the English feudal society, one of the most important developments of that period was the rise of the middle class, particularly the urban middle class. Where only a few generations before these people had made their living from working the land, by 1100 they were beginning to be keenly interested in trading and merchandising and in other occupations which sustained trade. One of the most important of these was transportation involving wagons and carts. Thus it was probably during this time that the first Carter founded the family name. - - - They (the Carters) along with thousands of other Englishmen left Britain during the seventeenth century in what has come to be known as the "Great Migration." Generally, this period ran from 1607 to 1650, and it followed a period of economic and political turmoil."

The first Carter recorded as coming to America came on the good ship Mayflower in 1620. His name, Robert, may be found on the original Mayflower list. He was a young man and unfortunately failed to survive the rigors and sickness of that first winter. There is no indication as to his point of origin in England or his family background.

Thomas, later to be known as Rev. Thomas, arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from England late in 1635 at the age of 26 years. Genealogists point out that at least three other Thomas Carters arrived in the colonies during the same year, a fact which caused much confusion as to family records. Howard W. Carter in his book Carter Genealogy published in 1909 discusses in some detail this problem of identity and helps to clear up some details as to Rev. Thomas Carter's early life in the Colonies. It is Rev. Thomas with whom the Cartter family in Wisconsin identifies.

A genealogy of the Rev. Thomas Carter family prepared by the author, is to be found in part II of this book. This record brings together that information which he has been able to identify as relating to the family down to the eleventh generation.

Following are listed the male descendants in the direct line through the fourth generation to the point where our Cartter story picks up with Nehemiah and Mary (Kellogg) Cartter of Westfield, Mass.:

1st Generation THOMAS was the son of James Carter, yeoman of Hinderclay, Suffolk County, England. He was born in 1610: was graduated from St. John's College, Cambridge University with B.A. and M.A. degrees. He was a fellow student of John Harvard, founder of Harvard College in Mass. Both came to America about the same year. Thomas settled first at Dedham, Mass., then moved to Watertown and on Nov. 22, 1642 he was ordained as the first minister of Woburn, Mass., a charge which he served the remaining forty-two years of his life. His was reported to be the twenty-fifth Congregational Church established in America. Rev. Thomas married Mary Parkhurst, eighth child of George Parkhurst, who had also arrived in New England about 1635. She had been born in England and came to the new country with her father. Rev. Thomas and Mary Carter had a family of nine children, all but the oldest having been born at Woburn.

2nd Generation Rev. SAMUEL, oldest son of Rev. Thomas, was born in Watertown August 8, 1640. He received a liberal education and was graduated from Harvard College in 1660. He held a number of positions in the settlement of Woburn; was commissioned to set up a grammar school, the village having increased in size to over one hundred persons. He later acquired property in the new settlement of Lancaster, Mass. He supplied the pulpit there for some time until a regular minister was secured. His signature appears on a petition May 18, 1653 to name the town of Lancaster. In 1692 he received a call to the ministry at Groton, Mass. He died in 1693 at the age of 53. He married Eunice brooks Oct. 10, 1655, daughter of John Brooks of Watertown. They had eight children.

3rd Generation SAMUEL, born January 7, 1678 the oldest son of Rev. Samuel, moved with his family from the Woburn - - Watertown area to the incorporated settlement of Lancaster. At least two of his brothers did likewise. He settled in a new section of Lancaster later known as Leominster. It was here that at least four of his sons settled on farms. Leominster was a hotbed for Indian troubles. At one time it had to be vacated for a period of from three to five years after 50 to 55 settlers had been killed and virtually all buildings burned. Samuel married Dorothy Wilder, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Wilder, and they had twelve children.

4th Generation NATHANIEL, second son of Samuel and Dorothy was born in Lancaster; lived there and in Leominster all of his life. He owned a farm on what was then known as Bee Hill and was active in town and church affairs. It is he to whom Nehemiah, mentioned earlier in this chapter, is related either as a son, or as a nephew whom he raised. Genealogists are not clear on this relationship. Nathaniel married first Thankful Sawyer daughter of Elisha Sawyer, second Dorcas Spofford, and had either eleven or twelve children.

The first members of the Kellogg family had come to New England between 1635 and 1650. Four sons of Martin Kellogg: Nathaniel, Joseph, Daniel and Samuel came to America from Braintree, County of Hertford, England according to information found in the book The Kelloggs In The Old World And The New World, written by Timothy Hopkins in 1859 and found in three volumes. No definite record is available as to whether they came together or separately.

Martin Kellogg was a weaver or cloth worker, and consequently he and his family were seriously affected by the 1637 depression of the weaver's trade upon which Braintree's economy was largely based. This may have accounted for the brothers' move to the new world. Nathaniel, the oldest son of Martin is known to have been at Hartford, Conn. in 1639. Joseph, his next younger brother is first known to have been in Farmington, Conn. in 1651. It is thought that Daniel may have come over with Joseph, but if he did their paths soon separated, he being one of the early settlers at Norwalk, Conn., which was incorporated in 1651. Samuel's path was very similar to that of Joseph.

1st Generation of Kelloggs (from whom Mary was descended)

LIEUT. JOSEPH, son of martin was baptized in Great Leighs, England April 1, 1626. He married Joanna - probably in England. She died Sept. 14, 1666. He married 2nd Abigail Terry of Windsor, Conn. He was in Farmington, Conn. in 1651, where he was an early settler and served several terms as selectman. He sold his property in February 1655 and removed to Boston, Mass. With his family he moved to Hadley, located in western Mass. on the Connecticut River and became one of the proprietors. In 1661 the town made an agreement with him to keep the ferry between Hadley and Northampton. He built his house on a small "home lot" which had been reserved by the town for the "Ferry Lot." Joseph, his son John, and grandson James Kellogg kept the ferry until 1758, almost a century. Stephen Goodman, who married a daughter of James Kellogg kept it still later and from him it received its last name "Goodman's Ferry." Joseph was selectman in Hadley for six years.

Early in the history of New England, military companies or "train bands" were formed to protest the settlers. Hadley voted "there should be a training." Oct.7, 1678 Joseph was commissioned Lieutenant of this company. His military service extended for twenty-nine consecutive years.

Joseph was the father of twenty children nine by his first wife and eleven by his second. Fourteen of these children reached maturity. He died in 1707 or 1708.

2nd Generation JOHN, son of Lieut. Joseph was baptized in Farmington, Conn., December 19, 1656. He married first Sarah Moody b. 1660 daug. of Samuel and Sarah Moody. She d. Sept. 10, 1689 and he m. 2nd Ruth _____. He resided in Farmington and Hadley and succeeded to the ferry in Hadley. His name appears in a list of those owning the largest estates in Hadley in 1720, when it was valued as 114 Pds. 16 s. John was father of eleven children, five by his first wife and six by the second. He died between 1723 and 1728.

3rd Generation CAPT. SAMUEL, third son of John b. April 1, 1687 m. 1st - Mary Ashley, his cousin, July 8, 1774, she died April 8, 1728. He m. second - June 3, 1728 - his cousin Rachel Ashley. He moved to Westfield, Mass., where he is first mentioned in the records of March 10, 1712. He established quite a reputation as a builder, a mill operator, and an ardent hunter. He died May 27, 1761 and was buried at Westfield. He had twelve children, eight by his first wife and four by his second.

4th Generation DAVID, third son of Capt. Samuel was born in Westfield, May 30, 1721, married April 1747 to Elizabeth Jones of Enfield, Conn. He was resident of Westfield and served under General Amherst in the expedition for the invasion of Canada, was impressed April 6, 1759.

He had eleven children of whom Mary was the oldest. He died March 6, 1776.

Westfield, Mass. was truly frontier and the edge of civilization for over fifty years. Its first settlers arrived in 1633. A trading post was located here in 1640; and the town of Westfield authorized in 1669. It is located about 100 miles west from Boston and ten miles west of the Connecticut river which seemed to roughly mark the western boundary line for early settlement from the east. It was Indian country but fairly good relations were established as long as hunting rights were honored. This may be symbolized by the name Westfield which reportedly, in Indian language was "Warwunockoo" meaning "it is good hunting" which in truth it was in those early days.

Henry Martyn Burt in Volume I of First Century of the History of Springfield, Mass. writes:

"In the years 1634-35 movements looking toward permanent settlement in the Connecticut valley had begun, but it was not until 1636 that there was anything like a concert of action to found towns as far westward from Boston as Springfield (approximately ten miles east from Westfield and on the Connecticut river). - - - John Winthrop describes his journey from Boston to visit Mr. Pynchon some time later. " - - - His route was from Boston to Lancaster and thence up the valley of the Nashua river - - - He traveled on horseback and was part of three days enroute."

In Timothy Hopkins' genealogical record of the Kellogg family entitled The Kelloggs in the Old World and the New World appears the following statement concerning the migrations that followed the Kellogg brothers' early settlement in the Connecticut River Valley.

"From their homes in the Connecticut Valley the descendants of Joseph and Samuel (Kellogg) began their migration to that west where so many are now found. Until 1733 Westfield had been the most western town in Massachusetts. In that year Sheffield (in the S.W. corner of Mass., west of the Berkshire Hills) was incorporated and the first road to the west was from Westfield, following the Indian path over the hills to Lower Houstannick, as it was then called. Soon after this we find among the leading men of that town the name Kellogg. Here the migrants were met by their cousins from Connecticut who had followed the valley of the Houstannick and Farmington rivers after having first tried an eastern migration to Brookfield. - - - Soon after the revolution a new West was found, and the tide of emigration from New England was directed to this new territory. Some of the Kelloggs took their way over the mountains and through the valleys to the Hudson, and then by the shores of Lake Champlain to Canada; others followed the Mohawk to the fertile fields of central New York; and still others to the wilderness of Saratoga County. Here again there was a meeting with some descendants of Daniel of Norwalk, and together they have continued their westward march, until now there is not a state or territory in the west even to and beyond the pacific, which has not had a Kellogg among its early citizens."

The Connecticut River Valley region served as a uniting spot for branches of the Kellogg family who had chosen between Mass., and Conn. for their first point of settlement. This early decision had no doubt been made at least partially, because of religious differences expressed in the two states. In the Conn. River Valley the Puritanical lines did not seem to be so tightly drawn.

For some insight into ethics of the day here is a paragraph from Alice Morehouse Walker's book Historic Hadley.

"Until 1675 - 50 families composed the Hadley settlement. (Northernmost on the Connecticut River at that time) They governed their unruly members with a steady hand. The law of the general court, that persons whose estates did not exceed 200 pds. should not wear gold or silver lace on garments made of silk, was rigorously enforced. The wives of John Westcan, Joseph Barnard, Thomas Wells Jr,. Edward Grannies, and Joseph Kellogg and Maiden Mary Broughton were arraigned before Northampton judges as person of small estate "wearing silk contrary to the law" and were fined, admonished or acquitted according to the gravity of the offense.

Later certain young men were convicted of wearing long hair, and were reprimanded by the court."

We might add that Hadley, organized in 1659, was settled by Puritan members of churches in Hartford and Wethersfield.

Now back to Nehemiah and Mary (Kellogg) Carter who were married in this early pioneer settlement of Westfield, Mass. September 8, 1768. Nehemiah from Leominster, Mass. was born October 15, 1742; Mary was born in Westfield June 13, 1748. This marriage was blessed by twelve children, as follows: (1) Chandler (2) Nehemiah (3) Mary (4) Zeboim (5) Catherine (6) David Kellogg (7) Submit (8) James Bruce (1) (9) Bethsheba (10) Isaac (11) Phederus (12) Samuel.

Of the twelve children in the family four lived to be more than 90 years of age and the eight who lived beyond 80 years accumulated an average of 87 years.

The children of Nehemiah and Mary whose births span the twenty years from 1768 to 1788 were reaching their maturity at about the time when the westward migration was building most rapidly. The two older boys, Chandler and Nehemiah sank their roots deep in Hampden County, Mass. soil and remained there until death. Zeboim, David, James, Isaac, Phederus and possibly Samuel followed the general path described by Hopkins (in the preceding chapter) as "leading westward over the mountains through the valley of the Hudson and up the valley of the Mohawk." Instead of stopping in Saratoga County they pushed north and west to the valley of the Black River in New York State, an area in which most of them eventually settled.

Only Samuel, youngest of the brothers, seemed to have gravitated in a southwesterly direction toward Kansas where it is recorded that he died at age 90. No record has yet been discovered concerning his family or location in Kansas. Cutter and Adams in their Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Mass., Vol. 1 have this statement on page 374. "Samuel (b) September 9 1788 died in Kansas aged ninety; removed 1806 to Lowville; served in war of 1812." If this is correct Samuel may have accompanied Phederus and his parents to Lowville before eventually leaving for Kansas.

Whether the Cartter brothers from Westfield knew what promise the Black River region held for them, or if they merely stumbled on it, is not told in any recorded history which the writer has read. Certainly they knew others were going in this direction and that new country was to be found. One story relates the origin of the name "Black River region" as having come from the St. Regis Indian language (o-tsi-qua-ke) meaning "where the black ash grows with knots for making clubs."

From F. B. Hought's History of Lewis County, N. Y. written in 1860, we read:

"Early in 1798 the first families of this town (Lowville, Lewis County) left Westfield, Mass. and by slow stages found their way to the last clearings in Turin township N. Y." He writes at some length about the difficulties of these early settlers especially after they left the well traveled waterways of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers, and began to make their own trails or to follow the trails previously made by the Indians. The Black River was not an easy stream to navigate.

It is very probable that several Kellogg brothers, either sons or nephews of David Kellogg, also made this migration, for the names Kellogg and Cartter seem to appear simultaneously in the Black River Valley. Other Carters, not tracing back to Nehemiah's family, are also found in this area which was later to be included in the Counties of Lewis and Jefferson. It is interesting to note that all of the Cartter brothers who made this migration from Westfield did so before marriage except for Phederus who came later than the others bringing his parents with him.

When the Lowville area was originally settled in 1798 - 1800 the Black River region was a part of Oneida County. The first three towns organized, Leyden, Turin, and Lowville had accomplished that organization by 1800. Two more, Harrisburg and Martinsburg, were organized before 1804 when the Black River region of Oneida County was divided making Lewis County to the east and Jefferson County to the west. In 1800 the population of Lewis County numbered 300. It had grown to 1604 by the year 1814. Expansion was largely agricultural. Lowville was the only incorporated village in the county for several years. It has no cities.

The land sales book of Mr. Low shows that Zeboim, the oldest of the Cartter brothers who came to Lowville, purchased farm land in 1799 the second year of open sales. Six sales had been made in 1798 and four more in addition to Zeboim's in 1799. We do not know of purchases of land by David or by James, his next younger brother, who presumably came with him. We learn from the first census of electors in Lowville, taken in 1807, that Zeboim, David and James were there at the time. Also listed were twin brothers Pardon and Paul Lanpher who had arrived in 1800 from Westerly, R.I. They purchased land the same year. These two families, the Cartters and the Lanphers, played an important part in Lewis County development and were drawn closer together through marriage. This happened first in Lewis County when Fanny Cartter, daughter of Isaac married Paul B. Lanpher, son of Paul. It happened again in Black River Falls, Wis. two generations later in 1898 when David Kellogg Cartter, son of James Bruce, (our subject) married Emma E. Lanpher, the author's mother who also was a descendant of Paul Lanpher.

Settlement on the land was being encouraged during the early 1800's as there was at that time an agricultural and self-sufficient economy. Land was not difficult to come by as is shown by the indenture made the 12th day of November, 1800, between Silas Stow, party of the first part, and Paul Lanpher, party of the second part. The original of this indenture is to be found in the Court House at Lowville. The indenture covers the sale of 50 acres of land in Stow's Square, part of Lot #17 for the sum of $175.00 (The author has a copy of this indenture). A similar purchase was made by Pardon Lanpher. Lowville at that time was a part of Oneida County.

When the 1810 census was taken the following Cartter brothers were present in Lewis County. Zeboim, David, James, Isaac, and Phederus. The latter two had only recently arrived. Phederus, who came in 1806 brought his aging parents from Westfield to live with him. Both parents died in 1810 and are buried at Lowville. Zeboim, Isaac and Phederus lived out there lives in Lewis County, while David and James were to move to Rochester N.Y. to do their bit in establishing that new settlement.

Before we leave this family of brothers to follow David and his family, just a word about each of them. The genealogical section of this story will give descendants of all that are known.

CAPT. CHANDLER the oldest son of Nehemiah and Mary (Kellogg) Cartter, b. 2-27-1768 m. 4-28-1805 Ann Waterman in Medford. He resided in Russell and Chester, Mass., was captain of the mounted militia at Russell and was a blacksmith by trade. He had eleven children, 3 boys and 8 girls.

NEHEMIAH JR., next oldest to Chandler, was b. 5-8-1769 - m. 1-23-1799 Sophia Shepard and lived in Westfield. As far as we know they had five children, 4 boys and 1 girl.

"COL" ZEBOIM, b. 6-13-1772 m. twice (1) Olive Hanchett (2) Roena Richards. He was a farmer and when the 1825 Agricultural Census was taken, owned 50 acres of land, 8 cattle, 9 horses, 65 sheep, and 10 hogs. On June 15, 1808 when the 101 Regiment of the militia was formed he was made 2nd major. When the war of 1812 was declared he was made colonel in charge of the militia from the entire county. The last call was made in 1814 to serve at Sackett's Harbor. Zeboim died at age 81 in the state of Iowa. His remains were returned to Lowville for burial. He had 9 children, 7 by Olive and 2 by Roena - 4 boys and 5 girls in all.

DAVID KELLOGG, b. 3-22-1776. M. 10-31-1789 to Elizabeth Millicent Hollister. He became a carpenter and millwright, the later occupation keeping him busy as many mills were needed to grind meal and to saw lumber in the Black River region. He, with his wife and three children, moved to the new settlement of Rochesterville, N.Y. in 1814. The story of this move was told in Chapter II.

JAMES BRUCE (1), b. 5-17-1781, m. (1) 7-4-1815 Mahala Doty (2) Mary Mulkins. He took up the blacksmith trade and became expert in iron working, both being trade skills in great demand at all frontier settlements. He did not see the future of his trade in a largely agricultural community so was the first to move further west settling in Rochesterville, N.Y. when it was laid out in 1812. Its potential for industrial development must have appealed to him. He had only one son by his first wife.

ISAAC, b. 10-21-1784, m. (1) _______ (2) 3-6-1820 Amanda Day of Lowville. Up to this time the writer has not been able to find information concerning his life though the censuses of 1810-20-30 all record him as a resident of Lowville in Lewis County. His death is recorded in that same village in 1872 at the age of 88. They had six children - 3 boys and 3 girls.

PHEDERUS, b. 6-6-1786, m. twice (1) Sophia Murray - 1807 (2) Mrs. Ruth Hendel, 1834. Timothy Hopkins in his genealogy The Kelloggs in the Old World and the New World relates the following:

"Removed from Westfield, Mass. to Lowville, N.Y. in 1806; was a farmer, served in the War of 1812 at Sackett's Harbor; had twelve children by his first wife and one by the second. died Dec. 19, 1874, age 87 yrs." The 1825 Census of Agriculture for the Town of Denmark records his holdings as 8 acres, 5 cattle, 2 horses, 16 sheep. The 1830 census shows him as a resident of Harrisburg township.

SAMUEL, the youngest of the brothers, b. 9-9-1788 is reported to have died in Kansas at age 90. One genealogist reports his removing from Westfield to Lowville; serving in the War of 1812 and then removing to Kansas. (We are hoping to learn more accurately of his movements.)

The West Lowville Rural Cemetery which was incorporated in 1871 is the final resting place of Zeboim, Isaac, and Phederus. The cemetery is very well tended, all markers being in good condition. Resting here also are the twin brothers Pardon and Paul Lanpher, referred to above, and many of their descendants including the writer's maternal grandfather William Duane Lanpher.

There are in the Lowville area many living descendants of both the Carters and the Lanphers who have been mentioned above, but even more have moved further west and south.

It is among the sons of Nehemiah Carter that we first find in public records the use of the double "T" in this old family name which dates far back in English history. Even here among the brothers there seems to be no common agreement. Gravestones of Zeboim and Isaac in the West Lowville Rural Cemetery display the name with two "Ts" while Phederus' stone bears the name spelled with one T. This, though some of his descendants, now living, spell theirs with two. David Kellogg was consistent in the use of two Ts as was his son James Bruce and indeed his other four sons.

The traditional spelling seems to have been with one T. Genealogists when recording the family line from Rev. Thomas Carter of Woburn, Mass., use the one "T" with no other reference. Two exceptions have come to the author's attention. William R. Cutter in his two works, Genealogy of Northern New York and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Massachusetts, the latter edited jointly with William F. Adams. In both of these publications the entire family of Rev. Thomas is recorded with two "Ts". In the latter of these two publications two identical lines of descent from Rev. Thomas are given except in one the one T is used, and in the other two Ts, one appearing in Vol I, p 372, the other in Vol II, p. 933.

In the first reference quoted above there appears this interesting explanation of why the two Ts.

"The Carter family is of ancient English lineage. In one of the battles of Bruce's war, an officer by the name of McCarter countermanded the order of a superior officer, which meant death, but which gave the victory, hence they could not really put him to death, but could not allow the offence to go unpunished. Therefore, they deprived him of the "Mc" in his name, and added a "t", making it Cartter. The present family descends from him. Richard Cartter, Lord of the Manor of Garston, in the parish of Watford, England, is supposed to have been the grandfather of Rev. Thomas Cartter, the immigrant mentioned below."

While we are speculating on the two Ts here is another version to ponder. From a letter written by a George Phederus Cartter of Los Angeles in 1855 to Mrs. Paul Cartter of Wichita we get the following (quite interesting.) The story he relates has two parts.

First. - - "In Scotland it was a custom, still is in some families, that the oldest son had no Christian name, was known as 'Master' and signed the papers as Mcarthur or Mcartter or Macarthur. Transcribed as M. A. Cartter, the Mac was dropped completely."

Second. - - "You well have to go back several hundred years to get to the first two "TT." In 1298 when Robert Bruce was at war with England the sister of Robert Bruce, King of Scotland, promised to marry the 'first Scott' to raise the Scott flag on English soil. The commander of the Scotch forces had the English driven back from the coast. He was ready to go ashore, standing at the bow of the boat with the Scott banner at hand when his nephew jumped out ahead of him pulling a banner from under his coat and raised it before his uncle realized what had happened. The remark that the uncle made is historically correct. 'If the same blood that flows in your veins was not the same blood that is in mine I would strike you dead where you stand." The family motto was taken from this episode 'Astutia Et Animo.' Bruce's decree issued at that time was that they should carry two or double "T" for them and their descendants forever."

Myth or reality, the presence of absence of a second "T" in the name has been a source of confusion to genealogists and an inconvenience to the bearer of the Cartter spelling. Being in the minority he must continually remind others of the proper spelling. Perhaps someday this mystery will be resolved, and we Cartters may in truth know how much Scottish blood coursed through the veins of our early ancestors.

We present bearers of the name are thankful that David Kellogg Cartter (1) held to this spelling as did his sons and those grandchildren of whom we know. The origin of the second "T" is incidental. We have it and intend to keep it, inconvenience or not. Let us haste to mention however that we do not disown those proven relatives who carry the lighter T burden.

Now back to David Kellogg Cartter as he arrived from Westfield, Mass., with his brothers to settle at least tentatively at Lowville, N. Y. He was not to stay here long and we do not know much of his activities while there. Records do indicate that by 1804 he had met and married Elizabeth Hollister, the daughter of Abner and Sarah Betty Hollister whose family lived at Adams in Jefferson County.

The young couple lived in Lowville until the spring of 1814 when they and their three sons moved to Rochester, N. Y. as related in Chapter II. We have little information concerning the young family during this period. It is very likely that David continued to develop his skills as a carpenter and mill-wright; skills which he used to very good advantage after reaching Rochester. But what of Elizabeth?

Abner Hollister, father of Elizabeth, was of the 6th generation of his family in America. He was born Oct.28, 1754 in Tyringham, Berkshire County, in the far west central part of Mass. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War being with Arnold in his march to Quebec. After Arnold's surrender, Abner made his escape through "an almost pathless wilderness; after great suffering he returned home." He married Sarah Betty in Tyringham, June 28, 1771.

Elizabeth Hollister was the seventh in a family of twelve children. She was born in 1789. When she was seven years of age the family moved to Clinton in Oneida County, N. Y. After a few years they moved to Adams in Jefferson County where she was married in 1804 to David Kellogg Cartter.

Sarah Betty, Elizabeth's mother, died in Cato, Cayuga Co., N.Y. Sept. 12, 1813, one year before the Cartters moved to Rochester. In 1818 Abner Hollister is recorded as assisting David Kellogg Cartter in building the first three-story building erected in Rochester. It was known as "The Mansion House" and is recorded in William F. Peck's History of Rochester and Monroe County. This account would lead us to believe that the two may have worked together in the carpenter trade even before coming to Rochester. Abner, in 1802, married second a widow, Elizabeth Granger of Oneida Co., N. Y. There were no children by this marriage. George A. Hollister, a son of Abner, and brother of Elizabeth, later founded the Hollister Lumber Co. at Rochester in 1835.

The Hollister family came to America from England, where in Somersetshire there is a town called Hollister. The name comes from Holly Terra - - place where holly trees abound. The first mention of the name was in about 1563 and 1564.

A brief male line of descent is given here, taken from Hollister Family of America by LaFayette Wallace Case, M. D. - 1886.

1st Generation

JOHN HOLLISTER, ancestor of the American family is said to have been born in England, 1612. He emigrated to America about 1642 and is reputed to have been "one of the most prominent men of Wetherfield and the Connecticut Colony." He was admitted freeman in 1643, a deputy in 1644 and 1645. He was appointed by a general court to give "the best and safe advice to the Indians if they agreed to meet and should crave advice." He was a large land holder especially on the east side of the Connecticut River, known as Glaustonburg. He married Joanna, daughter of Richard and Joanna Treat and dies April 1665. Eight children were born of this marriage.

2nd Generation

JOHN (2), oldest son of John (1) and Joanna b. 1644, married Sara Goodrich 1667. He was one of the principal men in Glastonburg. He had eight children d. 11-24-1711

3rd Generation

THOMAS, 2nd son of John (2) and Sara born 1-14-1672 - m. Dorothy Hills, daughter of Joseph Hills, Glastonburg, Conn. She was born 1677 and died 1741. He was called "the weaver" in town records. They had thirteen children.

4th Generation

CHARLES: Third son of Thomas and Dorothy b. in Glastonburg 7-26-1701, m. Prudence Francis, daug. of John Francis of Wethersfield 4-5-1729, settled in Eastbury d. 2-2-1753. Nine children.

5th Generation

FRANCIS, b. in Glastonburg 4-22-1733, 2nd son of Charles and Prudence, M. Betty McKee 12-15-1753 and resided in Tyringham - A sea captain - d. in Havana 1-15-1770. He had seven children of whom Abner was the oldest.

6th Generation

Abner, b. 10-28-1753, a soldier in the Revolutionary War. M. (1) Sarah Betty in Tyringham, Mass. 6-28-1775 (2) a widow Elizabeth Granger of Oneida Co., N. Y. in 1802. His twelve children were all by his first wife who died in Cato, Cayugo Co., N.Y. Sept.12, 1813. Elizabeth was his 7th child.

The year is again 1814. It is March 28th, and we are back in the new settlement of Rochester, N. Y. In fact the settlement hasn't yet been named. Father, mother, and three boys, Phederus, Harleigh and David are making themselves comfortable in the one and a half story house built by their Uncle James Bruce, the village blacksmith. But they find a tense and uneasy feeling among the settlers.

The War of 1812 is still on and the British have a fleet on Lake Erie. Many men have gone to the Niagara frontier and those remaining fear invasion by the fleet. Sept. 10, 1813 had of course seen Admiral Perry defeat the fleet of six British ships at the western end of Lake Erie followed by his famous report, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." But fighting was not over, for on July 25, 1814 the Battle of Lundy's Lane was fought about a mile from Niagara Falls on Canadian soil. The result was indecisive. British ships single or in numbers cruised Lake Ontario, and the mouth of the Genessee River near Rochesterville provided a good target for invasion. Fortunately no serious encounters developed. The war wound down and Hanford's Landing at the mouth of the river went on to become an important shipping point.

Going back to 1789 when Indian Allan built the historic first mill on the Genessee River, the early settlement above the Main Falls was called Genessee Mills or Genessee Falls and later Fall Town. A half mile below the Lower Falls at the head of navigation was Hanford's Landing - - variously known as Genessee Landing or King's Landing.

It had early been anticipated that the center of settlement might be either of these areas, but about 1812 - 1815 the trend of growth turned upstream settling beside the upper falls on the west.

Education was receiving its due share of attention. With a rapidly increasing school age population the school room, supplied by Jehiel Barnard over his tailor shop, soon became too small. The first school building in Rochester, a one-story wooden structure, was built in the winter of 1813-14, just in time for the Cartter boys to use it. Following is Mr. S. A. Ellis' description of this building, found in records of the Rochester Historical Society, - - quite different from today's schools.

"The 1st school built in the fall and inter of 1813-14 was a plain, one-story wooden structure 18 x 24 feet - - interior exceedingly simple - - an inclined desk attached to the wall extending around three sides of the room, the pupils being seated on long benches without backs and facing the wall, the feet of the small ones dangling in mid-air. The room was heated by a fireplace, which served also for ventilation. The seats for the primary pupils occupied a portion of the small space in the middle of the room, and for the most part were constructed of slabs just as they left the saw mill, with the flat surface uppermost and supported by legs set into the opposite sides. Some time prior to 1820 it was enlarged and about 182 still more enlarged and improved."

Mr. Riley in Peck's History of Rochester says: "Aaron Skinner is said to have been the first teacher in the new school-house and the first male teacher in Rochester." This school was known as the Free Academy.

Rochester's first high school was built in 1827. With changing patterns of public education being tried several attempts were made by individuals to start private schools. None of these seemed to be very satisfactory. In 1832 the high school was reorganized as "The Rochester Seminary of General Education" and from 1839 to 1851 it was known as the Rochester Collegiate Institute.

Records show that attendance at this institution in 1833 reached 325. The State Regents accredited 135 of these as Academy scholars.

From The Towns of Monroe County we learn that on March 15, 1814 the old town of Smallwood was divided and out of it's territory two other towns were erected, named respectively Brighton and Pittsford. The former, as originally constituted, contained about 66 sq. miles of land or an equivalent of about 42,240 acres. At that time this town included the village settlement of Rochester, and with it its other settled communities and varied interests it was numbered among the most important civil division of the region.

John Kelsey in his Pioneers of Rochester 1854 reproduced a map of Rochester as it looked in the spring of 1814 when the Cartters arrived. This map shows property identified in the name of owners, such as "Lot 18 - - The house occupied by the David Cartter family. Lot 19 - - James B. Cartter's blacksmith shop, on the bank of the Genessee river.

This memory map was prepared in 1854 for the above publication by two sons of original settlers. These sons were Edwin Scrantom and Phederus Cartter.

The year 1815 was especially important to the Cartters for two family reasons.

First, James Bruce (2) was born on January 13, 1815. He was the fourth son of David K. and Elizabeth Cartter, the author's grandfather, and the central figure in this Cartter story.

Second, was the marriage on July 4, 1815 of James Bruce (1), brother of David K., to Mahala Doty of Saratoga, N. Y., the daughter of Capt. Isaac and Ann Parks Doty. The newlyweds continued to live in Rochester until 1818 when they moved to Rega, a small settlement nearby.

In an obituary prepared at the death of Elizabeth Hollister Cartter the following mention is made of the homes in which the Cartter family had lived.

"In 1817 the Cartter family moved to a thirty-two acre lot, then on the road t Henrietta, now on Mount Hope Avenue a little north of Clarissa Street Bridge. They occupied a log house with a frame addition put to it by Mr. Cartter. Years later the family built a larger and more commodious house nearby and lived in it nine or ten years."

Yes, Rochester was beginning to change with its expanding population. It was becoming "a water-power city" and developing fast. Mr. McKelley in his book, with just that title, writes about this period 1815 to 1820 as follows under this sub-title, Peaceful Growth on the Lower Genessee.

"The Ely brothers painted their newly completed gristmill a dull red, and as soon as the spring thaw cleared the raceway their four pairs of millstones began to turn out an improved grade of flour. - - - The rumble of the millstones mingles with the clang of Cartter's anvil across the street and with the sound of the hammers of Abelard Reynold's workmen busy enlarging his house into the first tavern on the west bank provided a cheerful welcome to Erasties Cook, the first silversmith; to Horace and George Sill, the first book sellers and to a half dozen other merchants laden with fresh supplies from Albany to Montreal."

From a different slant Jenny Marsh Parker writes in her book Rochester A Story Historical. She calls attention to the fact that Elisha Johnson had built a dam across the river by 1818 and the population had increased to 1,049 people. She describes the changes taking place as follows:

"Ely's 'old red mill' - - 4 run of stone were grinding day and nite - - Rochester making flour for Eastern markets as well as her own and what with a cotton mill - - a paper mill and saw mills. Gibeon Cobb's semi-weekly ox team trip to the landings and back - - a weekly newspaper, Jacks of all trades within call of the 4 corners, every religious denomination pushing its mission in the union meeting house, or working for a separate chapel, an occasional spelling school, and a constant arrival of immigrants converting every cabin into a boarding house; really Rochester was not the dullest place to live in after all. - - - Hanford's Landing has become the great shipping point for Rochester's flour.

"The population of this stirring clearing in the forest was mixed rather than rough, idle drunken Indians, as well as a considerable sprinkling of Quakers contributing to its unique variety. The Quakers were a strong factor in our pioneer days and a valuable one. That was the day of the town pump, and the drying-house for lumber - - a day when the whole town turned out to a funeral and the provident man occasionally 'dug his own grave' in the burying ground.

"The price of wheat during the early part of 1817 was from $1.75 to $2.25 per bushel. Exports from the Genessee river down the lake to Canadian market during the season of navigation were 26,000 bbls flour; 3,653 bbls pot. And pearls ash; 1.173 bbl pork; 190 bbls whisky; 214,000 double butt staves etc.

"Not alone on land but on water did the new village make its influence felt, for the steamboat Ontario now began to make regular trips from Sackett's Harbor to Lewiston stopping at the Port of Genessee. To make connections with the vessel several crafts were kept busy transporting produce and manufactured articles down the river.

1819 - - exports to Canada from this port were $400,000 worth.

1821 - - The County of Monroe was formed."

The importance of the Erie Canal was just beginning to be realized when in 1819 the middle section was completed and the contract for the stretch from Rochester to Palmyra was awarded. The original construction of the canal followed these dimensions: 42' wide at top, 28' wide at bottom; 4' deep; 363 miles long; the cost to New York State $7,143,789.00 The entire length was completed in 1825. IT carried primarily passengers going west and produce for market going east. It was slow traveling, prompting Horace Greeley to comment in his recollections, "Passengers traveled 1-1/2 miles per hour and paid 1-1/2 cents per mile."

By 1862 the canal was enlarged to 70 ft. wide at top; 7 ft. depth and the distance shortened by 12-1/2 miles. There were 72 locks in all.

According to one historian (name unknown) the population of Rochester in 1820 was 1,792 and of the inhabitants 355 were farmers. 115 were mechanics, 46 were foreigners not naturalized. There were no slaves in the town but among the people were eight free blacks. Electors numbered 547. There were at the time 3 grist mills, 12 saw mills, 2 oil mills, four carding machines, two fulling mills, one cotton and woolen factory, and five asheries.

Rochester was recognized as a strong anti-slavery center. For a great many years the work of Frederick Douglas centered here. Annually from 100 to 200 fugitives passed through her gates. While there were a half dozen houses, not many more, ready to shelter them temporarily, they most frequently found their way to the residence of Mrs. Amy Post on Sophia St. There they would lie hidden, sometimes one at a time, once in a while as many as 15 in a party. - - - They were helped aboard a steamer and across the lake to freedom in Canada.

The rapid increase in number of mills of all kinds kept David very busy at this branch of his trade. However in 1820, with the help of Abner Hollister, his father-in-law, he found time to build the first 3-story building erected in Rochester. The "Mansion House", as it was called, was primarily a stagecoach inn and tavern. It was quite impressive with columns all across the front supporting the porch roof.

It is said, "The Mansion House didn't do so well at first After June 7, 1825 when General La Fayette visited the city and was feted at a special dinner in the Mansion House with 200 people attending, its popularity began to increase. LaFayette had come to the city on a canal boat from the west though the canal was not completed for regular travel until four years later.

It was in the Mansion House that Rochester's first Masonic Lodge was instituted, to be known as Wells Lodge No. 282." The above is quoted from Centennial History of Rochester, N. Y. The first court house and office building was built in 1821-22.

We have little record of the life of the David K. Cartter family other than that related sketchily in connection with the children as they grew up. In total eight (8) children were born to David and Elizabeth. Following James Bruce's birth the only daughter, Elizabeth Hollister, was born in 1817. Two sons followed both names John H. and born in 1820 and 1822. John H. (1) was born July, 1820 and died when 2 yrs. old. John H. (2) born Dec., 1822 died in May, 1826.

The youngest child George H. was born in 1827 just one year before the death of his father.

The untimely death of David Kellogg, 8-27-1828 at the age of 52 years, left Elizabeth with a family of 5 boys and 1 girl, ages 21 - 17 - 16 - 13 - 11 and 1. Her task was a difficult one in a new settlement with limited finances. She however helped to see that each child received training and education for his or her chosen life work. Four of the boys became lawyers, the other, James Bruce, chose iron working and agriculture as his field. The daughter, Elizabeth, became very fluent in several languages. She married Dennis McCarthy a prominent merchant and political figure in locals, state, and national politics. They resided at Syracuse, N. Y.

The first cemetery in Rochester was on a one-half acre lot on the corner of Plymouth Ave. and Spring St. It was deeded as a free gift to the village in 1821. Three months later this lot was exchanged for one 3-1/2 acres in size located on west Main St. All bodies were removed to it. This was known as the Buffalo St. Burying Ground.

In 1836 the common council approved a selection of 53 acres (later added to) of what is now Mt. Hope Cemetery. Here the first burial was of William Carter, August 18, 1838, no relative as far as we know. This is a beautiful cemetery, and well cared for. David Kellogg Cartter's body was removed to this cemetery in the 53 acre addition.

It was the author's privilege to visit this cemetery and to locate lot 140G where the following members of the family are buried. The lot is located in a beautifully wooded, bowl-shaped depression near the top of a hilly area. Inscriptions on the family stone include the following names:

DAVID K. CARTTER d. Aug. 27, 1828

ELIZABETH (His wife) d. Sept. 23, 1876

JOHN H. 1st (Their son) d. July 10, 1822, 2 yrs.

JOHN H. 2nd (Their son) d. May 16, 1826, 3-1/2 yrs

ALMIRA COOK (Wife of Rev. Chauncey Cook and sister of Elizabeth Hollister Cartter) d - 12-21-1842

PHEDERUS CARTTER d. June 22, 1865, 58 yrs (Son of David and Elizabeth)

LYDIA ANN WRIGHT (His wife) d. Nov. 18, 1898, 86 yrs.

EDWIN P. CARTTER (Son) d. June 14, 1913

MARTHA FRANCES (Daughter) d. Dec. 1, 1917

CHARLES FINNEY (Son) d. Nov. 4, 1876, 37 yrs.

LUCINDA WRIGHT d. April 2, 1848

Little personal record is available concerning the family of David Kellogg Cartter as it struggled, following his death, to take part in community life and at the same time help prepare each member for his or her future contributions in different states of the nation. The five sons were destined to make their specific contributions in different states of the union.

PHEDERUS, 1807-1865. Oldest son, was born at Lowville, N.Y. He was the only son content to settle down in Rochester and consequently, with his family proved to be of real help to his mother in her declining years. He married Lydia Ann Wright and became an attorney, having studied law with an early member of the bar in Rochester. He practiced as a member of the firm Bishop and Cartter in both Rochester and Scottsville, N. Y. State. His name appears on the list of practicing attorneys as late as 1853.

Due to health problems he eventually gave up his law practice and entered the nursery business with his brother-in-law Dennis McCarthy in Syracuse, N. Y. where he stayed for nine years. It is said that Phederus was a great lawyer and that he once cleared a thief. This was a fact that he couldn’t reconcile with his conscience. This may have played an important role in his turning to the nursery business.

The family of Phederus consisted of six children: Nancy, Edward P., Martha F., Charles F., Frederic Oberlin, and David Kellogg. Edward, Martha and Charles never married. David served as special deputy and later as Collector of Customs at the Port of Rochester from 1869 to 1879. He resided on a farm in Rigo township engaged in business as an accountant and followed farming as a side line. Frederic Oberlin, who spent some time during his early years with James Bruce (2), established residence in Chicago, was on the police force and later a private detective. Nancy Cartter Weaver the oldest daughter was a very good correspondent. It is her letters that tell us most about Phederus’ life and that of his children. For instance she says in one letter.

"Father was a large man, when in his prime, standing well over six feet and weighing close to 300 pounds." She characterizes him as follows: "he was the most splendid man I ever saw and in all his dealing with men, he was strictly honest and upright."

George H., younger brother of James Bruce in a letter written after being back in Rochester on a visit says this of Phederus - - "None can be under the influence of his mind and conversation without becoming a better and brighter man. There are few but that will yield to him a supremacy of mind and listen to learn while he speaks."

Phederus' later years were marked by much sickness and he died in Boston June 22, 1865 being buried at the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester.

HARLEIGH, 1811 - 1874. Second son was born at Lowville, N.Y. He too read law in Rochester. It is probable that he left Rochester about 1834 with James Bruce, for both settled in Utica, Michigan Territory at the same time. He was here admitted to the bar of McComb county April 13, 1837 and took a prominent part in civic and political affairs. He served as Shelby's Town Clerk and Justice of Peace; helped organize the Utica Lyceum and was president of the County Agricultural Society in 1858. He served as prosecuting attorney 1842-44 at which time he moved to Mt. Clemens in the same county. He was elected Legislative representative from McComb County in 1844, serving two terms, and was circuit court commissioner 1856 to 1860. His wife Jane Louise Scranton died in 1865.

On May 17, 1867 Harleigh Cartter was appointed by President Lincoln as Judge of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Arizona, organized in 1863. He was reputed to be the only democrat so appointed by Lincoln. He was appointed member of the first Bi-annual Territorial Council of Arizona which met in Tucson January 11, 1871 (11 members). Following the sudden death of the president of the council he was appointed to fill that vacancy. He represented Yavapai County and died in Arizona in 1874.

Harleigh's family consisted of seven children: Elizabeth M., Francis B., Cass, James B., Harleigh Jr., Millicent H. and David Kellogg. Of these Elizabeth, Cass, and James died as children. Harleigh Jr. went to Arizona with his father and was admitted there to the bar, becoming a partner with his father. He was a rancher, and served as under sheriff. The ranch was located east of Prescott in Yaeger's Canyon off Lonesome Valley. David Kellogg the youngest son moved to South Lowell, Alabama where he entered the Lumber Business. According to present information neither of these two families had sons to carry on the Cartter name.

DAVID KELLOGG(2), 1812-1887, was born in Lowville, N. Y. He was sixteen years old when his father died. He went on to finish two years of his education at the Rochester Academy.

He served as an apprentice in the printing office of Thurlow and Weed while he studied law in the offices of Ebeneza Griffin and E. Darow Smith at Rochester.

At the age of 20 he was admitted to the Bar and commenced the practice of law in Rochester, N. Y. He married Nancy H. Hanford of Monroe Co., N. Y. in 1836 and the same year moved to Akron, Ohio. Here he practiced law in company with Alvah Hand and George Bliss. Becoming interested in politics he moved to Massilon in Stark County, Ohio in partnership with H. B. Hurlburt in 1845. In 1848 he was elected as a democrat to the 31st Congress and was re-elected in 1850.

When the Republican Party was organized 1854-55 he joined its ranks. In 1856 he moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he opened his own law office. Being a delegate to the National Republican Convention in Chicago in 1860, he played an important part in the selection of Lincoln as the presidential nominee of the new party. He was successful in swinging enough Chase-committed Ohio votes over to Lincoln so that the result was his nomination and ultimate election.

In 1861 President Lincoln appointed David K. Cartter to be minister to Bolivia. He served from March 27, 1861 to March 1, 1862 when he asked to be relieved. He returned to Cleveland and his practice, but not for long. In 1863 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, a position he held until his death in Washington, D.C., April 16, 1887. During this time he became a very close friend and adviser to President Lincoln and succeeding presidents. He was one of those summoned to the President's bedside at the time of his assassination.

The body of Justice David K. Cartter was interned in Lakeview cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio. David's family consisted of two sons William H, Hanford and David Kellogg Jr. WILLIAM H., 1838-1904 was a physician and surgeon, trained in Heidelberg, Germany and interned at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. He served during the Civil War as medical officer on board the ship Farragut. He inherited some 6,000 acres of land in Kansas, accumulated much more and made his home at Cottonwood Falls in that state where descendants can still be found. DAVID, JR., 1840-1863 died of typhoid fever while in camp at Fort Scott, Kansas during the Civil War. He was a lieutenant in the 2nd Ohio Cavalry.

The following is taken from a eulogy of Judge David printed in the New York World under a Washington D.C. dateline of April 17, 1887.

"Judge Cartter was not great in the technique of the law, nor was he a great student of the law. He had a mind that grasped the philosophy, the wisdom, the reason, and the common sense of the law. Never was there a more judicial mind."

GEORGE HOLLISTER, 1827-1863, was the youngest Cartter son born in Rochester just one year before his father's death. He grew up at a time when the family finances were being strained but there is evidence that the family were working together to help each other.

He followed the path of his three oldest brothers, studying the law. He was admitted to the Bar in Cleveland, Ohio which indicates that he very likely studied with his brother David. In 1849, Gold Rush times, he satisfied his pioneering spirit by leaving for California where he settled in Sacramento City. Here he served three successive terms as district attorney for the Sixth Congressional Dist. His salary at that time was $5,000.00 per year. There is also some indication, though uncertain, that he served in state legislative circles.

In 1854 he came back to Rochester to visit his mother and to see his brothers enroute. He returned to California in December of the same year, as indicated in a letter sent to his brother James Bruce on Dec. 18th. He wrote "after a short but very pleasant voyage I arrived again to my adopted home. - - - I have some thought of removing to San Francisco. I think that there is a wider field and I can do better in it."

He must have changed his mind for 1858 finds him in Portland City, Oregon. The U.S. Senate approved that same year the naming of Oregon Territory as a state and the House passed the Approval bill in February of 1859.

Little record seems to be available concerning George's activities at Portland other than the announcement of his marriage, the official record of his death, and the filing of his will. The following marriage announcement appeared in a San Francisco paper: "Married, in San Francisco, May 14, George H. Cartter of Sacramento to Rosetha F. Silver." (No year was given in the announcement) George died of typhoid fever Feb. 24, 1862 in Portland at the age of 36. No children were mentioned in the will which was drawn up nine hours before death occurred. His widow Rosetha F. Cartter signed the will Sept. 1, 1862.

It is regrettable that such a promising young life ended just at the time when its contributions to this new section of the U. S. might have been of great value.

In the Portland Journal of March 24, 1863 there appeared the following as part of their announcement of his death.

"It is our melancholy duty to record the death of one, who by his many virtues as a citizen, by his professional abilities and by his love of what was true and good, endeared himself to the affections of those who knew him while living and mourn for him now, that he is dead."

ELIZABETH MILLICENT (CARTTER) MC CARTHY, 1817-1887, was born August 1, 1817 in the City of Rochester, N. Y. the one girl in a family with five brothers. At the age of 20 she married Dennis Mc Carthy of Salino, Onondago Co., N. Y. Dennis was at that time in partnership with his father in the mercantile business. His father had come from Cork Ireland.

In 1846 the young couple moved to Syracuse, N. Y. where Dennis continued in the same line of business, taking his sons into partnership with him as soon as they were old enough. In 1844-5 Mr. McCarthy represented Onondago Co. in the State Legislature; in 1853 he was elected mayor of Syracuse; and in 1868-71 he was representative in the U.S. Congress and from 1876-1885 inclusive he was a state senator. He died Feb. 14, 1886.

In a biographical sketch found in a Memorium to Elizabeth Millicent McCarthy we find the following excerpt.

"Elizabeth was well educated, - - - a woman familiar with general history, well versed in the modern and advanced literature of Europe and this country. She also ranked high as an able and cultured linguist, spending much time in Europe perfecting her early study and knowledge of Italian, Spanish and German. In French she was exceedingly proficient." She was recognized for her charitable activities and especially with those children of the community.

Her death occurred December 2nd, 1887, less than two years after her husband's demise and eight months following the death of her older brother, Justice David Kellogg Cartter of Washington D.C. She was buried in St. Agnes Cemetery in Syracuse, being survived by the following five children: David K., Thomas, Percy (Mrs. Thomas Emory), Kate (unmarried) and Dennis Jr. Four Other children died at an early age.

JAMES BRUCE, 1815-1897, fourth oldest son and first of the Wisconsin Cartter was only thirteen years old when his father died and because of the hardship which the father's loss meant to the family James went shortly to live with his Uncle James Bruce Cartter (1), the pioneer blacksmith after whom he was named. His future will be the subject of the next chapter and the balance of our story as he moves through Michigan into southern Wisconsin and finally settles, after much searching, on a home site, near Black River Falls in Jackson County, Wisconsin.

We have now taken a look at the children of David K. Cartter (1) as they grew up and moved out into work responsibility, family life, and reclining years. We must not leave this family, however, without final reference to the pioneer woman whose fortitude, faith, and example must have been a determining factor in the lives of these six children.

Elizabeth Hollister Cartter had faced the frontier with courage and assumed responsibility for the family of six children, when there was little to live on and educational opportunities were very limited.

Perhaps the most pointed tribute to Mrs. Cartter and to other pioneer women like her is found in John Kelsey's booklet entitled Lives and Reminiscences of Pioneers of Rochester written in 1854 and stemming from personal acquaintance and conferences with his subjects.

Here is a quote from his 58th Subject, Mrs. David K. Cartter.

"If we are prepared to write the history of the children, when we are made acquainted with the parentage, by parity of reasoning Mrs. Cartter's worth should not be mistaken, when that of her children is written. Indeed if such have been all the pioneer matrons of Rochester, its moral preeminence among the cities of the Union, its rapid growth and improvements, social and intellectual advantages, and its future glorious prospects need occasion little surprise to those who are accustomed to connect causes and effects in their relations to the history of any people or community."

Appearing in this same Kelsey reference we find still another tribute to the pioneer men and women. Reproduced in this reference is a map of Rochester as it would have appeared in 1814, a year which happens to coincide with the arrival of the Cartter family in what was then called Rochesterville. This map was drafted at the request of Mr. Kelsey by two residents of Rochester who were boys living there in 1814, and whose parents were both mentioned in Mr. Kelsey's Reminiscences. One of these boys was Phederus Cartter, the oldest son of David and Elizabeth Cartter.

Excerpts from a letter which they sent to Mr. Kelsey with the map follow.

"Rochester, Aug. 2, 1854

To Messrs. Kelsey and others:

Dear Sirs: Agreeable to your request we have prepared a profile or map of Rochesterville (the now city of Rochester) as it was in March 1814 - - - More than 40 years having now elapsed since this vision was presented to our boyish eyes; and while we are tracing out the lines marked by our memory in years when we could hardly picture to ourselves a hope that we should this day walk among the living in a populous city, the one-twentieth of whose faces we hardly recognize; all this passed before us now like a dream of nite or like a tale that is told. We believe that we have placed upon the map all the dwellings, business houses, mills etc., that were erected, - - - together with the names and business of each occupant.

- - - we as the sons of two of the persons named (In Kelsey's book) would be happy to bear testimony and record the following: - - - we have been acquainted with them and their children to the third and even fourth generation, and yet we have never known an instance in which they of their posterity were ever convicted of even accused of crime; if we could give any higher testimony of their moral worth, and their fitness to found a great and mighty city, we would do so. We have long desired that in some way a record might be made of those who first gave life and animation to our city. - - -

Very respectfully your obedient servants,

EDWIN SCRANTOM

PHEDERUS CARTTER"

Elizabeth Hollister Cartter died in Rochester September 23, 1876 and is buried in the Cartter lot No. 140G in Mt. Hope Cemetery at Rochester, N. Y.

James Bruce (2) was only thirteen years old when his father died. His mother was not in good health at the time and it seemed wise that he go to live with his uncle James Bruce (1) who at the time was living in Churchville, near Rochester. Here James, the boy, became interested in the blacksmith and iron worker's trade. He lived with his uncle for six years, turning down an invitation from his brother David to join him in the study of law. Law had been the path taken by his three older brothers.

In about 1834, at the age of nineteen, James joined his older brother Harleigh to travel westward into what was then Michigan Territory, it having been so declared by Congress in 1805. What attracted their attention to this area is not known. Perhaps it was the spirit of adventure or possibly it was the same pioneering spirit that had prompted their own father to move westward. McComb County, located directly north from Detroit and bordering Lake St. Clair became the third county organized in the Michigan Territory on Jan. 15, 1818. Shelby township, in which Utica is located, was authorized on April 12, 1827. It was here that the two brothers settled, Harleigh to practice law and James to join in partnership with James Covel Jr. to develop a company known as the "Utica Iron Works." James became manager of this new company. In this capacity he further developed his skill in working with people, becoming tolerant and helpful to workmen, and appreciative of the problems of new immigrants arriving from other countries and searching out employment.

Just when the Utica Iron Company was formed is uncertain. Probably not until James Bruce returned from the Toledo war in 1837. One reason for this assumption is found in a clipping which appears in his scrapbook. This clipping, taken from a Utica paper, was evidently sent to James Bruce by Mrs. F. S. Church, daughter of Harleigh, along with a letter mentioning that a Mr. Alexander had inquired about him. This letter was written Jan. 18, 1888 and reached James Bruce forty five years after he had left Michigan. The newspaper item is written by a James Alexander, whose description of early experiences in Utica covers the period when James Bruce lived there and refers to his relationship with the Iron Company. The following is a quote from that clipping.

"In the spring of 1836, the 22 yr. Of my age, I left my native land (Ireland) for America. After a passage of six weeks and three days landed in Quebec. As I heard Michigan highly spoken of I bent my steps in that direction. Arrived in Detroit in the fall, I did not remain there long. A man from Utica named Holmes was in the city looking for a blacksmith, and left word to have one sent out. I started the next morning by way of Royal Oak with my pack on my back. There was no public conveyance and it took two days to get here, as I had to foot it. Hardly anyone knew of such a place as Utica --- but I found the way ---. This was December 12th, 1836.

I engaged to work for Mr. Holmes for five months at twenty dollars per month, board and washing. At that time I intended to go to Chicago. - - - In the meantime James Cartter returned from the west and with some others formed what was known as the "Utica Iron Company." Mr. Cartter wanted me to work for him; they gave me one dollar per day. I worked for them as long as they continued in business. Mr. Cartter and myself were very warm friends; we boarded at the hotel; and as customary in those days for two to occupy the same room and bed Cartter and I slept together. I wish I knew where and how he is now. - - - There were but few places of business then. John James was the principle merchant, he is now living in Detroit. There was one grist mill and two distilleries. Twenty five cents would buy enough whiskey to keep a man drunk for two weeks. - - -

After the 'Iron Company' wound up I rented their shop for a few years then built a shop of my own."

The building occupied by the Utica Iron Company stood where the Clinton House later was built. The upper floor of their building was for several years used as the Presbyterian meeting house.

In 1837 James Bruce was commissioned captain of a company of militia organized to participate, if necessary, in what came to be known as the Toledo War. His company was under the command of General Brown and was stationed in Toledo to guard the original boundary line with Ohio which had been established when Michigan was made a state earlier in the year. Ohio had laid claim to the Toledo Territory and Michigan resisted. After much negotiation and maneuvering the dispute was settled without bloodshed giving to Michigan that area known as "the upper peninsula," and to Ohio a change in the southern boundary line including 470 sq. miles of territory in which was located the site of the city of Toledo. Thus ended the short military career of James Bruce.

During the nine years that James Bruce lived in Utica there was little time for him to demonstrate his interest and participation in community or political affairs. Historical records do indicate that in 1839 he was active in helping to organize that Utica Lyceum Society and served as its first secretary. During the same year he was elected town clerk of Shelby Township. His role in local community affairs in Michigan and later in Wisconsin, seemed to be that of a stimulator and organizer, contributing to movements good for the community, and helping to see those movements soundly organized. At this point he was content to step into the background and turn leadership over to others, always being available for counsel.

In 1842 banks throughout the country were having difficulty. Many banks, organized by individuals, had been established in the years just previous. These banks were known as "wild cat" banks and many were in trouble. The Bank of Utica was one of these. The State Legislature of Michigan passed an act to annul the corporate rights of certain banks. Under this act the receiver caused an appraisal of assets to be made of the Utica bank April 29th by James B, Cartter, James Covel Jr. and C. B. H. Fessenden. The bank was found to be short of funds and was closed.

We know little of James Covel Jr., though assume him to be a young man about the age of James Bruce. Both men seem to have had the pioneer spirit and were looking westward. They were aware that when Michigan had been made a state in 1836, the Wisconsin Territory was created including at the time parts of present day Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas. This area seemed to offer new opportunities especially after public land surveys, which had begun in 1832, were completed in 1840 for all territory southeast of the Fox-Wisconsin waterway in Wisconsin Territory.

The fact that government land sales were opened in 1834 for the Green Bay and Mineral Point areas began to attract permanent settlers and when in 1839 the lands along Lake Michigan in the Milwaukee area were opened for sale, migration began in earnest from areas bordering the Great Lakes.

It is not surprising therefore that we find recorded in Vol. 2 of Racine County Transcript, now housed in the Kenosha County, Wisconsin Courthouse, a transfer of some 77-66/100 acres of land from the U.S. Government to James Covel and James B. Cartter. This transfer is dated July 1, 1843 and covers property described as the: --

"W ½ - SW ¼ - Sec 19 - T (1) N - R (19) E" located today in the town of Randall, County of Kenosha. No consideration is shown in the records.

Further search in Kenosha County by the author uncovered in Vol. No. 2 of Racine County Transcript page 150 a deed granted by James Covel, Jr. and wife (Nancy) to James B. Cartter, both of McComb County, Mich. The deed is dated August 24, 1843. Consideration being $350.00.

This deed covers three parcels of land described as follows and located in present day Walworth and Kenosha Counties of Wisconsin:

Parcel I "E ½ - SW ¼ - Sec. 36 - T (1) N - R (18) E"

Walworth County - containing 80 acres

Parcel II "W ½ - SW ¼ - Sec. 36 - T (1) N - R (18) E"

Walworth County - containing 80 acres

Parcel III "W ½ - SW ¼ - Sec 19 - T (1) N - R (19) E"

Kenosha County - containing 77-66/100 acres.

This deed was signed in the presence of H. Carter and C.S. Madison, State of Mich., County of McComb and acknowledged by Harleigh Cartter, Justice of Peace of McComb Co., Mich. (Recorded Vol "G" of deed p 500-501 Racine Co.) Harleigh was James Bruce's older brother, with a spelling he sometimes used.

It is very likely that this action was taken shortly before James Bruce left Utica, and very likely the transfer of land was part of the settlement of affairs in the Iron Company between the two partners. It is rather interesting to know also that James Covel Jr. in company with George Vinton repurchased the 77-66/100 acre tract from James Bruce on Dec. 2, 1850.

We know that James Bruce did leave Utica and arrived in Wisconsin late in 1843. It is here that we started our story in Chapter 1. James Bruce was twenty eight years of age, skilled in his trade, single, experienced in his associations with other men and respected by those who knew him. He was however a man still uncertain of just what further contributions he was to make as he continued his life in this territory known as Wisconsin.

It would be interesting to know what the circumstances were that caused James Bruce to turn his attention toward the Wisconsin Territory in 1843. Had he made a trip west, as was implied in James Alexander's article, and returned undecided in 1836? There is a record in H. M. Simmons' Wisconsin Local History written in 1876 stating that "Hugh Longwell and 6 other men arrived (in what was then Milwaukee County) March 1835 in wagons from Michigan, following the trail of Jambeau." The South Port area later named Kenosha, was just being opened up at that time. Could James Bruce have been one of those six men and perhaps returned to Utica, not yet ready for frontier life in the Wisconsin Territory? Possibly he wanted to accumulate more finances with which to purchase land and was looking upon the Utica Iron Works as providing this opportunity.

The following statement found in Fathers of Wisconsin by Tenney and Atwood, written in 1880, may shed some light on the decisions made by James Bruce at this point in history.

"The period 1830 to 1837 was one of great and almost limitless financial currency expansion. In that year, in the states east of us, it reached a natural culmination, followed by a crash that speedily carried down most of the banking institutions in the U.S. The banks of Green Bay and Mineral Point, the only two within the territory, ended in the same way, and for some years the early settlers had little or no currency other than the small sums brought in by newly arrived immigrants. In the southwest counties, or lead region, citizens of all classes combined and refused to receive or use anything but gold and silver as a measure of exchangeable value. Immigration which had commenced coming in a flood soon after territorial organization was not only checked but actually recoiled eastward, and it was not until about 1843 that the current turned westward again since which time it has shown no abatement."

Whatever his reason he did, following the land purchase from James Covel, make his way in about 1843 to what was then Racine County. This area had been formed from part of Milwaukee County in 1863. Kenosha County did not become a separate unit of government until 1850.

It is interesting to note that the present city of Kenosha was the southernmost port on Lake Michigan at the time he arrived. It was situated at the mouth of the Pike River which provided a natural harbor. In fact the settlement here first bore the name "Pike" and the first post office carried that name. Later it was named Southport because of its location as the most southern port on the lake. The name Kenosha which came into use in 1850, is taken from the Indian word for "Pike River." This area of Wisconsin had been Indian territory and Indian presence had no doubt been responsible for delayed white settlement until after 1833. It was in that year, following the Black Hawk War, that a treaty was signed at Chicago by which the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes ceded their lands south and west of Milwaukee to the U. S. Government.

In 1834 settlers began to arrive in larger numbers. The first steamboat line on Lake Michigan was established in 1834 between Buffalo and Chicago. The "Jambeau trail" referred to above, was named after a French explorer though it had been a well-traveled Indian trail for many years between Chicago and Milwaukee. Not until Aug. 15, 1835 did pioneers arrive by Lake schooners, a four weeks voyage from Oswego, N.Y., located on Lake Erie. The opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 had made waterway travel from the east much easier and contributed to the influx of people especially from New York State and New England. In November, 1835 L. M. and P. W. Dodge arrived having walked all the way from Detroit. By the fall of 1836 a weekly stage began to run from Chicago to Milwaukee.

Though the village of Southport did attract many workmen with trades, the major number of settlers who arrived had agricultural backgrounds. Throughout the Racine County area there developed many small clusters of agricultural settlers. The clusters grew into small villages, few of them reaching much size. Wheatland was one of these villages and it was here that James Bruce settled.

It was not until 1838 that the first civil towns in Racine County were established. The land purchased in 1843 by James Bruce was located in the towns of Wheatland and Randall in the southwestern corner of Kenosha County, as presently named, and in the town of Bloomfield in Walworth County to the west. He found upon arrival that a post office had just been established at Wheatland early in 1843. The location of this post office was changed to New Munster in the same civil town, but not until 1880.

Milwaukee and Racine started developing as cities about 1835. Chicago at that time passed from an army post (Fort Dearborn) to a pioneer village. James D. Doty, later Wisconsin's second territorial governor, in 1834 had marked out a road between Milwaukee and Chicago which passed inland from Kenosha but served as a north-south line of travel for new settlers.

The population recorded in the 1840 census shows a total of 30,945 whites present in the Wisconsin Territory. This number was to increase to 305,391 by 1850.

Being curious about the presence of Carters or Cartters in the Wisconsin Territory in 1840 the author checked in the census of that year for the presence of this name among the state's resident family heads. Nine were found in all of Wisconsin Territory. All spelled their names with one (t) and they were scattered among four counties. Ackley, Harry, and John were located in Milwaukee County; three, Henry, Lorenze, and Orange in Walworth County; Benjamin and Francis in Iowa County and one, Franklin, lived in Jefferson County. Of these nine, five were involved in Agriculture, two in mining, one in manufacturing and trades and one not identified. So far as we know none of these families were in any way closely related to James Bruce.

We have little information concerning James Bruce after his arrival in Racine County other than his purchase or sale of land up to the time of his participation in the 1st Constitutional Convention. His efforts were evidently concentrated on accumulating land and developing it agriculturally. On February 24, 1844 for a consideration of $500.00 he purchased 160 acres of land from Eliphalet Cramer and his wife. The property being described as the N E ¼ - Sec. 21 - T-1-n - R 19 E in the town of Randall.

On May 16, 1846 he purchased 120 acres from George W. Plank and wife for a consideration of $300.00 described as:

"All of W ½ of NE ¼ of Sec. 21 - T (1) N - R 19 E also the SW ¼ of NW ¼ of Sec. 22 - T (1) N - R 19 E

On September 23, 1848 he purchased for $250.00, from Josiah Hyde and wife, 87 acres described as follows:

SE fractional ¼ of Sec. 21 - T (1) N - R 19 E.

His purchase of 45 acres from Pliney M. Perkins was made November 14, 1845 for the sum of $200.00 and carries the following description.

"All that tract or parcel of land situated on and being so much of the E ½ of the NW ¼ - Sec. 17 - T (1) N -R 19 E in County of Racine and Territory of Wis. Aforesaid as lies south of the road now running through said section leading from Southport (Kenosha) to Geneva and running nearly E. and W. through said section containing 45 acres of land." Land values increased rapidly during this period. As an illustration we note that the 160 acres purchased by James Bruce 1844 for $500.00 was sold by him nine years later for $3000.00.

James Bruce began selling property in December of 1845. His sale that year was to Abijah Pierce and included 45 acres.

From the time of his arrival in Racine County James had evidently been active in community and agricultural circles. He had made clear his political stand on public issues and his concern for the public good. He had long before this become a staunch Democrat, a party he never forsook.

Just three years after his arrival in the Wisconsin Territory he was elected a member of Racine County's fourteen-member delegation to the first Constitutional Convention held in the Wisconsin Territory. He was at this time 31 years of age. All members of this Racine County delegation were Democrats.

Unfortunately he was sick when the Convention was convened in Madison on October 5, 1846. As a consequence he was two weeks late in arriving. All major committee assignments had been made so his chief contributions were made in open discussion preceding the final approval of each of the 19 articles which made up that first document. He was, however, appointed Nov. 18, 1846 on a committee of 12 to work on article 10 relative to distribution of representation in the legislature. The entire document may be found, by those desiring to read it, in H. A. Tenney and David Atwood's book Fathers of Wisconsin. In this book, which is a memorial record, we find the following assessment of the work of this 1st Convention.

"This convention was at the time, and has ever since been regarded as one of great, if not extraordinary, intellectual ability. Its members were all in the prime of life, the representatives of the systems of many states, generally highly educated and possessed of mental culture far above the average of men. In both their agreement and disagreement they exhibited an acuteness of logic and learning and a comprehension of fundamental principles of government rarely if ever witnessed in a deliberate assembly."

Statistics taken from this same book give the following information concerning the nativity and occupation of the 124 members who represented the twenty six counties which, at that point in history, had formed in the Territory of Wisconsin. There were delegates present who had been born in 11 different states. New York with 42 and Vermont with 18 numbered the most. Twelve delegates had been born in 4 other countries and had come to the U. S. as immigrants. Ireland was represented by seven sons and Germany by three. By occupation there were 69 farmers, 26 lawyers, 7 mechanics, 6 merchants, 5 miners, 3 physicians, 2 lumbermen, 1 miller with 5 not indicating. The oldest member was 65 yrs., the youngest 23.

The constitution, as framed, was submitted to popular vote April 5, 1847. It was defeated by a vote of 20,233 to 14,119.

Wm. Raney in his book Wisconsin Story of Progress published in 1940 sums up the points at issue and how they were resolved in the second Constitutional Convention which was approved by vote of the people in March of 1848 as follows:

"Though the two constitutions differed in their wording, they were in substantial agreement in describing the framework of government. The majority in the first convention belonged to the Democratic party, and had the Democrats been united in favor of the constitution of 1846, it would have been accepted, but the Democrats were divided into a radical group and a more conservative one. There were some points in the first constitution that were too radical for the conservative Democrats, and they joined with the Whigs in opposition and brought about the rejection of the document on four items.

(1) By 1846 the appointment of judges was gradually but widely giving way to popular election. The constitution of 1846 provided for election, and this provision was repeated in the accepted constitution.

(2) Another advance that the conservative mind of that day could not approve was that a married woman might have property, either real or personal, separate from her husband. This was provided in 1846, omitted in the second constitution and then accomplished by the legislature soon after admission to statehood.

(3) The frontier was always peculiarly sensitive to the afflictions of the debtor. Wisconsin Territory borrowed the Michigan Code of laws almost entire, but in 1837 was careful to abolish imprisonment for debt, which that code authorized. When making a constitution in 1846 the "fathers" went a step further. A homestead, not to exceed forty acres in the country, or property worth $1,000 in a town, was exempt from seizure and forced sale to satisfy a debt. This too was omitted from the constitution that was adopted, but was enacted by the legislature soon after.

(4) The Jacksonian distrust of banks and the experience of the people of Wisconsin in the territorial period accounted of the provision of 1846: 'There shall be no banks of issue in this state.' The second constitution provided that if a general law permitting banks were desired at any time the legislature should submit to the people the question of 'banks' or no banks.' If a banking law were thus demanded, the legislature might then pass a general banking law and submit it to the people for approval. This procedure was followed in 1851 and 1852, and both votes were overwhelmingly in favor of banks."

Of interest to present day readers may be the results of an advisory ballot voted on along with the ballot seeking popular acceptance of the first draft of the constitution. This ballot sought public response to the question "Should equal sufferage be granted to colored persons?" State-wide the result was, Yes - 7,664; No - 15, 415. Wide differences between counties were shown reflecting most likely the residential origin of the early settlers. Racine County approved 1206 to 763; as did Walworth, 1094 to 714 and Waukesha 1107 to 617. On the other side - Grant Co. voted No - 2215 to 93, Iowa, LaFayette and Richmond voted likewise 2504 to 69 while Milwaukee voted No - 1832 to 616.

James Bruce returned from his participation at the first convention unchanged in his desire to avoid public attention to himself, and though he thought deeply and and expressed himself freely, he avoided running for any public office. He chose rather to serve the people in his home community and county as they sought to bring about change. He had been a strong advocate of the two articles on "Women's Rights" and "Liberal Exemption Policy From Debt Seizure" and rejoiced t see his viewpoints justified by later legislative action.

When the call for the second Constitutional Convention went out James Bruce was asked to serve as a member, but he declined the invitation as did all but six of the members active at the first convention. One member from the 1st Racine County delegation, Fred S. Lovel, was among the six. The number of delegates to the second convention was reduced to 69 and as history relates, the second constitution was approved by popular vote and Wisconsin became the 30th state of the Union by Act of Congress approved May 29, 1848.

Though James Bruce was not a member of the convention the Carter name was represented by another early arrival in the state with that name, Almerin Marshall Carter of Rock County (no close relationship has been established) From an article entitled "The attainment of Statehood" written by _______ Quaife and appearing in Vol. 29 of Wisconsin Historical Publications, p. 919 we become acquainted with this gentleman who was the same age as James Bruce.

"ALMERIN MARSHALL CARTER a native of Litchfield County, Conn., where he was born Oct. 4, 1814, the son of Guy and Sarepta Marshall Carter. About a year later the family removed to Paris, Oneida County, N. Y. where his father became a trustee of Madison University at Hamilton. There Almerin graduated in 1832. The life of a farmer attracted the young man, and for ten years he remained near his family home. In 1843 he removed to Wisconsin to take up government land in Johnstown Township in Rock County, whence he was elected on the Whig ticket to the 2nd Constitutional Convention. He died June 7, 1898." Mr. Carter prepared in 1896 an interesting paper relating to his memories of that second convention which is on file with the Historical Society of Wisconsin.

There is little record of James Bruce's activities between 1848 and 1850 other than for a sale of additional land to Abijah Pearce, which adjoined property purchased earlier. This was the last transaction found in the Racine County Transcript Vol. 5. The census of 1850 lists him as a resident of Kenosha County - Age 35 - male - single - farmer - value of real estate $6,000 - place of birth, N. Y. His place of residence was a boarding house operated by Lewis Robertson.

The same census recognizes the presence of John Swift as head of a family. This family was listed as "John F. Swift, 47; Chloe P. (his wife) 47; Charles W. 22; Oliver C. 19; Isadore F., 15; Maria J., 13; and William Well, 22, a cooper living with them.

The first evidence we have of James Bruce meeting John F. Swift and his family is when we see his signature as witness to a purchase made by Mr. Swift from George Parkhurst and wife of the Town of Wheatland. This purchase described as SE ¼ - NW ¼ - S 21 T 1 N, R 19 E contained forty acres. A second purchase was made by Mr. Swift from Josiah Hyde and wife on the same day. This was for an irregular piece of property in Section 21 comprising 5 acres to be used as a residence site near Lake Marie.

James Bruce's future was to be closely tied with this family, for in 1855 he married the older of Mr. Swift's daughters. But more of this later.

Farming operations were no doubt keeping James busy in addition to the blacksmithing he was called on to do for his neighbors. He kept all of his land save the 77-66/100 acres which he sold back to James Covel Jr., his former partner in Utica. Wheat was becoming an increasingly important crop. In addition the pressure of new settlers was building up. Starting this influx were the Germans who in 1850 numbered 38,000 in Wisconsin settling most heavily in the southeastern counties including Kenosha. The German farmers were quickly followed by numbers of immigrants from other central European countries.

This group of people regarded the farm as a permanent family possession, not as a short time investment to be expoited and left behind. Consequently to the westward-migrating Americans the represented both competitors as farmers and prospective purchasers for land to be left behind in the ever westward movement.

We may well wonder if James Bruce (between 1848 and '54) was becoming dissatisfied with his Wheatland location? Was he beginning to feel the urge to move on to new surroundings where settlement was not so crowded; where the industrial centers did not seem to threaten the peace and quiet of family life, where he might, with a young bride, build a home life which he had undoubtedly longed for and unfortunately had been deprived of throughout all his growing years? Was he becoming encouraged by his younger brother George to come west to California, and was he questioning whether his failing health would permit such a move?

He was becoming closely associated with the John Swift family finding there a touch of family life he hadn't experienced as a young man. Charles was only 13 years younger with pioneering instincts, Oliver was three years younger than Charles but adventuresome. However, it was Isadora, 20 years his junior, who became the center of his attention.

As further evidence of the unrest that had settled over James we note his disposal of accumulated properties which he had been earlier intent on accumulating. All of his final properties in the Wheatland area were sold before 1854 as follows:

Dec. 31 - 1845 - 45 acres to Abijah Pearce.

Oct. 13 - 1849 - 40 acres to Abijah Pearce.

Dec. 2 - 1850 - 77-66/100 acres to James Covel.

Sept. 13 - 1853 - 160 acres to Josiah Bond.

Was James Bruce getting ready for another and final move?

A letter written by Harleigh, his brother, from Mt. Clement, Michigan on July 12, 1852 and addressed to James Bruce at Black River Falls indicates that he must have been in northwestern Wisconsin at Black River Falls during the fall of 1851 with James.

"Dear Brother: Since I was at your place last fall I have made up my mind to leave here next fall, winter, or early spring, and go west. I want you to advise me where to go --- When I was at your place I though that the Falls was likely to make a good place and that soon there would be a good business there. I want to work at my profession (Law) starting anew. --- Let me know what your opinion of your village is and what the prospects might be there for me."

Evidently Harleigh decided to stay at Mt. Clement - face squarely his problems there and make his new start among people he knew. We have no knowledge of how James responded to his letter. This letter is the only evidence which the author has indicating that James Bruce had been at Black River Falls as early as 1851. If he was there it might have been in company with Charles and Oliver Swift, for we know they had a common desire to move away from what seemed for them to be a condition of over-crowding in Kenosha County.

Our first real evidence of James' inner feelings can be secured from a series of letters written to him by Isadora Swift who later was to become his wife. She saved these letters and thanks to the careful and efficient handling by one of James Bruce's great grand-daughters, Mrs. Ruth Knapp Forssen of Missoula, Montana, they are summarized as to content and indexed for all those who are interested to read. It is unfortunate that Isadora's letters to him in response were not saved.

These letters were written when James made a trip, starting early in May 1854, which took him into the new state of Iowa. It was so declared in 1846. James is traveling by light wagon with a team of horses and is definitely in search of new land on which to settle. The state of Iowa had only recently been opened for settlement. The quotes being used are selected first of all to give a better picture of the man, James Bruce, his inner thoughts, his human concerns and his longings for a place he could call homes with a life's companion at his side. In addition we may get from these letters a glimpse of that mad rush by many people who were seeking land they might call their own. We can thus know better the accompanying hardships these people faced as witnessed by a personal observer.

The letters were sent from a settlement then known as Bradford in Chickasaw County located in the northeastern corner of the state of Iowa, almost due west from Prairie du Chien, Wis. Today's maps do not show a Bradford there, indicating that the name may have been changed to avoid conflict with a Bradford now located in Franklin County, Iowa. Its present name is New Hampton, the county seat of Chickasaw County.

The quotes which follow are copied just as written and the dates of letters are given.

Letter - May 25 - 1854 - "Another week is past in this new land. It has been a lonesome one to me among strangers not anyone that I am acquainted with, none to converse with but strangers. They have no sympathy in common with me. It makes my spirits sad when I think of those that I have left behind but I suppose I shall get over it as we get over all the ils of life. Home-sick I am not, sad I am. I should like to see you more than enny one. If I could talk with you but for a few minutes I should feel better. It would seem like home and oald times. - - - We have had some very bad weather since I crossed the Mississippi. I never saw such bad roads. The streames were so high that they had to be swam if crossed. But it is very pleasant now. This is one of the most beautiful days that I ever saw. The sun shines bright, the air is pure, my body feels strong.

Tomorrow in company with George Tower I shal go up the east branch of the Seder (Cedar) river some twelve miles for the purpos of looking at the country before I make up my mind whear to setle. Mest weak I intend to go up the mane branch of the Seder River some thirty or forty miles and then on the Shelrock River some twenty miles west of Seder.

- - - This is a new cuntrey but time will make an oald cuntrey as it makes us oald. What mater whether it be an oald or a new cuntrey - contentment is all. This makes one happy. - - - This little village some two years oald has some twenty houses in it. There is three large houses building in the place and lots of small ones. I think it will be a smart town in a few years."

Letter - June 1 - 1854: " - - - Their stands in the road in front of the barn four covered wagons with movers bound west up the Seder and the Shelrock rivers. You can see morestrangers here in one day that you would with you in one year, all hunting for homes. This country is settling verry fast. It mite be settles as thick as Wheatland in a short time. - - - Inhabitance most of them from the East, New York and New England, is largely represented hear, some from the South. There is a school in this place with some sixty schollars and a prospect of a large town someday. - - - Oald Rock and Charley (his horses) are wel they send their best repects to you. They are out in the pasture today. - - - There is not the least danger of their jumping over the outside fence for the one is the Atlantcik and the other the Pasifick. - - "

Letter - June 22 - 1854: " - - - Since I came to this state I have when the weather would permit spent moast of the time in looking at the cuntry; I want to finde a place that sutes me. When I make another home I want to make it for life. - - - -You wish to know when I will come back. I will come as soon as it is consistent. You must not be unesy I shall come if life is spared to me. I want to see you but we must be reasonable. When you come hear I want you to come and be comfortable. - - - -Thousands come here and suffer very much, they come unprepared, come before they have a place to lay their heades, they have to live in their wagons and lay on the ground. - - - - Imigration has been verey great this year to this state. You have know idea what a number of strangers there is in this state. Thousands are coming and will continue to come till this state is filed up. - - - - I think I shall be one of the number. - - - "

Letter - July 5 - 1854: - "- - - For the last three weeks it has been the hottest weather I ever saw this season of the year. It has fairly prostrated me. I have not done much since hot weather commensed, I could not. - - - - I have often wished that I was in your front room with the doors and windows open and fresh breeze blowing on me from the lake. - - - - I often think of that old rocking chair and seated in it with you on my lap, your arm around my neck, your cheek against mine and the sweet kiss impressed on my cheek. I wish I had one now. I would give one in return loved one, but we must wait a little longer. - - -

I have maid up my mind to stay in this country - today I have bought a peace of property in this state. It is in the village of St. Charles 15 miles northwest from Bradford in the county of Floid (Floyd). You have been anxious for me to buy some property here. I have done it. I think the reason you had for wishing me to buy here was the fear of my going to California. I do not think I shall go there at present dear one. - - - Your friend Sarah Grifeth lives thirty miles from this place in Rock Grove in Floid County. Her faterh is building a mil in the grove. There is a great excitement in this part of the state at the present. Theres about 800 Indians at Clear Lake at the present time and at Rock Grove the families have gathered into one hous for difence at the difrent points. The whites, about twenty-fice at Clear Lake, sent out for help. About one hundred have gone to their relief. Folks threw this county are badly scairt. - - - - - The name of the Indians is the Sues (Sioux) they have killed one Winabago that they found at Clear Lake. - - - "

Letter - July 6 - 1854: - - - "Time flys fast, you are thought of often and always with love. - - - My thoughts are in Wheatland, they are with you. How often I have drawn you to my breast and imprinted a sweet kiss on your lips and cheek. I hope to repeat the same love token often again if nothing happens this fall. - - - - The second month of summer comes. It will soon be gone then comes the falling leaves - with them the chil blasts. - - - - I have not written to Oliver (Isadora's brother) yet but will as soon as I am settled as to what business I shall follow. When you write to him give him my compliments I should like to hear from him and see him. He could get wages in this country. Carpenters and Joiners get twelve shillings a day here and a great call for them at present, but lumber is scarce. - - -"

Letter - July 29 - 1854: "- - - If nothing happens tomorrow I shall start from St. Charles a few miles from hear. I may go to Clear Lake some 60 miles from hear before I return. - - - - I shall be home sometime in September. God willing, perhaps before, I am anxious to see you but shall not come till I have looked this country threw to my satisfaction. When I settle down I mean to make it a perminant home. I want Oliver when he comes home, if it is before I return, to stay at home until I return. If I settle west I want him to settle with me. We should be lonesome if there is not some of our friends with us. Price is homesick bad, I think he will be home soon. I pity anyone that is homesick. - - - - I have seen many of your sex sit down and have a harty cry for their home that they left. I hope that if it should be your lot to some west you will not be homesick. Many a lonesome hour have I passed among strangers here. If you had been with me I think it would have been different. One cause of my lonesomeness here is that most of the time lately I have been sick, but you must not be scared at that I feel better now. - - - - I want to see Oliver and tell him of this country and all about it and the rest of them."

Letter - Aug. 16 - 1854: "This will be the last letter you will get from me at present from Bradford. Next week Monday, nothing hapning to prevent, I shall start for Manasota (Minnesota) territory north some one hundred miles from this place. I am going to look at that country before I return. Then I shall go home to my Isadora crossing the river at Prairie La Cros to Wisconsin, from there to Madison to Janesville and from that place to Wheatland. It will take some three or four weeks to make the journey clear around on the account of the health on the main traveled roads from here to east. - - - - there is a great deal of sickness all threw the west as well as with you. The Colery (Cholera) small pox and other diseases to numeris to mention. It is healthy in this place at present how long it may remain I can't say."

He closes this last letter in the series written in Bradford, Iowa as follows:

"I have written you once a week ever since I came here. You have been a good dear one in answering them for which I am grateful. I don't know what its to write but that I love you.

From you dear friend always - J.B. Cartter"

From the tone of these letters one may make several suppositions some with clear assurance of correctness others without sufficient evidence or certainty. We can be sure that James' return to Wheatland must have been a joyous one for our two major characters. Did James arrive home with any firm conviction as to Iowa being his choice for a future home? His letters gave indication that he had some hesitation about taking Isadora into this new territory without part of her family also making that move. We are not aware of the reason why James was so interested in making contact with Oliver, who was Isadora's next older brother. Oliver had evidently just been married and had strong feelings favoring a move to Black River Falls in Jackson County.

What would the Swift family decision be? It seems evident that James, having found comfort in his association with the Swift Family, would hesitate to strike off by himself even though Isadora might agree to accompany him. It is very evident that health was a prime factor which influenced many decisions. James himself, through a relatively young man of 39 years, had been plagued with many health problems and seemed especially cautious.

It was doubtless George H. Cartter, James' youngest brother, who had, by his enthusiasm, stimulated James to consider California and a move further west. However an immediate decision as to the best course to follow was postponed when George stopped by Wheatland while on his return trip to Sacramento from a visit to the family home at Rochester, New York. He brought news of their mother's critical illness which prompted James to make an unplanned trip to Rochester, N.Y. in September of 1854 after returning from Iowa. James had not seen his mother for several years although he had been kept informed of her health by members of his family living in Rochester.

On his return from visiting his mother James stopped to see his older brother David who then lived at Masillon, Ohio. The following excerpts are taken from his letter to Isadora written while at Masillon on October 16, 1854.

"When I left you my intention was to be back within two weeks but was disappointed. When I arrived where my mother was, I found her very feeble. I am afraid she has but a short time of her life at best. - - - - Time is making us all old. She will soon pass away and we must follow." (Though critically ill at the time, Elizabeth Cartter lived until 1876 outliving three of her sons)

He continues, "For two weeks of the time since I left I have just been able to sit in a chair. I have had the worst attack of my throat disease that I have ever had. - - - - I have got out as far as my brother's (David Kellogg Cartter) in Ohio and am with him at present. I am hoping soon to be with you. Give my love to your family.

Yours ever, J. B. Cartter"

After returning from his trip to Rochester James and the Swift family must have held a conference to determine their future plans. Oliver and Charles Swift as well as their father John evidently favored the Black River Falls area which James had also explored. No definite record was made of their decision, if in fact one was made, but on December 14, 1854 James did purchase a lot from D. J. Spaulding in the new settlement of Black River Falls.

Perhaps James wasn't yet sure which way to turn now that he had property in both Bradford, Iowa and Black River Falls, Wisconsin. We find him next in Madison on March 3, 1855 explaining in a letter to Isadora:

"When I left Wheatland my health was comparatively good. On my second day out my right arm began to pain me. It grew worse from day to day. On the fifth I arrived at Madison. The nite I came here I passed without sleep. My arm began to swell and continued for five days."

On March 17th he writes: "I have been here (Madison) four weeks and have been in bed more than half of the time. If I do not get well enough to travel and look at the country I shall return home to Wheatland, - - -I have not hardly made up my mind which way to go from here, North or West."

The decision must have been made soon after that for July, 1855 finds the entire Swift family and James Bruce in Black River Falls, the frontier country seat of Jackson County. This county had been organized in 1853 having first been a part of Crawford and then of La Crosse counties.

What was the Black River Country like? What of its past and of its potential as viewed by new settlers? The Black River Country is the drainage area for the Black River which flows some 140 miles in a southwesterly direction and empties into the Mississippi river near the present city of La Crosse. This was Indian country, heavily covered with some of the finest white pine timber in the state. In 1843, when James Bruce had first come to the Wisconsin Territory there were no settlements in all of this region. Not being prairie soil it had failed to attract the central European or the New Englander looking for available agricultural land. But there were those who were looking for other resources such as furs and timber to meet eastern demands; and away from the river there were indeed hardwood areas and openings which might be conducive to those settlers.

The question of who came first to this country is not easily answered. "History tells us that less than 30 years after the notable explorations of Nicolet in 1634, two of his countrymen visited the Black River, in the winter of 1659-'60" so says Horace Merrill in his U. of W. thesis entitled An Early History of the Black River Region.

In 1818 or '19 a French trader by the name of Rolette headed an expedition, which was fitted out at Prairie du Chien. He succeeded in reaching the present site of Black River Falls where he erected a saw mill on Town Creek, supposed to be the first built in Wisconsin. It was burned by the Winnebago Indians before it could be put into operation, and the lumbermen were driven down the river. This was Indian territory until 1838 when it was ceded to the government by the tribe. 1839 saw the first real settler arrive in the valley. Abner D. Polleys, in his Pioneer Days In The Black River Valley relates this arrival quite in detail. He tells how Robert Douglas disembarked on the sand beach where the Black River joins the Mississippi just north of La Crosse. He follows Douglas' journey up the river to the point where the Village of Melrose now stands. Polleys writes as follows:

"Robert Douglas claimed squatters rights on land 30 miles up the Black River from La Crosse in 1839. His brother joined him later and together they hitched the first yoke of oxen to the first breaking plow to turn the first furrow on the first farm in Jackson County and also the first farm above Prairie du Chien on the Wisconsin side of the Father of Waters."

Douglas had come to America in 1837, then 22 years old, from Dumfries, Scotland. He became one of the early influential citizens of Jackson County. Readers would find Polleys' account of Douglas' overland trip on foot to Prairie du Chien, the nearest settlement, for supplies most interesting.

The extremely fine growth of white pine for which the Black River valley was famous proved a strong attraction to early lumbermen. Jacob Spaulding, the first to actually settle at the Falls on the river, arrived the same year that Douglas broke ground at Melrose. With a crew of seventeen men Spaulding founded the settlement of Black River Falls and constructed for himself a double log cabin. He also built a sawmill and began to cut timber. Spaulding became the second farmer in Jackson County when in 1841 he established a farm at the settlement.

Early in 1841 a group of Mormons, followers of Joseph Smith, who proposed to build a worship center at Nauvoo, Illinois, left their City for the pine woods along the Black River; their aim being to cut timber for their new Temple. Traveling up the river by boat they selected a good area to cut. Unfortunately they started cutting trees in an area supposedly staked out by Jacob Spaulding. By the time Spaulding and his men arrived they had already cut over 300 trees. A battle ensued ending in the Mormon's return to Nauvoo. They came back to the Black River Country however and bought part interest in Spaulding's mill. By the summer of 1843, one hundred fifty Mormons, many with their families, were working in the woods twelve miles above the Riffles, north of the Village of Hatfield. On October 12, 1842 a raft containing 90,000 board feet of lumber and 24,000 cubic feet of logs arrived at Nauvoo from the Black River Country. When Joseph Smith was killed, June 27 - 1844, and the word reached the camp, work ceased and the Mormons left, abandoning the logs that were cut. Some of the Mormon families however returned to the Black River region and settled permanently in Jackson and Clark Counties.

Transportation at this time was largely by river. Long, narrow-keel boats were used to bring in supplies from La Crosse. Steamboats were tried but not proved to be practical. The first extended highway was surveyed and built from Prairie du Chien during the years 1846 to 1848 by way of Viroqua and Sparta to Black River Falls. This road was extended north in 1850 to Stillwater, Minnesota and became a mail route with a post-office at Black River Falls. Postage on a letter at that time was 25¢.

The covered wagons and stage coaches began to appear on this road in 1854 and by the mid-sixties as many as 100 coach and drayline teams might spend the night at Black River Falls. From here they crossed on the ferry, at Dumfries, later known as Melrose. After the bridge was built at Black River Falls they would continue their journey southward to New Lisbon or Sparta, there to reach the nearest railroad.

In Jackson County Dates with Destiny, Mrs. Betty Epstein adds this interesting note, "So important was the need to water these teams that a tax relief was granted to those settlers who would set up and maintain watering troughs along the highway." The railroad did not come to Black River Falls until 1868, thirteen years after the Cartters and Swifts arrived.

For a look at early agriculture we turn again to Merrill's thesis:

"Little was done to advance farming along the river during the early 1840's but an added inducement to agricultural settlement came with the completion of the Government Land Survey of this area in 1847. Land was entered for sale at the government land office, first at Mineral Point in 1848, later at La Crosse, price $1.25 per acre."

Merrill continues, "In 1855 (according to census figures for Jackson County) there were 1098 people in the county and 5 years later in 1860 there were 4,170 a gain of 280%. Most of this increase came in 1855 and '56 by people interested in agriculture. Contributing to this influx of settlers was the added price of wheat which took a phenomenal jump as a result of the Crimean War. Eastern families had a desire to get west where better wheat could be grown. Dairying was also coming into the east and farmers were revolting against having to change to a new economy. The majority of farmers moving into the Black River Falls area were from western New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. They were coming by 3 main routes.

(1) Up the Mississippi river as far as La Crosse or Trempeleau following from there the Black or Trempeleau rivers.

(2) By land routes from the north.

(3) From across the state. - - -

The panic of 1857 and crop failures checked further settlement during the decade."

Many families spent some time in the settlement known as Black River Falls before moving onto the land. In 1856 the population of that town was 1,000 and in 1860 it was only 600. But Black River Falls itself was developing fast. Arletta L. Jones in her 1924 thesis entitled Settlement and Development of Black River Falls, Wis. says:

"Visitors to the village in 1856 went home and reported that 'what Pittsburgh is to Pennsylvania, we believe the Falls and its additions will be to Wisconsin.' The reason for this now apparent rash statement was that a blast furnace was being built just north of Black River Falls. One of the first deposits of iron ore in Wisconsin to attract attention has been uncovered here. As late as 1846 no other body of iron ore seems to be known of in the state. - - - Forty men were employed after the company was organized in 1846."

The deposit proved to be to difficult to mine economically due largely to the perpindicular nature of the veins of ore.

Lumber production was near its peak in 1856, totaling in that year 35,000,000 bd. ft. By 1853 the entire area was part of the Town of Albion as it had existed when a part of Crawford County. It had been established in 1849. By the end of 1856 six towns had been organized in the county, namely - Albion, Price, Alma, Bristol (later called Melrose), Springfield, and Hixton. The twenty-first town was not organized until 1939.

The first towns organized from the original town of Albion were all located on the west side of the Black River and it was in this area that James Bruce centered his attention in search of a likely home site.

James Bruce Cartter and Isadora Swift were married in Black River Falls, Wisconsin July 7, 1855 not long after arriving there from Kenosha County. Their first home was made in the village on property purchased July 23, 1855 from Oliver Swift. Oliver had preceded the other family members to Black River Falls. An additional lot of about one-eighth acre, adjacent to the first property, was purchased March 25, 1856 from Jacob Spaulding. It was on these properties that James and Isadora began their married life and started out to select the farm land which was to serve them as a home for the rest of their lives.

Now that Isadora has become a part of the Cartter family it may be well to know more about her own family, the Swifts. The reader will remember that John Swift and his family had arrived at Wheatland, in Racine County in 1845 just two years after James had settled there. The Swift family, like the Cartters, trace back to New England, their arrival dating to about 1634. Their movement westward is interesting to follow.

From George Henry Swift's book The Swift Family written in 1820 we have constructed the following abbreviated sketch of the first six generations of Swifts in America.

1st GENERATION

WILLIAM SWIFT of Sandwich, Massachusetts came from England to America in the great 'Boston Immigrations' of 1630-1631. Savage says that he 'probably came from Bocking County, Essex, England or its vicinity. He was in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1634 - had been there some time. Sold his property in Watertown in 1637 and probably moved to Sandwich, where he died January 1644.'

His wife Joan _______ survived him 20 years. They had brought three children with them from England, Hannah, Easter or Ester, and William Jr.

2nd GENERATION

WILLIAM JR. - born in England, lived all of his life in Sandwich. He married Ruth _____ and they had eleven children.

3rd GENERATION

EPHRIAM, 1st son of William Jr. b. 6-6-1656 - married Sarah _____ who died before him. They lived their entire lives in Sandwich where he was a carpenter and cooper by trade, d. 1742. They had seven children.

4th GENERATION

MOSES, youngest son of Ephriam b. 9-15-1699 - married Mary Foster of Sandwich b. 9-1-1697. They had nine children and lived in Sandwich.

5th GENERATION

CAPT. WARD, youngest son of Moses b. 12-1-1735. He married Remember Troy of Sandwich 1-9-1755. He was a prominent man in the town and took active part in raising men and serving his country during the Revolutionary war. They had nine children.

6th GENERATION

WARD JR., second son of Capt. Ward, married Fear Nye of Falmouth, Massachusetts 1-1-1799. They too lived in Sandwich and had three sons.

7th GENERATION

JOHN FREEMAN, second son of Ward Jr. and Fear Nye was born 10-27-1802 'went west and is heard of no more.'"

This last entry in George Henry Swift's genealogical account was evidently made by a New Englander whose world was wrapped up in Massachusetts. It is interesting to note that for six generations the direct line of descendants had not moved away from Sandwich or Falmouth at the base of Cape Cod.

Some pioneering influence must have played upon John to direct his attentions westward. He married Chloe Price in 1827. She was born at North Falmouth on 5-24-1803. They with their four children broke the family record of 211 continuous years of residence in the Sandwich-Falmouth area and started a long westward trek in 1838. Their migration took them first to Cayuga County in the Finger lakes region of New York State. Their second move in 1854 was to Wheatland in Racine County, Wisconsin. When traveling on the Erie Canal they had quite a scare. The youngest child, Maria Jeanette, fell out of a port-hole on one of the canal boats. She was rescued however and the family continued its journey, no doubt by lake-boat, from Buffalo, N.Y. to Kenosha in Wis. They next moved to Black River Falls as related in the last chapter.

All of these moves, ending at Black River Falls in 1855, had been made in a period of seventeen years. For some members of the family this was still not the end, for the Dakota Territory and California were later to beckon sons Charles and Oliver. John died 6-11-1867 at Black River Falls; Chloe died 4-27-1884 at Castlewood in Dakota Territory. Their four children will be introduced later in this story.

Back now with our attention on James and Isadora as their search for land is rewarded. It is quite evident that James wasted no time in exploring the countryside located in Jackson County. His fancy seemed to be satisfied as he explored that area of land later known as "Disco Valley." It was a relatively flat to rolling area, surrounded by hard-wood ridges and occupying approximately thirty-six sections of land fairly adaptable to agricultural use. This land was being made available through the U. S. land office at La Crosse for the uniform price of $1.25 per acre. The location was a little south of west from Black River Falls, a matter of about 10 miles and located in parts of Towns 20 and 21 N. in Range 5 W.

Interest seemed to center in the area located in Town 21 for it had fairly level land. A small stream, fed by springs, ran through it and a reasonable amount of marsh land was available which could be depended upon for marsh hay in case of drought years. There existed a few small groves of white pine but most of the wooded area was covered in hard wood, good for fuel, fence posts, and timbers for building. There already existed, through the center of this valley, a trail leading easterly to Black River Falls and one at right angles leading to what later became Melrose and Irving at the south and to Hixton, Sechlerville, and Taylor on the north. All of these villages were just being settled and were within a distance of ten to twelve miles. The cross-roads area looked like a logical trading site and in fact became known as Disco Corners.

At the same time a block of government land was made available in Town 20 N Range 5 W lying almost directly south form the above-mentioned crossroads. Here the land became more rolling, with less open areas and with heavier growth of hardwoods meaning richer soil but harder work to bring it into agricultural production.

James did not hesitate long, for at $1.25 per acre and with an influx of settlers coming, land was a good investment. By 1857 James had secured 460 acres of land in his name and Isadora had 160 in her own name for a total of 620 acres. 280 acres of this land was in T. 20 and the balance in T. 21 at the Disco Corners and north. Isadora's 160 acres was located 80 acres on each side of the Black River Falls road, one forty deep, and extending to the east of the four corners.

We can well imagine James' insistence that Isadora hold property in her own name, for you will remember that a clause in the first Wisconsin constitution, which he helped to frame, had favored this right for women to hold property in their own name. Though voted down, it had become an amendment very soon after the state was formed. The author has in his possession the "Cash Patent" issued Mar. 10-1857 for certificate No. 7847 issued to Isadora F. Cartter and described as follows: "The S W 1/4 of the S W 1/4 of Sec. 28 and the N W 1/4 of the N W 1/4 of Sec. 33 in Township 21, N. - Range 5 W in the district of lands subject to sale at La Crosse, Wis. containing 80 acres

Signed: Isadora F. Cartter

James Buchanan - President of the U.S.

J. N. Granger - Recorder of the General Land Office."

The years 1855 through 1857 saw an almost complete settlement of lands in the Disco valley. The possessors of names that were to be common well into the 1900's, when the author was growing up there, had newly arrived. The first to come to the valley and settle were Mr. and Mrs. Charles Harmer and Miss Harriet Harmer. They had come over from England in 1848. Theirs was a trying voyage, for the two children of Mr. and Mrs. Harmer died enroute and were buried at sea. They arrived in 1855, after a short sojourn in Fond du Lac County and chose land west of the Disco Corners. James Bruce and Isadora were the second settlers to acquire property in this location and adjacent to the Harmers. They were to be joined during the next two or three years by the Kimballs, Caldwells, Swifts, Vincents, Deuels, Crawleys, Caves, Dunns, and others.

Chester Daniels entered seven forties in 1855 as did Charles Ryder. Chester Daniels Jr. was drowned while crossing the river at Irving. Mr. Ryder was killed during the siege of Vicksburg. Both properties were acquired by D. J. Spaulding and operated as the largest single farm in the valley.

The Swift family, John and son Oliver, acquired 400 acres in one block about one and a half miles north from the Cartters. Here Oliver settled with his family. John settled in Black River Falls where he made his home for the remainder of his life. Charles, the other son, was a carpenter. He lived in Black River Falls. We can imagine that he was kept busy at house and barn building both in the rural and village area. Lumber was plentiful so most houses were of frame construction although occasionally a log house was still being built.

Turning our attention back to Black River Falls we find that James in the short period that he lived there while building a farm home, was making sound acquaintance of men with whom he associated all through his remaining years. He was one of the members to organize and sign the charter for Masonic Lodge No. 74 on June 12, 1856. He remained an active member until his death. Isadora became a member of the Eastern Star.

The first newspaper in the county was started in 1856 by Frank Cooper under the name Badger State Banner.

Carl C. Pope, a pioneer lawyer, was a specially close friend of the family. He arrived in 1856 and was later to serve as district judge and a member of both the State Assembly and Senate.

The Republican Party, having been organized in 1856 was increasing in membership and the push was being exerted in Black River Falls under the leadership of William T. Price. He secured many converts but was never able to move James Bruce from his Democratic views. Price referred to James Cartter, James Davis, and James McLoughlin as "The three immaculate Jims" for taking this steadfast stand against growing odds. Although James showed a keen interest in political issues and was free to express himself, he avoided any involvement in elective office. He was a great reader and student of history.

There were interesting years at home for James and Isadora. Julie Elizabeth, their first child, was born April 27-1856, followed by a son David Kellogg on January first-1857. These were to be their only children.

Together they had reviewed the layout of their new property in order to determine the site of their first real home.

The site they selected could hardly have been better for it was on a slightly raised piece of ground near two of the springs which helped feed the marsh areas. The first section of the new home was to be built facing south thus affording an unobstructed view of Disco Corners and areas both east and west. The home was to be only one-half mile from the Corners where a cluster of their nearby neighbors would live. In a spacious yard were three Burr Oak trees which were allowed to remain. Those oaks seemed ageless to a little boy looking at them some fifty years later and even more so now that 118 years have come and gone since the Cartter home was established. The three oaks are still standing as if to keep watch over the occupants.

Between the house and the springs was an area which would allow ample space for James to build his own fully equipped blacksmith shop, and to provide for a spacious home garden in which he was to take much pride. Back of the house and away from the road was a north-easterly slope which would be ideal for an apple, plum, and cherry orchard. The woods northwest of the proposed barn site would provide winter protection for the building site as well as a very adequate patch of wild blackberries. At the north end of the farm was a row of hills on which blueberries grew in abundance. These hills also were to supply the building stones for the future basement barn.

Time flew by with but little in the way of recorded information to relate. James Davis who operated the Davis ferry across the Black River at a point later known as Irving was instrumental in laying out the road from Sparta, over Davis Ferry and on to Eau Claire. This road passed through Disco; in front of the Cartter homestead; past the Swift home, and on northward. Until the time that the railroad came through Black River Falls in 1869, this road was to carry a large amount of traffic, bringing supplies to the settlers and in turn hauling farm produce to the nearest railroad which was then at Sparta.

Oliver Swift built a large house on his farm, which, as traffic increased, was used as a stop-over place for travelers. Such a place was then called a "tavern." If numbers were too large to be accommodated in the house, room could be made for travelers in the barn.

In 1860 the Disco Valley saw its first two barn raisings both accomplished in one day. The Cartter barn was raised in the forenoon and the one at Charles Harmer's in the afternoon. The end of the day was of course celebrated with the aid of a keg of beer.

Much community cooperation was observed. The degree to which this cooperation was expressed is illustrated by the way in which James and Isadora sensed the needs which nearby neighbors had for more strategic blocks of land in order to provide economic units for farm operation, or to gain direct access to the highways. As examples, can be sighted first the sale of 100 acres of land to the Kimball family as a homestead site on the highway and acreage large enough for good operation. Kimballs were the nearest neighbors to the north. They lived with the Cartters until their new house was built. The Charles Harmers' original holdings at Disco were also too small for economic operation so Isadora sold them 120 acres of her property that they might have a compact block of land and access to the main highway. These sales were made in T 21 N. The Cartter farm was at that time reduced to 400 acres of which one forty belonged to Isadora who held it until near the time of her death.

In T 20 N - R 5 W similar sales were made from the 280 acres located there. These were made to F. A. Caldwell, James Harmer, and Charles Harmer. This left the Cartter holdings at that location 120 acres as shown in the 1870 plat book. Little had James and Isadora realized when they secured this 280 acres that the area in which it was located would later be recognized as providing to archeologists and the public in general "The best collection of well preserved Indian rock-carvings (petroglyphs) in the middle west." Gullickson's Glen in which these carvings were found is less than one-fourth mile from the early Cartter holdings.

The Winnebago Indians living in the region at the time of early settlement seemed to have no knowledge as to which tribe of Indians made the carvings. An archeological dig was made in 1958 by Dr. Warren L. Witty, Curator of Anthropology at the State Historical Society. His findings suggested that although Indians were occupying the cave as long as two thousand years ago, the petroglyphs probably do not date back further than 800 years to the early Iowas and Winnebagos. The Wisconsin Trails Magazine in its summer issue 1971 carried a good description of this cave along with picture of the petroglyphs. The following is their word picture.

"The figures on the cave wall include about three dozen carvings, including humans with arms outstretched, chunky elk with large antlers, deer, wild turkey in flight, eagles, a buffalo cow with an arrow in her side nursing a calf, swans, a trio of geese with long curved necks, a huge fish with a formidable set of jagged teeth, a comical catfish with drooping whiskers, even what looks like a pet dog."

The archeological dig mentioned above also uncovered a large number of arrow heads, pottery pieces, stone knives, scrapers and rills left by the early Indians and covered up by the years' accumulation from erosion.

This glen is today part of the County Park System thanks to a gift of the land made by Miss Florence Gullickson, descendant of one of the early settlers.

Returning to the year 1860, five years after the Cartters arrived at Black River Falls, we find included in the Agricultural Census, reported in July for the year ending June 1 - 1860, the following statistics for the farm of James B. Cartter:

The Family census for 1860 - Town of Springfield, Jackson County reports as follows:

		Real Estate	Personal	Origin
		Value	Property
James B. Cartter	45 yr. - Farmer	$5000	$2000	N. Y.
Isadora Cartter	26 yr.	--	--	Mass.
Julia E. Cartter	4 yr.	--	--	Wis.
David K. Cartter	2 yr.	--	--	Wis.
Jacob Farber	21 yr. - Laborer	$100		Germany
Igaba Fening	28 yr. - Servant	-	-	Norway
George Rolph	23 yr. - Laborer	$40.		England

From these statistics several observations might be made. First, real progress was underway in building an operating farm on the Cartter property; second, much land remained to be cleared; third, considerable money had already been invested in the enterprise; fourth, James Bruce, whose health had not been dependable in recent years, was employing help both on the farm and in the house. This was a common practice in those days for there were many single young men and women coming to America, with agricultural backgrounds, searching for opportunities to accumulate capital with which to establish themselves in land ownership. The three names found listed with the family illustrate the wide variety of countries from which these young people were coming. It can also be noticed that farming was very well diversified in an effort to provide home grown food for the family as well as feed for livestock and produce for the market. Produce was of both crop and animal origin.

The years 1857 to 1860 had marked a change in the sources from which new settlers were coming. A canvas of some of the early folks who settled in the Disco area with James Bruce shows their early origins as follows:

Madison Vincent - N. Y.	Noah Duehl - Canada
George Vincent - N. Y.	Michael Crawley - Ireland
Oliver Swift - Mass.	Wm. Caves - Ireland
Geo. Kimball - N. Hamp.	Wm. Harmer - England
Nat. Kimball - N. Hamp.	Charles Harmer - England

As lumbering tapered off many Scandinavian people who had worked in the woods during the winter purchased lands on which they could farm summers and where their families could live the year around. Gradually names such as "Johnson", "Erickson", "Olson", "Haggnis", "Peterson", "Hoem", "Gullickson" appeared on the list of land owners, most of them seeking out the more hilly areas - similar to the hills and valleys of their native lands. Many young women learned the ways of American life, housekeeping etc., in the homes of the older settlers, carrying this new knowledge over into their married lives. In 1870 25% of Jackson County's population was foreign-born and over one-half of them, 944, were of Norwegian and Swedish descent.

Many were the "servants and laborers," so-called by census takers, who became life-long friends and associated of the Cartters. Both James and Isadora seem to have had an understanding way with the immigrant and possessed personalities which bred confidence, trust, and loyalty. Many young immigrant men and women considered the Cartter farm to be their home in this new country. One example out of many may illustrate this trust.

Jacob Hummel, from Germany, had worked for the Cartters and accumulated money enough to buy a piece of land in the Disco area. The Civil War came and he enlisted as so many were doing. He found himself in at Murfreesboro, Tenn. May 21, 1863 where he wrote a letter to James Bruce with whom he had left his money for safe keeping. The letter says in part, "Under marching orders," then proceeds to ask James to turn some money over to his brother on a note with this precaution, "I want you to see that it will be sure for me when I call for it and if not don't let it go. I hate to refuse a brother but I want some show to get the money back if ever I should call for it."

Unfortunately Jacob did not live to return for he was killed in action only days after writing this letter. As a boy the writer remembers well the wooden canteen on which Jacob Hummel's name had been beautifully carved. This and his other personal items had been sent to the Cartters, Jacob's only home in America. Jacob Farber, whose name appears in the 1860 census, also enlisted for the Civil War from the Cartter home.

Schools were early recognized as important to this pioneer community. From an article appearing in the Banner Journal, written by Clyde Harmer Oct. 5, 1960 we quote, "The first school built in the Disco community was built of logs and was located where Hugh Sharp's house now stands about 2 miles north of Cartter's. It was built in the late 1850's or early 60's. One of the first teachers was Susan Downer, a sister of Judge Downer, founder of Downer College in Milwaukee."

We have in the Cartter files a school order which reads as follows:

"To J. B. Cartter Treasurer of School District No. two in the town of Springfield. Please pay to Susan Downer the sum of ninety dollars for teaching the District School three months at thirty dollars per month out of any money in your hands not appropriated belonging to said District. Dated this 10th day of Feb. 1866.

George Kimball, District Clerk

William Caves, Director."

Continuing with Clyde Harmer's article we read:

"In 1868 a township system of schools was organized according to a plan by the state Superintendent. As a consequence in 1872 the School board leased land from Charles Harmer and built a school house on the little hill at the Disco Corners where Potter's house now stands. A building was constructed that year and Miss Josephine Roberts was the first teacher.

In those days they hired teachers by the term, four months in the winter and three in the summer, sometimes less. A box stove stood in the center of this building. The building was painted red."

Later on, in about 1902, David Cartter, son of James Bruce, who was then clerk of the school board, was instrumental in getting the two school boards together. (The school houses of districts 9 and 10 had been located only about two and a half miles apart) As a result of this joint meeting the No. 10 school house was moved south to Disco Corners and located across the road from No. 9 so that a graded school could be created, four graded in each building with two teachers. A horse barn was built to accommodate ten horses. Families living at a distance thus provided their own transportation. Later those living beyond a two mile distance were paid transportation money. In 1911 the two buildings were joined together and operated as one unit with two teachers. The author had the privilege of attending this unique graded school.

In those days it was the practice for the teachers to "board out" in the neighborhood. Cartter's home was usually open as a place for the teachers to board and room due to its convenient location within one-half mile of the school. In addition to providing education for the children this school served as the community center and the location for religious inspiration. Sunday school was first established in the original school building at Sharp's Corners. Among the early Sunday school teachers were Mrs. De Witt, Mrs. James Cartter, and Mr. Burge. Later, in 1891 the Disco Sunday School was organized by Rev. Hitchings of Gale College.

Over the years ministers of various denominations conducted services at the Disco school, serving as limited circuit riders. (better described probably as "buggy riders")

Mrs. Louise (Adams) Curran is the only living grandchild, at this writing, to have known both James Bruce and Isadora personally. She recalls many things from her associations with them as a little girl, such as -

"Grandmother was an influence in the community. For years she was superintendent of the Sunday school and, I'm sure, influential in having the early preaching brought to the community. For several years our Presbyterian minister, after preaching at Sechlerville Sunday A.M., would drive by horse and buggy to Disco and preach in the afternoon. Then he'd have supper at Cartter's, go to Taylor to preach in the evening and then home, a distance of about twenty-five miles." She adds in addressing the writer, "when Grandma was away, your mother, Aunt Emma, took over and when Edith (David's third wife) came she did what she could to carry on the practice. The community by that time (1910) became strongly Norwegian and a Lutheran church was built within driving distance as well as a rural Catholic church."

As a boy (born in 1899) growing up on the Disco farm the writer remembers well the effort that women of the community exerted, even at that late date, to maintain a religious influence in the community. During his boyhood, a Methodist minister from Black River Falls made his bi-monthly Sunday visits to the community school where services were held and where Sunday school was a weekly occurrence.

A look at Black River Falls history shows the early establishment of churches followed this order. Universalists in 1868 - Baptist in 1869 - Catholic in 1872, others followed.

The following account of Sabbath on the Cartter farm comes from Irene (Cartter) Knapp, the author's older sister, now deceased, but as retold by Ruth (Knapp) Forssen, her older daughter.

"The Sabbath started at sundown on Saturday. No work was done, other than necessary chores. The Sunday meal was set to bake slowly for the next day so the time could be spent in resting, reading and writing letters, in addition to such time as was spent in Sunday school or church services. As soon as the sun went down on Sunday, Isadora would put on her wraps, no matter what the weather and set off on a walk usually to a neighbor's. James and David would then tend the stock. There must have been much singing too for the song book belonging to Isadora is well worn. It contains songs now long forgotten, such as sea chanties and songs from other countries reflecting many peoples' yearnings for the homelands they left behind."

This pattern of Sunday observance held over into the writer's boyhood. While still at home he well remembers his father's practice of writing letters on Sunday to his daughter Irene after she was gone from home and the weekly letters he received from his father after he went away to college. Field work on the farm was never done on Sunday but walks out over the farm with his father are still remembered as very pleasant and educational experiences.

The family organ arrived early in this home and was well used. Playing it became Irene's inspiration for a music career and for the later purchase of a piano for her use in 1910.

Until 1896 there was no such thing as Rural Free Delivery of mail. For settlers in the Disco community mail was delivered at the Black River Falls post office; and neighbors going into town would carry mail for each other. On August 25, 1871 the government approved the establishment of a post office at the corners, serviced from Black River Falls by stage route. Until that time the Corners had no official name. The name Marengo was suggested by Col. Carl C. Pope and approved. Noah Duell served as the first postmaster. The office was discontinued in 1886 and when it came to be reestablished in 1892 the name Marengo had been taken by another town in Wisconsin. It was at this point in time that the name Disco was suggested by Mrs. William Caves after her home town in Illinois. This name was approved and has continued although now the post office is no longer in operation, mail being entirely delivered on rural routes from Black River Falls.

Disaster played its part too in the Black River Falls area. From Merrill's Thesis we learn that:

"In 1857 the Jackson Co. Board contracted for the construction of the first court house at Black River Falls. The building was to cost $5000 and was nearing completion when in July, 1858 it was mysteriously burned."

"On a March morning in 1860 a fire started in a bowling alley on Main St. and driven in all directions by a hurricane of wind swept everything before it. Seven-eighths of the town was reduced to ruins. This lead to a resurvey of the city area."

These disasters were only matched or exceeded by the flood of Oct. 7, 1911 which washed away the major part of the business area of Black River Falls. This flood was caused by the breaking of the dam at Hatfield on the Black River, which sent a wall of water down stream cutting away an earthen wall above the Black River Falls dam, washing around it, and eroding the foundations of all buildings along Main street. Fortunately no lives were lost.

With health services ten miles away in Black River Falls Isadora and the other women of the Disco community needed to do many things for each other. There were times of family need, childbirth, accidents and disease epidemics. Perhaps one of the most disastrous epidemics came in the year 1879 when diphtheria, that dread disease, seemed to run rampant through the schools.

The following two bits of verse were written by Isadora and published in the weekly paper with announcements of how disaster had dealt with the families of two neighbors.

"Four children of the Caves family ages 7-9-2-11 died in the fall of 1879, the following verse was written in memory of them.

"Gone from the circle, dear children,

Gone to your home of rest,

We know you are watching and waiting

For the loved ones you have left.

We miss thee, dear children,

We miss thee gone from our fond embrace;

But all will be joy and gladness,

When we meet you face to face.

Mrs. J.B.C."

In another issue of the paper that same year this announcement was found.

"Diphtheria has taken four children from the Peter Harmer family." Again Mrs. Cartter had spoken for the neighbors.

"Forbid them not, whom Jesus calls,

Nor dare the claims resist,

Since his own lips to us declare

Heaven shall of such consist.

With flowing tears and sorrowing hearts,

We give them up to thee;

Receive them, Lord, into thine arms

Thine may they ever be."

Mrs. J.B.C.

Many an early childbirth was assisted by Mrs. Harriet Deuel a mid-wife of much experience who lived just south of Disco Corners.

Mention has been made previously concerning the blacksmith shop which James operated on his farm. Built originally for his own use, it became a matter of community-wide accommodation. Iron work was needed on most farms, plow shares needed shaping and machinery of all kinds needed repair. With money scarce in those days much of his compensation for labor performed was made in the form of farm products. The writer remembers looking through an old ledger which James kept showing accounts balanced through payments made in wheat, potatoes, young livestock, etc. It is likely that James' greatest work contribution in later years was centered in this shop. His son David, (the author's father) early took over operation of the farm. He had not been able to go to school beyond the grades due to his father's poor health, but he was always a reader and careful student of current events. Eventually a blacksmith shop was established in the Disco Corners doing a thriving business for many years.

A general store was started at the Corners by C. J. Hoag and Frank O'Hearn. This store is still in operation, having passed through the hands of Kimball, Zastrow, Willard Potter, Willard Potter Jr., and Raymond Zindrick. It served as the Disco post office for many years. Another early accommodation to settlers was provided at the Corners in the form of a grist mill which operated during the early years. In 1900 a creamery was built as an outlet for cream produced on the farms of the area. Before that time much of the saleable dairy production found market in the form of cream shipped in cans or as butter and cheese made in the homes and sold or exchanged for other household needs. Again we are indebted to Louise Adams Curran for this statement - - "Grandmother used to make her own cheese - - huge flat round ones that must have weighed 25 lbs. Of course they cured their own meat and the orchard provided abundant fruit. How delicious those Transcendent crabs were, so crisp and juicy."

The orchard had grown in size and in variety of fruit. Cherries, plums, and raspberries augmented the wide variety of apples, plus the wild blueberries, and blackberries found on the farm. The cellar shelves were always well-stocked. James B. and Isadora seemed to enjoy very much their forays out to the berry patch and new trees added to the orchard were planted as a joint venture. Being the largest orchard in the community, fruit was shared with the neighbors.

Records in Jackson County show that the original town of Albion, mentioned earlier, was fast being sub-divided and that by 1856 five new towns had been organized including Springfield. It was in this town that the Cartter farm was originally located. The first records that seem to be available for this town, its organization and officers, are found in a book of records kept by the town clerk. The first meeting mentioned is one held April 2, 1867 at the home of Oley Anderson. James Bruce did take an active part in local affairs; he helped by drawing upon his experiences at Wheatland, Wis. and Utica, Mich. where he held town offices.

James held the office of Town Clerk in '67, '68, and '69. In 1870 he served as chairman of the Springfield town board and member of the Jackson County board. James was again returned to the post of Town Clerk in 1871, a post which he held for the last time that year.

A petition was filed in 1876 with the County Board of Jackson County to transfer T 21 N R 5W from the town of Springfield to the town of Albion, with three exceptions. The petition was recognized by the county board and took effect April 1, 1877. This transfer included all of the Cartter property in T 21 N, making it much easier for the Cartters and their neighbors to participate in town affairs as Albion town meetings were held in Black River Falls which was the family trade center. The town of Springfield profited also for it could now have a more central meeting place at the village of Taylor. Prior to that time all meetings had been held in the homes of residents.

The years 1861 to 1880 were filled with many experiences both happy and saddening for the Cartter family at Disco. Recalling a few may illustrate some of the stress and strain of early pioneering life in the mid-west as well as bring back memories of the happy occasions.

It was in 1861 that James Bruce with several others organized the Jackson County Agricultural Society which later developed into an annual event which still carries on. He was a good gardener and proud of his produce. Louise Curran tells of an incident that happened which changed his enthusiasm about competition. "One year he was especially proud of his onions and had prepared an excellent exhibit. He returned to the fair, after judging had been completed, to find that someone had substituted their inferior onions for his, and had taken first place with them. This so disappointed him that he never exhibited again."

On occasion he made the weekly newspaper with articles such as the following:

"It was reported that James B. Cartter of Springfield (town) produced an egg on his farm to stop all boasting as to egg size. It was layed by an ordinary Bramah hen and weighed 4 and a half ounces. It measured 8-3/4 inched the large way around and 6-3/4 the other."

Sadness came to the family in 1860 and 61. Nettie Swift, Isadora's younger sister had married Andrew Stevens before the family left Wheatland. The Stevens later moved to La Crosse. Nettie was a very good correspondent and her letters, many of which were preserved, are full of youthful enthusiasm and optimism. Her first pregnancy was very difficult, complicated by the fact that she had contracted T.B. Chloe Swift, her mother, ready always to help her family, was with her. The following found in a letter to Isadora, is Chloe's description of what occurred after Mrs. Pliney, the Mid-wife, came. "- - -On examination she found there was trouble for us all the child was coming double. She went out after a little and motioned for me to come. She told me there was trouble. It gave me such a shock I was so weak I could hardly stand. Well the child was born half past one oclock Tuesday morn. She was spaird but the little boy was taken from us. His head was the last to be born, her panes left her just the time she needed them the most so the little fellow must die about a half an our before it was born. She had a hard time of it. I wouldn't not have been away from her if I had all my things gone to ruing. I should think the baby would wae between seven and eight pounds, the prettyest babe I ever saw."

Nettie (Maria Jeanette) put up a brave fight against a disease for which there was little cure in those days. Her death occurred April 1, 1861. Her letters were always full of cherrful optimism in spite of her affliction.

The collection of letters made by Ruth (Knapp) Forssen and referred to in chapter eleven contains many letters between Isadora or her mother Chloe, and relatives who lived in Falmouth, Mass., the Swift's original home. An excerpt taken from a letter written by Lizzie Nye to Chloe reflects the concerns of the time. It is written Feb. 27, 1863 shortly after Lizzie had been out to Wisconsin for a visit.

"It does certainly seem like a dream to think I have been way out to Wisconsin and back - - - I would like to take that journey again and have my husband and Feemy with me. - - But what times we are having. Provisions and cotton goods are high. Calicos are 28 cents, cloth 48 cents and sugar - you can get but a handful for a dollar. - - - We see by the papers the Conscription Bill has passed. That is worse that all the rest, to force men - seems cruel, but something must be done. - - "

A letter written just a month later gives the reaction of a young man 35 years old, married and with two children. The writer is Charles Swift, Isadora's oldest brother who is writing to his parents March 8, 1863.

"With a troubled spirit I seat myself to address you today. It is this infernal conscription act that exempts all the business and moneyed men of the country and draws all into service that are poor unless he should be so fortunate as to have a little money. - - -

You have read the act and are as conversant with its details as myself and must know that you have two sons that are prescribed by this act. I do not know how Oliver feels about it but for me I am most indignant and shall not go if drafted if it be possible for me to pay the price of my liberty - - -" As it turned out neither Charles or Oliver were conscripted and the war closed in 1865.

Work on farms was hard in those days as so much of the farm help was enlisted in the war effort. Those producing the crops had to do double duty to maintain production. Less effort to expand acreage was apparent. Shortages of some products changed some farming practices. It was during this period that, due to shortage of sugar, many settlers planted their own sorghum cane. Oliver Swift built and operated on his farm the first sorghum mill in the community to process the syrup. It was used by many of the neighbors. Another significantly different crop was added to the production list in the '70's, hops, was just being introduced in northern Wisconsin. By 1880 the Cartters raised up to 1400# of hops. Oliver Swift had gone heavily into this crop employing during harvest time up to 25 to 30 pickers. The crop did not prove profitable in the long run for Wisconsin farmers. This move had been tried in an effort to find a substitute for wheat, which became an inefficient crop to raise due to rust.

Disease, sickness, and death within the Cartter and Swift families seemed to have peaked during these years. 1863 saw an epidemic of scarlet fever in Jackson County. Both Julia and David then seven and six years old were stricken, but fortunately recovered without ill effects. News came that same year of the death of George, James' younger brother, in Portland, Oregon where he had gone from Sacremento. Only 36 years old and just recently married he was the first of the six children of David Kellogg Cartter (1) to die. The cause, typhoid fever. Two years later 1865, James received word of Phederus' death, he being the oldest brother. Jane (Scrantom) Cartter, Harleigh's wife, died that same year. Harleigh died in Arizona in 1874. Of the Swift family, Charles lost his first wife, Jenny Paine, in 1860 and married Sarah Douglas in 1867. He and his son, Charlie had lived with John and Chloe Swift at Black River Falls during this period. After the second marriage Charles moved his family to Eau Claire where he carried on his carpenter trade and tried his hand at selling.

John Swift died June 11, 1867 leaving the family home in Black River Falls to Chloe. However, after his death she spent much of the time with her three children. She was a very motherly soul and thought very much of her grandchildren. Finally in the fall of 1870 Chloe's family convinced her to take a trip back to her old home in Falmouth, Mass., and to Utica and Venice in N. Y. State. She spent over a year visiting friends and relatives many of whom she had corresponded with throughout the years. Two weeks at each place was her visiting pattern. Her letters home indicated that the trip was a moving experience for her and the vivid portrayal of her visits made Isadora and James feel much better acquainted with their New England cousins and ancestors. While in Mass., Chloe attended a Falmouth Town Meeting where she met one of her old teachers, John Parker. About this experience she writes: "Tell Jim (James Bruce) I haven't taken so much comfort in thirty years." Her house was very much on her mind. It was closed up but it seemed that each letter would suggest something for Isadora to "look in" for.

Isadora in a letter to Chloe March 1871 mentioned that "her hens had begun to lay and wasn't she fortunate." This explained by the fact that in those days it was expected that hens didn't lay during the winter months. In order to have eggs all winter they were put down either in salt or in oats in the fall as a means of preserving them. Chloe answers this letter saying "Hens here lay all winter - eggs are 45¢ a dozen - butter the same."

Julia and David were in school now both showing great interest in their studies. A scholarship report for one four-month term of Julia's work was received at home as follows - quite different from today's reports.

Julia E. Cartter

(Scholarship for 4 months)

No. days school - 86

No. days present - 86

No. perfect lessons in geography - 86

No. perfect lessons in Arithmetic - 84

No. perfect lessons in Reading - 169

No. perfect lessons in spelling - 153

Whole number of perfect lessons - 412

Times head in spelling - 20

Times absent - 0

Imperfect lessons - Geography - 0

Arithmetic - 2

Reading - 3

Spelling - 11

Signed - George Benedict - Teacher

Unfortunately the date and year are not given in this report.

James Bruce's mother, Elizabeth (Hollister) Cartter passed away in Rochester, N. Y. September 1876 having outlived three of her sons, George, Phederus, and Harleigh. She lived to be 87 having been cared for in her advanced years by members of Phederus' family, primarily Nannie Weaver, who had through letters kept James Bruce aware of family affairs in Rochester.

A letter written to James and Isadora by Charles Swift in 1876 indicates that his migrating spirit had not been dampened. Charles, when writing, was in Blue Springs, Florida. (Located west and north of Perry on Highway 98) where he has been commissioned to build a house for an Eau Claire, Wis. man. The letter makes especially interesting reading 100 years later for one, now retired, who spends part of each year in the Sunshine State.

"I write this from the midst of a fine orange grove of about sixty trees some of them are twenty years old loaded with the nicest oranges you ever saw. They lay on the ground, all I've to do is to reach and take what I want to eat. - - - The climate is the best - just the place for invalids and old folks to enjoy the remains of an ill-spent life or to enjoy their remaining days. The time will come when this will present the traveler superior attractions that we do not dream of."

Charles had a good description of Florida's natural setting and was considering investment in land which he felt would be wise. Whether or not he actually invested money there we do not know. We do know, however, that he did not remain in Florida, for within ten years' time he was in the Dakota Territory along with Oliver. One thing evident from his letter is that most folks at that time were about ready to write off most of Florida to the east and south as not being orange grove territory, and fit largely for mere grazing land. How surprised he would be with today's developments. The pioneering spirit was there but Florida must have seemed a long way from family, and ready cash was probably not available for investment.

Time moves on and children grow up. Julia finished part of her high school course at Black River Falls before transferring to an academy, or advanced school, which was started in Sechlerville by Mr. Wells, a Presbyterian minister who also built the church there and preached for twenty years.

Louise (Adams) Curran, referred to earlier, writes as follows. "Mother (Julia) and Dad (Parker Adams) both went to school here. Subjects taught included Algebra, Geometry, Physics, Latin, Greek etc. School was held upstairs in Sechler's first store, a two story building."

After finishing the Academy Julia taught school at Irving, at the Curran school and at Disco. On Nov. 7, 1877 she married Parker Chapman Adams and they took over the operation of the Adams farm at Sechlerville about ten miles distant from the Cartter farm.

Parker was the son of George Monteith and Henrietta (Chapman) Adams. They had come with their family from Ellsworth, Ohio to Jackson County in 1855 the same year the Cartters had arrived. George Adams was for several years Jackson County's surveyor. He lived fro some time at Black River Falls and later developed a farm on the Trempeleau river near Sechlerville.

The Adams family record may be found in The Adams History a book written by Andrew N. Adams in 1898. Following is the direct male line of descent in America as found in this reference.

Generation

1. HENRY b. uncertain - d. 10-6-1646

Henry was believed to have arrived in America in 1632 or 1633 and settled in Braintree, Mass. He brought with him his wife, eight sons and one daughter. His son Joseph, brother of Peter below was the direct ancestor of Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

2. PETER b. 1622 d. 1690

3. JOHN b. 1651 d. ____

4. CAPT. JOHN b. 12-14-1695 d. 1-16-1762

5. CAPT. JOHN (2) b. 12-15-1744 or '45 d. 12-10-1818

6. MOSES b. 9-28-1786 d. 4-10-1828

7. GEORGE MONTEITH b. 8-15-1826 d. ____

8. PARKER CHAPMAN b. 3-27-1855 d. _ _ 1916

9. HAWLEY CARTTER b. 5-18-1882 d. 12-13-1969

Parker and Julia Adams raised three children; Ruth Gertrude born 1878, Chloe Louise in 1880, and Hawley Cartter in 1882. Needless to say the visits back and forth between the Adams and Cartter farms were frequent, for James Bruce and Isadora thought the world of their grandchildren. Chloe Louise (referred to as Louise) now 92 yrs. young, remembers her grandparents very well, and relations with them are vivid in her memory. She tells of a wind, rain, and hail storm which struck Sechlerville when the three children were small. It was reported to have produced the largest hailstones ever seen in the Northwest. Stones came in every shape and form from a triangle to a four-cornered piece as large as nine to twelve inches in circumference. The Adams farm was one of those hardest hit. She writes:

"At the time of the storm mother, dad and we three children, little then, were living in a house near Sechlerville about three-fourths mile from home because the house on our farm was so cold and impossible. The day of the storm Grandpa and Grandma Cartter came up to spend the 4th of July. Dad had gone to Merrillan for a load of lumber. He was planning on building a new house on the farm.

The grain, corn, and fruit trees were ruined and not a green thing was left on the ground. Grandpa took mother and us kids home to live until next spring. He said he didn't know what he'd find but at least there'd be enough to live on. Dad worked where he could, mostly on a threshing rig that fall. In the winter he stayed at Cartter's and in the spring put in his crops and built a new house."

Louise, now Mrs. John Curran, relates the following bits of family interest as she is the only living descendant at this time who knew both James Bruce and Isadora. She says, "Grandpa was afraid of fires and every evening before going to bed he would go outdoors to see if the chimneys were O.K.. - - - In the summer they milked the cows outdoors, loose in the barnyard. Christmas day we always spent at their house. There was a tree, lots of presents and food and just a happy time. One year Grandmother and Uncle David gave Grandpa a rocking chair. Grandma also had bought him a big safety pin but he didn't even notice the new chair."

How the author wishes Grandfather might have lived longer in order that he could have known both grandparents better. Sister Irene who was eight years old when Grandfather died had that opportunity. Even at her age she sensed the deep and abiding love that united James and Isadora and which they held toward each other throughout life. Irene told her daughter, Ruth Forssen how fond Grandfather was of teasing. He really had a strong sense of humor.

Irene told of remembering her own delight in seeing him chase Isadora who would, on such an occasion, pick up her long skirts and fly, leaving him far behind and chuckling. He liked to bait Irene too. One time when she was small she remembers he goaded her to the point where she picked up her sewing scissors and threw them at him. Immediately she was crushed with remorse thinking what she might have done to him. He gathered her up on his lap in the rocking chair and sang the song he always sang to her at night before bedtime. "Rock the cradle Lucy; rock the cradle slow."

Says Louise: "I remember one instance that happened which grandmother never let grandpa forget. Whenever he seemed to be getting out of hand she would remind him of the day when he spilled a whole pan of milk over her. It happened this way: The time was before cream separators were used. To separate the cream the milk was set in shallow pans holding about 6 quarts of milk. These pans were set in a cool place, which on the Cartter farm was the cellar under the house. Milk was left to sit for 1-1/2 to 2 days before skimming.

Well, this was a team endeavor. Grandpa would fill the pans with milk and then hand them down to grandma in the cellar who would place them on shelves. This particular day either grandpa slipped, or the pan slipped out of his hands. At any rate grandma got the full six quarts of milk drenching her from head to toes."

Later of course an outside stairway was built to the basement; then came improved cans fro drawing off skim milk and finally the cream separator which made larger herds of cattle practical in areas away from cheese factories.

By 1889 changes had been made in the Cartter farm. David was taking over more and more of the decision-making, still with the guiding counsel of his father. The Agricultural Census of that year, 1880, shows changes in emphasis. Total acreage reduced - more cultivated acres - more diversification.

Tilled land, including fallow and grass in rotation, had increased from 100 a. to 150 a.

Woodland and forest	250 a.
Farm value - Land - Building fences	$4000.00
Machinery value	220.00
Livestock value	500.00
Estimated value of all produce sold - consumed or on hand 1879	900.00
Cultivated acreage mown 1879	7 a.
Produce harvested from grass land	(Hay 7 ton
	(Clover 13 ton
Horses all ages	4
Milk cows	11
Butter made	600#
Cheese made on farm	50#
Sheep on hand 6-1-1880	25
Purchased	5
Clip - or to be shorn	12
Weight	100#
Poultry (Barnyard)	50
Eggs produced	125 doz.

Grain:

Barley -	500 bu.	Wheat -	35 a.
Corn -	12 acres		200 bu.
	100 bu.	Hops -	1400#
Oats -	20 acres	Potatoes -	100 bu.
	500 bu.

During these years the land in T 20 N was well used as a source of wood fuel for heating purposes. Louise recalls "My father (Parker Adams) always got his year's wood supply from the Cartter woodlot south of Disco. He hired the trees cut, sawed and split into chunks. Dad would start out before daylight and go to the woods (about twelve miles). He would load up and get back to grandpa's for dinner, then home about dark." What a hard way to get heat! The Curran Valley where the Adams lived, didn't offer such a ready wood supply.

These long all-day hauls were not unusual in the Disco area. The author can personally remember driving team and sleigh, some years later, 8-10 miles to a millpond in mid-winter for loads of ice cakes to be stored in an ice house on the Cartter farm for use during the summer. The ice-box made an early appearance in our home. Stretches of our road to Black River Falls were quite sandy, making the hauling of heavy loads in the summer a real test for a good team.

By 1880 the spirit of migration must have been rekindled in Oliver Swift's nature as it had been with James Bruce in 1854. By 1881 he had sold the Swift farm, where he seemed to have done so well, to William Caves a neighbor. The call of the Dakota Territory had been too great to resist with its promise for large acreages of wheat, a crop which was fast giving way to a dairy economy in Wisconsin. Just what influence Oliver's move had on David is hard to assess, but it must have stirred some sparks of adventure in his blood.

David was now twenty-three and as a result of Oliver's move he would lose his closest chum, Arthur Swift. Arthur was just his age. The two had grown up and gone to school together. They had shared many experiences. Now Arthur was going west with his father and was taking up a homestead for himself near Watertown, where Oliver also settled. The responsibility felt by David for his parents, and the investment he had put into the Cartter farm in terms of sheer hard work and management planning, was to keep his feet firmly planted on Wisconsin soil until his death in 1941, sixty years later.

It is certain however that letters such as the one written by E. K. Trudell, a friend, on Dec. 20, 1881, must have stirred within him a call to adventure. Trudell was in Ouray, Colorado when he wrote the following:

"This is a new country as well as a peculiar people and the chances are you would not desire to make this your home. - - -The country here is well adapted to mining and is good for that only. - - - There is no society, no women, no culture, no anything pertaining to civilization out here. Most of these miners are good-hearted decent and well behaved people but occasionally you meet with one who has none of these qualities. - - -"

If David had any desires to look elsewhere for a home, he never revealed it to his family. It is likely that his challenges to adventure took the form of community participation, for he early took active part in school, town and organization affairs. He was looked to with respect for his counsel on such matters.

Chloe Swift was successful in selling her home at Black River Falls by 1882 and although it was a sever wrench at her age to leave old friends and part of her remaining family, she followed Oliver and his family to the Dakota Territory. Here she lived part time with Oliver, and part with Arthur who was by now married. Charles later joined them, settling at Aberdeen. This was wide-open country, very sparsely settled, but promising for wheat farming. Some of Chloe's letters to Isadora paint a picture of another pioneering experience, and the final one for a woman who had spanned the distance from Mass. To Dakota in her life time with many new starts in between. The following are short extracts from her letters written after she went to Dakota, most of them addressed to Isadora.

"I have been waiting to get a letter from you, it has just come. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry I was so glad to hear from you. - - -Our meals have no change from one month to the other. Our fare is fried pork, black strap (molasses) cookies and dried apple pie." She speaks of "Our new town Castlewood. - - -We eat so much fried pickerel it makes me dull. - - - There is a river 4 miles from here - - - One hundred and twenty-five dollars worth of grub, a barrel of sugar, dried fruit of every kind a plenty for one year." - - - "I must write Lizzie (a cousin in Mass.) she thinks I have gone up in one of these blizzards."

She continues, "Jeanette (Charles' daughter) is teaching school. Her school will be four months. It is 2-1/2 miles from home and she rode horseback until this morning. She gets twenty-two dollars a month and has 13 scholars. - - - we are all hard at work. We have had thrashers all the week, I wish you could see the stacks of wheat, barley oat and straw they have. - - - - - - Arthur has bought a stove for the sitting room. I never saw one like it, there are glass doors all around it, lights up the room, it's hansome."

A letter dated February 24 th has this statement, "I haven't been out this winter - we have had what I call very cold weather - we had one blizzard that lasted 204 hours. It is the worst we've seen, couldn't see the barn."

Chloe died at Castlewood, April 27, 1884 at age 81. In reviewing her life the author can't help but think of a tribute written by Mrs. Emma Robinson Bush to her mother and other early pioneer women. Mrs. Bush had lived near Black River Falls and had herself been one of the first teachers in the Disco Valley school. Julia and Dave had gone to school with her. The tribute is found in a paper prepared by Mrs. Edith (Davis) Cartter, 3rd wife of David and seems to fit Chloe Swift in many ways.

"A frail woman from a refined Quaker family, she left her brothers and sisters and relatives to some unto the wilderness to toil unceasingly for others, but she had a brave heart and was equal to the emergency. What heroes they were who laid the foundation for posterity. People who talk of hard times now don't know all that the words have meant to others. Still those were days of adventure and interest and excitement and thrills. I always feel that I had an interesting childhood."

How impossible it would be to attempt numbering the individuals and families that Chloe Swift's presence, her friendly words, and humble understanding had reached, comforted, and otherwise influenced.

David Kellogg Cartter, son of James and Isadora, was 29 years of age when he married Adella H. Willard on Sept. 29, 1886 in Farmington, La Crosse County, Wis. Della, as she was always called, was the fifth child of John H. and Charlotte (Greer) Willard, early residents of Burr Oak in La Crosse County. Della was born at Farmington, Wis. Sept 23, 1861, had become a teacher in the Jackson County schools, and taught school at the Disco Corners.

John H. Willard was born at Pike, in Allegheny County, N. Y. and Charlotte Greer in Hampton, Washington County, Vermont. Their marriage had occurred Nov. 17, 1841 in Venergo, Erie Co., Penn. Their children were as follows:

1. Clifford R. b. 11-3-1843 in Greenfield, Erie Co., Penn. d. 2-23-1854 in Michigan City, Laport Co., Indiana

2. Joseph F. b. 7-23-1846 Hillsdale, Spicio Co., Mich. d. _____

3. T. J. no dates - married 1-3-1866 to Josie L. Roberts in Farmington, La Crosse Co., Wis.

4. Mary J. b. 3-3-1856 Farmington, Wis. d. 8-13-1922 - Melrose, Wis. married 2-8-1877 in Melrose, Wis. to Charles Newland (d. 12-30-1926)

5. Adella H. b. 9-23-1861 - Farmington, Wis. married David K. Cartter 9-29-1886 d. 5-24-1892 Black River Falls, Wis.

6. Edith G. b. 12-14-1871 - Melrose, Wis. d. 10-29-1928 Sparta, Wis. married 11-14-1894 in Irving, Wis. to Carl F. Rhyme (b. 8-3-1866 d. 5-4-1924)

To date the ancestry of John Willard has not been determined by the author. (Can someone help?)

After their wedding David and Della took an extended honeymoon trip. Part of this trip took them to the Dakota Territory for a visit with the Swift brothers. If David had ever entertained any desire to move west that idea was dispelled on this trip. A letter written home from Aberdeen included this statement.

"We are of the common opinion that we do not like Dakota as a place to live."

By this time David had shouldered the responsibility of managing the home farm. New buildings had to be built including additions to the original house. Added lands were cleared and more fences built. His interest in community affairs and local government was being whetted by his own reading and by his father's keen interest and knowledge of history as well as government.

It was in 1881 that David had his first taste of local office, being appointed as school treasurer to fill an unexpired term of a neighbor. His interest and contributions won for him successive elections as school clerk the next six years plus periodic service thereafter including the organization of a graded school district at Disco Corners in 1902.

In 1883 he was elected to the Albion town board where his keen interest in public matters and his ability to work with people won him in 1886 and 87 he position of Town Chairman and member of the County Board of Supervisors.

This was quite a challenge as the Town of Albion at that time still contained the present town of Brockway which covered a large area. Town Chairman was a position in which he served periodically for several years, also taking his turn as assessor in 1892. His greatest satisfaction came from the effort he put in to improve "farm to market" roads and bridges that would better withstand the periodic spring floods. Living, as he did, ten miles from Black River Falls, he knew the problems of transporting livestock and crops to market and returning with building supplies and materials.

Many of the roads in those days were very sandy. Gravel as a road-building material was not available in many parts of the county. The author remembers well, in later years, his father's great satisfaction when shale, as a road building material, was discovered in the area. The deep and sandy ruts were replaced with this hard surface material. Shale with its hardening qualities served the purpose of concrete on secondary roads.

Six years spanned the married life of David and Della Cartter, for Della died May 24, 1892 after an extended illness diagnosed as "Lagrippi." One child, Irene had been born October 9, 1889. She was only two and one-half years old when her mother died and was buried in the family lot at the Melrose Cemetery. During her limited life at Disco Della was accepted as a most valued member of the community. In her obituary is found this statement.

"The halo of influence that moved with her through life was an uplift to all her associates."

For nine years Isadora took the responsibility of both grandmother and mother for Irene. Her adaptability was to be admired and many were the hours that James Bruce too entertained or played with "his little girl." These were days to be happily remembered by Irene, sister of the author, in future years.

David tried bravely to overcome his grief by turning his attention to the welfare of his daughter and by intensifying his farm and community effort.

The health of James Bruce remained about the same through these years. Careful attention to eating habits and Isadora's loving care for his needs seemed to have brought to both a deep satisfaction and a happy realization of their early desire for a home of their won with family around them. Louise Curran in her reminiscing says "Grandmother's everyday life on the farm had few incidents which I recall. She was efficient in running her home and in providing food. She always had help in the house so there was no rush ever. No one was cross, scolded, or yelled at. I can't remember her ever waiting on grandfather, or his demanding to be waited on."

In spite of his health problems, largely stemming from a dyspeptic stomach, James outlived his parents, his four brothers and his one sister. It was in April 1887 that he received word of the death of Justice David Kellogg Cartter in Washington D. C. This was followed eight months later by word of his only sister's death, Mrs. Elizabeth Millicent McCarthy of Syracuse, N. Y.

Each member of this original David Kellogg Cartter family had made his or her particular contributions during times of much stress and strain in a rapidly growing and expanding country. They had borne their own share or tribulations and awards as had James and Isadora and now James, the last, was to depart.

On October 30, 1897 at the age of 82 years 9 months and 17 days, James Bruce departed this life, having by most human measures lived it to the full. He and his life's partner had seen their dream of a new home in a new country come true. Each had made their particular contributions to the stream of life that flowed from and by that home. Contributions which in many ways had made others' lives easier and more fruitful. They had been blessed during his lifetime with two children, four grandchildren, and with the promise more to come.

James was leaving behind in the hearts and minds of others a clearer sense of values, a humanness of purpose, and a faith in mankind.

Isadora, nineteen years his junior, was to live nine years after James' death, years in which she continued to make her contributions to the family. During those years she also found a greater freedom to travel.

In order that the reader may have a clearer picture of James Bruce as others saw him, the following excerpts are taken from a eulogy printed at the time of his death. Unfortunately neither the name of the writer or of the paper in which it appeared is known, but it was found as a newspaper clipping in grandmother's scrapbook.

"Mr. Cartter was a grand specimen of manhood both in body and mind. Standing erect six feet two inches, with clear-cut features, and a massive forehead resting over expressive eyes, he was a man whose personal presence would inspire the beholder with his superiority of wisdom. These impressions were greatly strengthened by a close acquaintance with him. The better he was known the more highly he was respected.

"He possessed in a marked degree an unswerving honesty of purpose and a fixed determination to do right. He was a great reader, a profound thinker and the possessor of a broad and varied source of information and knowledge. He had wonderful conversational powers. He was calm and industrious in his investigations and deliberations but when he had once reached a conclusion he was firm and steadfast in his conviction. He never censured without cause or condemned without a hearing. The freedom of speech and belief which he claimed for himself he freely accorded to others. As a neighbor and friend he endeared himself to his associates by his many acts of kindness, his wise counsels and his tender sympathies; as a Mason he was beloved by all his brethren, and his presence in the lodge room was the sure harbinger of harmony and good will. As a husband and father he was kind, generous and just. He loved without ostentation, reproved without wounding and admonished without bitterness. - - -

- - - He was a charter member of Black River Lodge of Masons, No. 74 and continued a valued and devoted member until his death. A goodly number of brethren under the direction of the Black River Lodge, attended his funeral, and prepared the last sad rites of an honored and esteemed brother, in the presence of a large concourse of sympathizing friends and neighbors. He was a universalist in his religious convictions. He believed in the fatherhood of God, the brotherhood of man, and the ultimate salvation of mankind. But he had great respect for the Presbyterian Church on account of it having been the chosen church of his mother."

In the book Fathers of Wisconsin written by H. A. Tenney and David Atwood this review of his life is given:

"James Bruce Cartter was born in Rochester, N. Y. January 13, 1815. His father David K. Cartter and mother Elizabeth were both from Massachusetts. He had a common school education and his general occupation has been that of a farmer. He was married July 7, 1855 to Isadora F. Swift. He settled in Racine County in February 1843 and many years since removed to Black River Falls, Jackson County, where he now resides having during all this time persistently avoided holding any office, public life seeming to have no attraction for him.

As Mr. Cartter did not take his seat in the 1st Constitutional Convention until two weeks after it had organized (due to illness) no conspicuous part in its work was assigned to him. His career as a pioneer citizen, however, has been one eminently worthy and useful to the communities in which he has resided, and his neighbors and old friends unitedly bear testimony to his sterling worth, integrity, and valuable services as a frontier citizen."

Col. Carl C. Pope of Black River Falls, friend of James Bruce since 1856 says in his eulogy:

"James B. Cartter was a man of broad information and genial character, but he was content to live in comfort and independence on his farm. He was of that sturdy pioneer class to whom Wisconsin owes so much - - "

James was buried in the Sechlerville rural cemetery, located on the crest of a hill overlooking what has come to be known as the Trempeleau Valley. Nestled in a small clearing, surrounded by a combination of pine and hardwood trees it is a fitting spot for one like him who chose the pioneer rural life to that of crowded urban living. He was later to be joined here, in this quiet cemetery, by Isadora and by David's third wife Edith (David) Cartter with her two infant children. This too is the Adams family cemetery.

On November 3, 1898 David brought his second bride to the Cartter farm. Emma Eliza Lanpher was not a stranger to the Cartter family of to the Disco community as she had taught school there when Irene was first in school and had boarded at the Cartter home. Her arrival came just one year after James Bruce had passed away and at a time when Isadora was to welcome a sharing of the household responsibilities.

Irene, David and Della's only child, was now nine years old. Emma became her second mother and also relieved the pressure on grandmother Cartter. Thus it was possible at last for Isadora to consider some of the travel to which she had long looked forward. Emma too enjoyed the rural life and community activities which she shared with Isadora. On October 4, 1899 she presented David with his first son whom they named Bruce Lanpher. Bruce for the Cartters and Lanpher for his mother's family.

At this point let us take a look at the Lanpher family background, first Emma's own family.

Emma was the youngest child of William Duane and Elizabeth (Belcher) Lanpher. She was born at Martinsburg, Lewis County in N. Y. sate on December 13, 1873. This is the same county from which the father of James Bruce had come before settling in Rochester. Three years after her birth Emma's father died as a result of a sunstroke suffered while working on his farm. Her mother was unable to carry on the farm operations and sold the farm. Other members of the Belcher family had moved, or were moving, west to Wisconsin so the decision was made to follow that course.

The Duane Lanpher family consisted of five children, three boys and two girls, ranging in age from Charles, 23 to Emma, 7, when they arrived at Black River Falls in 1880. The year 1881 proved to be a tragic year for the Lanpher family. All three sons, ages 24, 23, and 15, unmarried, died within a period of six months. Charles, a brakeman on the railroad, fell and was crushed between the cars; Clarence had brain fever, Foster went swimming too early in the season and contracted pneumonia. All three brothers were buried in the Riverside Cemetery at Black River Falls. It was at this point that the two brothers and four sisters of Mrs. Lanpher were great consolation to the remaining family. These relatives were - William Belcher, Rosa (Mrs. Dennis Fox), and Mary (Mrs. Horney) of Eau Claire; Celestia Jennie (Mrs. Henry Colon), and Louise (Mrs. G. J. Bonnell) of Black River Falls; and Charles of Wilton; all in Wisconsin.

Ida Lanpher the third oldest member of the Duane Lanpher family was a mainstay for her mother during those first years in Wisconsin. As a girl back in Lewis County she established quite a reputation as a speller in district spelling bees. She attended the Lowville Female Academy where she graduated and received her certificate to teach. While going to school there she lived with the family of Loren Lanpher, her uncle who was postmaster at Lowville. Another uncle A. Marcellus taught chemistry and mathematics at the Academy for a time. He later launched out upon a mercantile career in Lowville and served as county clerk for a number of years. He and his son Harry M., who lived in Minneapolis, both kept in touch with the Wisconsin family - Ida, the author's aunt, found that she did not care for teaching and turning her attention to sewing, became an excellent seamstress. At that time a seamstress did her work in the customer's home, usually spending a week or two at a time there. Her tiny even stitches were really a work of art.

On Nov. 28, 1887 Ida married John H. Knobloch of Tomah. He was a railroad man and they lived first at Black River Falls, then moved to Eau Claire where the Knobloch home still remains the residence of Ruth Knobloch, their their oldest child. Ruth, now retired, had a long career as an elementary school teacher in Haugen and Eau Claire, Wis., having graduated from the Eau Claire State Normal School.

John Knobloch died August 11, 1926. Aunt Ida who meant so much to the author during his pre-teen years following his mother's death, lived to be 82, passing away April 16, 1946. Robert, their son, became an electrical engineer graduating from the Univ. of Wis. Most of his business life was spent with the Northern States Power Co. at Eau Claire, Wis. and Montevideo, Minn., where he died 9-8-1966. Robert's wife, Evelyn Gulsvig, survives him with their two sons John b. 6-19-1932 and Robert b. 8-16-1934.

John above, married Carol Nomeland of Porter, Minn. 7- -1954. They have three children - Kimberly Ray b. 9-6-1955, Katherine b. 9-7-1966, and Kristy b. 12-5-1972.

Robert lives in California.

Emma Lanpher received most of her education in the Black River Falls schools graduating from the high school there in 1891. Receiving a teacher's certificate she taught school in Jackson County for some time, later taking a business course at the Hoffman Business College in Black River Falls. She started her business career at Millston and later at Eau Claire where she was living with the Knoblochs when she married David Cartter on 11-3-1898.

The background of the Lanpher family which precedes and follows has been secured from various sources and pieced together with information secured personally from visits in Lewis County, N. Y. with families living there, records in the County Court House and gravestone information found in the West Lowville Rural Cemetery.

Written sources include:

The Lanphere and Related Families Genealogy by Edward Lanphere 1970 edition.

Representative Men and Old Families of R. I. Genealogy and Biography Vol. III.

Genealogy of Northern New York Vol. I by William R. Cutter.

Genealogy Notes found in Mrs. Duane Lanpher's diary with comments and additions made by Mrs. Ida Knobloch and her daughter, Ruth.

It was a real thrill to find in the West Lowville Rural Cemetery two long lines of gravestones bearing the Lanpher name, and to further find that these two rows are headed by the final resting places of Paul and Pardon, twin brothers who arrived in N. Y. state in 1800. They, of the 4th Generation, are followed in line by descendants in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Generation. Edward G. Lanphere, in the reference given above, starts off with this statement concerning the background of the Lanpher family as follows:

"Records of the Lanphere (several spellings of this name are found such as Lanphear, Landfear, Lampiere, Landpher and Lanpher) families go back to the middle ages when they lived in the then province of Languedoc and Provence on either side of the Rhone River and in which were situated the cities of Arles, St. Giles, Nimes, and Avignon." His description of the Huguenot religious movement and the accompanying resettlement of people in Holland, England, and Ireland makes interesting reading.

First Generation (in America)

GEORGE LANPHEAR, born 1631 in Berkshire, England was a grandson of Thomas Lamphier who with many other French Huguenots fled from his homeland in 1572 to Wiltshire in England. On May 17, 1671 George took the oath of allegiance to Rhode Island. In 1699 he was married (the name of the wife is unknown) and bought land where the city of Westerly, Rhode Island is now located. It is recorded that in 1704 he owned 200 acres of land. George died 10-6-1731 leaving a family of nine children.

Second Generation

JOHN, 3rd son of George was b. 1683 m. Ruth _____ 3-31-1705 and lived in Westerly, R. I. They had ten children. He died in 1757.

Third Generation

NATHAN, 4th son of John and Ruth was b. 1701 in Westerly. m. (1st) Mary Langworthy 6-22-1739 (2nd) Amy Champlain 12-7-1758. He had six children by his first marriage and seven by his 2nd, a total of thirteen.

Fourth Generation

PAUL - b. 2-25-1762 was the 4th son of Nathan and Amy (Champlain) Lanpher. He had a twin brother Pardon. Paul married Elizabeth Berry 12-18-1789 and Pardon married her sister Polly 2-25-1790.

These two brothers with their families left Westerly, R.I., stopping for three years at Whitestone, R.I. And then moved on to locate permanently in Lowville, Lewis County, N.Y. in 1800 where both secured land and developed farms. The author has a copy of an Indenture setting forth the purchase by Paul Lanpher, from Silas Stow, of fifty acres of land lying in Stows Square, for the sum of $175.00 on the twelfth day of November, 1800. Pardon purchased a similar tract at the same time. The brothers located less than two miles apart each within a mile or so of what is now known as West Lowville Corners and about three miles west of Lowville proper.

Paul settled on what is now Highway 29 south form the Corners and Pardon on Highway 77 west from these Corners. A Lewis County map of 1857 shows the location of a Stage Coach Inn, a school and a blacksmith shop at this corner. It also spots farms owned by: P. Lanpher, P.B. Lanpher, C.C. Lanpher, Ch. Lanpher, C. Carter and Ez. Carter. Attached to Paul Lanpher's Indenture mentioned above was found a copy of a treaty made by the government with the Indians in 1788 covering the lnad, part of which was purchased by Paul and Pardon.

Paul served in the War of 1812 though he was fifty years old at the time. Five children were born to Paul and Elizabeth. One son, Paul Berry, married Fanny Carter (his second wife). She was the daughter of Isaac who in turn was a brother of the first David Kellogg Cartter. Paul died 5-1-1836.

Fifth Generation

JONATHAN was the 4th son of Paul and Elizabeth b. 8-17-1806. He married (1st) Lucinda Stern 12-30-1829 by whom he had three children. He married (2nd) Elizabeth Brown Ellsworth 4-2-1839 and increased his family by seven, a total of twelve children. He remained on the home farm, taking care of his parents until 1838 when he removed to Champion in Jefferson County, N.Y. This property he later sold and a farm was purchased near Denmark in Lewis County where he lived out his remaining years. He died 2-17-1887 having a total of ten children.

This Jonathan Lanpher farm is still in the Lanpher family: it was first operated by Abner Franklin, youngest son of Jonathan and later by Orlo E., son of Abner. At this writing Anna B. (Sheldon) Lanpher, widow of Orlo, to whom she was married 8-20-1905and their two children Arthur Lanpher and Irene (Lanpher) Alexander are still living at Denmark, N.Y. Orlo died in 1958. The author has a picture of this homestead showing the three generations of operators, taken in 1885.

A. Marcellus, Loren Grove, and Abner Franklin mentioned previously in this writing were the sons of Jonathan by his second wife Elizabeth Brown. Wm. Duane Lanpher, oldest son of Jonathan and the author's grandfather, was thus half bother, his mother being Lucinda Sterms, first wife of Jonathan.

Sixth Generation

WILLIAM DUANE was the oldest son of Jonathan and Lucinda. He was b. 12-20-1832 in Lowville, N.Y. He married Elizabeth Belcher 11-28-1854, owned an operated a farm near Martinsburg, but died as a relatively young man on 8-2-1876. His death left his wife with a family of five children ranging in age from nineteen to three years of age. It is this family which, as mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, came to Black River Falls, Wis. in 1880.

Due to the death of all three sons of William Duane, this Lanpher line is carried on through the descendants of the two daughters Ida and Emma, as mentioned earlier in this chapter.

Isadora begins her travels. It is in August of 1900 that we have our first evidence of an extended trip taken by Isadora. For some time she had been receiving letters from her friends at Wheatland, where she had first met James Bruce. These friends had urged her to make a visit to her old home. The following quotes are taken from one of the very few letters written by her which were saved. The letter is written from Wheatland and addressed to her family.

"Dear children at home, Mary and I took a ride over to our old home. Drive east through were the school section used to be, but now partly cleared of its timber, - - - Down on your fathers old lake farm no vestige of old times is left. By the lovely little Lake Mary a beautiful cottage, as large as a city home, is built on the hill back of the old house. - - - We drove on around the head of the lake, way up on the old Dr. McClellan place in the grove of oaks. Here there is cottage after cottage on the bank of the lake. Women and children were everywhere. We continued our journey toward the old home.

Well the old house where so much happiness was spent looks like an old age, weary and full of age, the kitchen has fallen into decay, the main part is pretty good. I went upstairs into our little rooms for Nettie and me. The chambers and in fact off the rooms seemed so small, but I could place in my mind mother's furniture and pictures, its furnishings as in olden times when your father used to call so much and the rest of the loved ones used to meet. But the front yard is weedy and the orchard is almost gone."

Forty-six years had passed since the Swifts had left Wheatland and Isadora had not been back till this trip. Before returning home she went to Chicago where she visited Frederic Oberlin and Mary Cartter. Frederic was a son of Phederus, James' oldest brother. Earlier Frederic had spent some time with James and Isadora.

Isadora proved to be an enthusiastic traveler at age 67, so it took but little urging to see her off to Falmouth and Sandwich in Mass. with her older brother Charles. It was from Sandwich that she with others members of her family had started their westward migration in 1838. Sarah, the second wife of Charles Swift, had died in 1895 out in South Dakota. He had disposed of his property there and, with family grown, was also free to travel. Their first trip was made in 1901.

Many of their Swift, Nye, and Price family relatives still lived in this Cape Cod area and many had been the letters written back and forth. Some visits to Wisconsin had been made by relatives, in spite of their professed fear of Indians. We can imagine the reception that awaited Isadora and Charles. While at Sandwich they learned that a reunion of the Nye family was to be held in 1903. Consequently they decided to make another visit two years later.

The homecoming from each of these trips was saddened by a death in the Adams family. Three weeks after returning in 1901, Julia (Cartter) Adams, Isadora's daughter, died October 7, 1901 of tuberculosis. On the morning of their return from the 1903 trip September 21st, Julia's oldest daughter Ruth passed away. Ruth was Isadora's oldest granddaughter and had been very close to her throughout the years.

Death striking twice in three years was a heavy blow to both the Adams and the Cartter families. Julia's passing left Parker Adams with three children,. The youngest being Hawley who at the time was eighteen and developing a desire to explore the western states. His mother's influence had kept him at home with the family after spending one winter attending the Farm Short Course at the College of Agriculture in Madison. Julia's major interest had been her family and seeing that all three children were well prepared for life's experiences. This is attested to in the obituary appearing in the Black River Falls paper, a quote from which follows:

"She (Julia Cartter Adams) was one of the most lovable of women; of bright and cheerful disposition, a fond wife and mother and a friendly and charitable neighbor who will long be missed in the neighborhood in which her influence was always for the good. Her pride was in her family, and her esteemed children give evidence of her motherly care and training."

RUTH was Isadora's oldest granddaughter and had been very close to her throughout the years. She had, after finishing high school, gone on to the Normal School at Winona, Minn., where she received a teacher's certificate. She taught at Warren, Minn. before coming to Black River Falls where she was in her fifth year of teaching, when sickness forced her to resign her position. Her death, occurring six months later, was due to tuberculosis. The following excerpt from her obituary explains well the esteem in which she was held:

"Miss Adams was born October 6, 1878 and was 24 years, 11 months and 8 days old. She was young but was much in advance of her years in judgement and educational qualifications - - -. She had become one of the most spirited and successful teachers in the county. She was also a young lady of good general accomplishments, strong, personality and high character and gave promise for a brilliant future. She was much devoted to duty, and probably stayed in the school room much longer that she should have done for the sake of her health."

CHLOE LOUISE, second child of Parker and Julia Adams, after graduating from high school attended Stevens Point Teachers College form which she graduated as a teacher. She taught one year at Curran Cooley and two years at Hixton when she gave up her teaching career to stay home and run the house for her father following her mother's death. It was only a matter of time before her help was also needed to care for her older sister Ruth.

On 10-17-1907 Chloe Louise married John Curran, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Curran of Sechlerville. They purchased the Adams home farm, put on several improvements and built up an excellent show herd of Red Poll cattle. Parker Adams made his home with the Currans until his death in 1916. Louise, like her mother and grandmother before her, became a strong community worker, giving much of her energies to the furtherance of church and library programs.

At 93 Louise is still very active and alert to all that is going on about her. She makes her home with her children as her husband died 3-24-1937. It is this Louise who has contributed much information used by the author concerning their grandparents in common, James Bruce and Isadora Cartter. Louise has three children, Ruth, Roger, and John whose families may be found listed in the Tenth Generation of the Cartter Genealogy in this book.

HAWLEY, the only son and the youngest child in the Adams family was at home when his mother died in 1901. Shortly after that he made a trip west, visiting the Swifts at Castlewood, Dakota; harvested corn in Nebraska; visited Arthur Swift at Santa Ana in Calif., and went on to Pendleton, Ore. to visit Adams relatives. With the serious illness of Ruth, Parker Adams asked him to return home to help on the farm, which he did.

The pioneering westward spirit had laid hold of Hawley, however, and 1904 found him farming and "batching" out in South Dakota. He soon sold there and purchased land near Oberon, N.D., which he later rented when he moved on to California. He bought "raw land" near Lindsay, California. It was here that he met and later married Cora Leona McKenney in 1915. Their first years were spent farming in both of the Dakotas and at Lindsey. A letter from Hawley to David dated 3-14-1920 tells of his start in tree crops.

"We are here on 43 acres - 15 acres of olives interest with apricot trees that should bear some this year. Olive trees grow so large that they set quick bearing trees in between and leave them there as long as there is room - Have five acres of oranges, 9 years old and 20 acres of olives set last spring."

Hawley later became superintendent of a state cemetery at Lindsay, a position he held until nearly 80 years of age. Both Leona and Hawley died in 1969 being survived by four sons and one daughter; Lawrence Parker, Hugh Thomas, Cleva Louise, John Harvey, and Dan Hawley. A fifth son, Bruce Cartter (twin with Dan Hawley) died when one month old. The families of these children will be found in the Tenth Generation of the Cartter genealogy found in this book.

Let's turn back to the Cartter farm at Disco. Occupants there have been deeply involved in the sorrows of the Adams family. In the meantime Emma Cartter's mother, Elizabeth Lanpher, died January 18, 1903 from an attack of pneumonia. She was buried with her three sons in the Riverside Cemetery at Black River Falls. Since 1896 Mrs. Lanpher had made her home with the Knoblochs at Eau Claire and Emma had kept up weekly correspondence with her.

During the period from 1899 to 1905 David intensified his interest in farming and in public affairs. In 1903 the farmers in the Disco area formed a dairy association for the purpose of contracting with a buttermaker for the operation of a local creamery. David was elected president, C. J. Hoag secretary, and James Harmer Sr. was treasurer.

About 275 patrons were served through routes set up for the collection of cream. This Ass'n. in 1909 was turned into a cooperative known as the Disco Creamery Ass'n. which bought out Mr. Dietrick and operated their own plant. For many years butter was shipped to Buffalo, N. Y. in 60 lb. tubs. This Ass'n. continued until 1947. For several years David was also director of the Irving Mutual Insurance Company, organized especially to serve the rural areas of the county.

A letter written by Emma to her mother on Jan. 12, 1899 gives some idea of farm expansion and life at the Cartters less than a year after her marriage.

"I wish you might help us eat our head cheese, pickled pigs feet, pork, beef, etc. I tell you we live high! - - - David is still doing his work alone and no small task to take care of 6 horses, 26 head of cattle and 46 hogs. He expects next year to increase his cattle to 50 head. Feb. 1st he intends to hire a man and later will have to keep two. - - - I commenced work on my bedspread last night and will work on it evenings. David reads aloud as long as his throat will permit and then I read, thus we pass very pleasant evenings.

I don't know as I have ever told you just how the rooms are arranged here. The sitting room was the first part of the house built. It faces the road and Mrs. C's bedroom opens off that, to the west. Back of the sitting room is the dining room and from this are doors leading to the cellar, pantry, and bedroom where we sleep since Irene has taken sick. From the dining room is a large kitchen and woodshed. Upstairs, above the sitting room are two nice bedrooms and two that are not finished off yet. - - - Emma"

It was during this period, in 1903 that a telephone line was built throught the Disco area, adding greatly to the freedom of communication. Farmers along the line supplied their own poles. Oh how excited were the Cartter children with that talking box on the wall. It was also in 1903 that Oliver and Arthur Swift sold their interests in South Dakota and moved to Santa Ana, California. Consequently Isadora and Charlie made their next trip to the far wet and grandmother brought home to the grandshildren some of the wonders from the Pacific Ocean. How fascinated they were listening to the roar of the acean as transmitted from those big shells. Grandmother had been quite well impressed with California, even to the point of encouraging David and Emma to come west. She had grown to dread the winter cold.

A letter, one of only a few sent to the author when he was only 5 years by his grandmother, is quoted here:

"Santa Ana, Calif.

Feb. 17, 1905

My dear little boy Bruce --

Hello, how are you this bright morning, and what are you doing? Grandma has just finished sweeping and dusting and thought of her little grandson and it was most time he had another letter. - - - Grandma was down to the ocean place called Long Beach. I got lots of pretty shells. Will bring you some when I come, and other pretty things - - - How is "Colty?" Has papa taught "Lady" how to wear a harness yet? - - - Suppose mama has made lots of sausage. You must think of grandma when you eat some time. We have sausage but it is not as good as mama's. - - - With lots of love for my darling little boy. from your Grandma Cartter"

The expansion of his dairy herd compelled David to plan for a new basement barn to house both cattle and horses and to provide for more storage space for hay. This meant quarrying out stones for the walls and hauling a great quantity of building supplies.

But grief struck again when Emma, the author's mother, passed away on September 25, 1905 the barn being only partly finished. The following excerpt is taken from an obituary in the local papers.

"A sad occurence and one causing the sorrowing of our whole community was the passing of Mrs. David K. Cartter who passed wawy at her home here Monday evening of septicemia, resulting from appendicitis and other complications. She was a young woman of robust nature and one of the least to be suspected of succumbing to disease. Mrs. Cartter will be greatly missed in the community as well as in her home, for she was not only a kind, loving and indulgent wife and mother but was also a sympathetic and responsive neighbor, who was ever ready to lend a helping hand to a friend in need. We extend the deepest sympathy of the whole community to the bereaved family. The funeral was held from the Episcopal church and burial was in the Riverside Cememtery at Black River Falls."

How very fortunate a certain six-year-old boy was to have at that time an understanding grandmother, a compassionate father, a devoted older sister and a sensitive and kind Aunt Ida, all of whom did their best to fill the void left when his mother was taken from him. One of the most reasured memories is that of Grandmother Isadora sitting in her favorite rocking chair, and in her understanding way communicating to him the deeper meanings of life and death.

Emma Lanphers Cartter's premature death was a shock to Isadora, coming as it did only four months after Charles Swift, her brother and recent traveling companion, had died June 4, 1905. It was a shock from which she never completely recovered. Emma's coming to the farm had given Isadora the first feeling of freedom from household duties and the personal care of her beloved family. Irene was going to high school in Black River Falls which meant boarding in town during the week. Farm operations were running smoothly and Isadora's health had been good.

Cousin Louise writes, "I never knew grandmother to be sick until her last illness, but I think her heart did bother her. She used to love out-of-doors and enjoyed most of all picking blueberries. Once she was climbing a hill with us and had to stop and go no further. Another time she, Ruth my sister, and I went blueberrying on the Caves farm. We had stopped on our way back to Sechlerville but we wanted to take her home. She wouldn't let us, for she said she'd go slow and stop to see Mary Kimball, then the pain in her chest wouldn't bother - - - These are just little things, but how I loves her and 'looked up' to her. She was a quiet, happy woman with a very bright mind. -- She must have been influenced by grandfather in her interest in history and breadth of reading."

Some time after Emma's death Isadora had a severe heart attack but lived until March 25, 1907. The following obituary appeared in the Black River Falls Banner Journal:

"Mrs. J. B. Cartter died at the old home near Disco, Monday morning March 25th of heart disease, passing away quickly and quietly, though her death was then hourly looked for. She had been sick since the death of her daughter-in-law, Mrs. David K. Cartter. The funeral services were held at the Sechlerville Presbyterian Church. - - -

- - - Isadora P. Swift was born at North Falmouth, Mass. on Oct. 5, 1834, and came to Black River Falls with her parents Mr. and Mrs. John Swift in the spring of 1855 and was hence one of the very early settlers here. On July 7th she was married to J. B. Cartter, and they moved the following fall onto the farm where she died. She has resided there since. Her husband, James Bruce, died Oct. 29, 1897. She leaves one son David Kellogg and four grandchildren; also a brother Oliver C. Swift of Santa Ana, Calif. who too was an old settler in Jackson County.

Mrs. Cartter had a large circle of acquaintances and was loved by all who knew her intimately. She was an active woman, of a jovial nature and kind disposition. She will be missed not only by her son's family and other relatives, but also by the whole community where she lived."

In order that we may have a better insight into Isadora's lighter nature a few excerpts follow taken from a letter written by her cousin Foster Nye of Mass., and sent to the author's sister Irene after Isadora's death.

"This is a sad time for you I know for you have lost one of the best grandmothers as she was here with us two summers, we know how dear she was to us, and when the time came for her to go back home in the autumn it seemed as though we couldn't let her go, for she was so bright and cheerful, and always doing something for somebody to 'help them along a little' as she would say - - - The cousins were all in love with her, and she was the life of every gathering that they had, so jolly always ready for any sport as a young girl. - - - I wish you could have been here Irene with us, you would have enjoyed yourself I know.

- - - Uncle Charlie Swift was good as a circus once we got him started, and they would have the old fashioned dances and he was so fat, but he would step it off lively, and your grandmother would keep telling him she wouldn't bring him east again if he couldn't behave himself better than that. All the time she would be laughing till the tears rolled down her cheeks. - - - But poor Uncle Charley is gone now and Aunt Lizzie and Coz. Isadora - - but I am so glad we could have that last summer together and all the cousins would be united again after so many years.

Your cousin,

Foster Nye."

The strain on David was so great following Emma's death in 1905 and his mother's death in 1907 that he felt compelled to get away from the farm for a time. Consequently the Mandamus Peterson family contracted to work the farm while we moved back to Black River Falls. Here David found temporary employment at Dunn's feed mill. By the end of the first year he was ready to return to the farm, for he really missed the open country. The Petersons stayed on for a year or so longer. It was during this period that tobacco was added as a cash crop. Up to five acres per year were raised for several years, but the land proved too light for sustained yields. The dairy herd expanded as the barn was completed; swine production was increased and a sheep flock consisting of up to seventy-five ewes became a regular part of the livestock enterprise.

In the fall of 1908 David, while still living in Black River Falls, with Parker Adams, Dave Stolts, and Guy Sechler made a trip west. They stopped in Dakota for Hawley Adams to join them and proceeded to the State of Oregon. The primary objective was to investigate timber land which was being offered for sale by the U.S. Government. SOme of them, including David, Parker, and Hawley did purchase land.

A certificate for purchase of U.S. land signed by President Wm. H. Taft is in the hands of the author. 160 acres were purchased by David on Nov. 20, 1908, the price being $2.50 per acre. It was located near Grant's Pass in Josephine County. David kept this land for some years, but eventually let it go back for taxes some time after 1915, the last year we have a tax receipt covering this propoerty. This trip was the only distant trip outside of Wisconsin made by David except for his possible attendance at the World's Fairs in Chicago and St. Louis and his earlier trip with Della to the Dakotas.

It was during these years that the author, not yet ten years old, was drawn close to the Knobloch family at Eau Claire. His Aunt Ida had been very close to him after his mother's death. They kept up a regular correspondence and at least twice a year he was invited to spend time at their home with Ruth and Robert knobloch, about his own age. For several years he shared family vacations with them at some lake in Wisconsin where fishing was good, for Uncle John was a good fisherman. This association with the Knobloch family has continued ever since.

On August 2, 1910 David brought his third wife to the Cartter farm. Edith May Davis had been a former teacher in the Disco School, having graduated from the Stevens Point Normal School. More recently she had taight in the states of North Dakota and Washington. She was the third daughter of Henry Clay and Elizabeth (Allan) Davis of Irving, Wis. The Davis family consisted of ten children, four girls and six boys. Henry's father, James had settles in Jackson County approximately the same year as James Bruce had arrived.

The Davis family is one of the old families in America with many branches making identification of family lines difficult. At this writing we do not know the original ancestor of Henry Davis who came to these shores. It is certain however that:

EBENEZER DAVIS b. 2-14-1765 at Barnstable, Mass. was Henry's grandfather. Ebenezer married Mary Payne approximately 1790 - her birthdate being 10-23-1767. Ebenezer died 4-20-1818 at Wilson, N. Y. Mary died 8-5-1839.

JAMES DAVIS, son of Ebenzer and Mary (Payne) Davis was b. 1804. He married Nancy Marie Gibbs who was b. 1804, and they made their westward move by way of Mich., probably begun in the early 1840's. They arrived in Jackson County about the same time as the Cartters, the 1850's. James settled on a farm on the banks of the Black River some ten miles south of Black River Falls. It was at this point that James established the ferry across the river which made overland travel possible from Sparta, the nearest railroad point, through Disco and north past the Cartter farm. In fact James Davis had surveyed this road, later known as County Trunk X. He and James Bruce had been good friends.

James Davis died 1869

HENRY C. DAVIS - son of James and Nancy (Gibbs) Davis was b. 10-9-1842 at Grand Rapids, Mich. and came with his father to Wis. He married Elizabeth Ann Allan 1-1-1867 she having been b. 1-14-1848.

Henry took over the operation of the farm and the ferry and became a prominent citizen of Jackson County. He was a Civil War veteran and held the office of town clerk for Irving many years. He also served on the Jackson County Board of Supervisors with David Kellogg Cartter in 1905. Ten children were born to Henry and Elizabeth, several of them training to be teachers but assuming various roles during their lifetimes.

Mary, b. 6-4-1867 m. 7-4-1891 to Iver Johnson d. 4-20-1942

Maria, b. 3-8-1869 m. 10-11-1904 to Leonard Billerbeck, d. 2-8-1941

Mark Allan, b. 3-28-1871 d. 2-8-1941 (He stayed on the farm with his father - not married)

Edith May, b. 2-6-1873 m. 8-2-1910 David Kellogg Cartter d. 4-1-1945 (See Cartter Genealogy for descendants)

Eppa, b. 3-27-1875 m. 10-21-1914 to Nellie May Holdway d. 9-17-1917

Olive Eliz., b. 5-21-1877 m. 3-23-1911 to Jonathan E. Caldwell d. 1968

Clarence Paul, b. 1-27-1879 d. 7-19-1941

Ellis Arthur, b. 3-8-1881 m. 3-27-1936 to Francis Chester Chamberlain d. _____

Irving, b. 9-10-1885 m. 3-5-1914 to Ina Dell d. 11-26-1922

Carl, b. 12-23-1887 m. 1-10-1923 to Ellen Wickert He now lives in Los Angeles.

Edith May brought to the Disco area a keen interest in community and public affairs. Her interests were varied reaching into areas of education, history both local and national, church work including W.C.T.U., and varied hobbies such as astronomy. Her interest in young people brought many children from the neighborhood to the Cartter farm on various occasions. She recorded a good bit of area histry, some of which was published in the weekly paper, and has provided some background used in this writing. She served as local correspondent for several years. Her presence in the home made it possible for Irene to complete her music education at the Minneapolis Conservatory of Mucis and to take a course in library management at the Univ. of Wis.

Three children were born to Edith and David, but the first two, David Jr. b. in 1912 and Elizabeth in 1914 died as infants. James Marion was born Dec. 16, 1916 becoming the third living descendant of David and the sixth grandchild of James Bruce and Isadora.

David Cartter, the son of James Bruce, had not been able to go on to school beyond the elementary grades, due to his father's inability to carry on the farm work alone. Therefore he did all he could to see that his three children had that opportunity. All three attended the Black River Falls High School, the first two having to board in town during the week as transportation was not available. He encouraged each to prepare for his own life and if anything, encouraged them not to follow farming although he recognized agriculture as an important field.

Farming had not been an easy life for James Bruce, nor was it so far for his son David. It was, however, a life which both enjoyed. Being close to nature and dealing with her forces presented challenges which each accepted. Handling the early long-beamed breaking plow taxed the endurance; making hay on the marshes was slow business; establishing the necessary drainage ditches took time; doctoring one's own livestock, and confronting new crop diseases and pests was often like walking in the dark; planting 25 acres of corn each spring using the hand planter, was tedious; and spending all day taking a load of hogs to market by team and wagon over roads often hub deep in sand was time consuming to say the least. All of these were times and conditions which made men value life and principle. True many men broke under the strain but more adjusted to the circumstances.

Three major wars occurred during David's lifetime, the Civil War and two world wars, with their demands on man power and production knowhow. The depression years that followed were felt as severely.

For a view of farm life in the 1920's and 30's here are some excerpts from a letter written during those depression years by David on April 23, 1932 to Arthur Swift his boyhood chum and cousin who by this time had made his last move to Santa Ana, California.

"Cousin Arthur: Your folder and letter came and I may tell you that news of you and your family was most welcome. We are in the midst of spring, long in coming. Grass just a little green and the peepers that you must remember just begun to croak. All's well here but suffering, as all of the country, from the hard times, tho it was longer delayed than in the grain country that broke ten or more years ago. This is cow country and until two years ago we fared rather well. Now values are one-third of what they were, land included. No sale at all. Taxes have been so high that many farm owners are not able to pay. - - - All our banks closed at once January 1st and there was a month of dead times here. Five of them consolidated leaving only one at Melrose to go alone. The old Jackson COunty Bank took the place of five making one strong institution. There will be a little loss to depositors, the stockholders gave their stock, I among them, and it ties up thousands of dollars some of it for five years. - - -

- - - The farmers as a class have no money. Speculation ran high here as all over the country and left many almost penniless. - - -

We have spent fortunes on good roads in the last fifteen years and you would not believe so much could be done in that time it should have taken thirty years at least. - - -

- - - I often wonder if you kept the faith of our fathers. I am a democrat still as always even tho I have always voted dry. Jackson County went democratic last fall for the first time since the war. - - - I believe that the tide has turned at last and times will improve from this on but must not think to get back to boom times very soon. There are too many shipwrecks along the way. Our great cities Chicago and Milwaukee are as near bankrupt as a city can be. Talking of shutting the schools down with millions in default in teachers wages, something we never knew before. - - - YOu and I may count our years to come on the fingers of our hand. - - -

- - - I might as well tell you that Arthur Swift is still considered the wit of this old colony. It would take a long time to repeat the jokes and pranks of our school days. There are so many that I might call to mind. Remember me to your family and friends.

Your cousin - D. K. Cartter."

David's three children accepted his challenge of an education and prepared themselves with his help. Following is a review of the life of each up to the present. All are forever thankful for their father's quiet guidance, encouragement, and counsel throughout the years of their growing up. All in turn had spent time at the farm assisting him before they stepped out on their own.

His burdens had been heavy and his sorrows staggering, but he had not shrunk from the double responsibility he had to bear as the sole parent on two occasions.

IRENE CARTTER KNAPP had finished high school in 1907, the year that Isadora died, and during the next three years spent part time at home helping her father. She continued to study piano becoming a very successful piano teacher giving lessons, expecially to children, wherever she lived. After securing her librarian's certificate she became the librarian at Colfax, Wis. It was while living here that she met Raymond Wright Knapp whom she married June 24, 1918. This was the year after he had gone west to Missoula, Montana. Here he had established his own auto repair garage following a trade in which he was very proficient.

Raymond was a member of the tenth generation of a family tracing back to Nicholas Knapp who came to Conn. from England.

The following direct line of descent for this Knapp family is taken from Alfred Averill Knapp's book Nicholas Knapp Genealogy written in 1953 with a supplement prepared in 1956.

Generation
I.    NICHOLAS KNAPP - b. England d. 4-16-1670 in Fairfield, Conn.
II.   CALEB - b. 11-20-1636 or 1-20-1637 in Watertown, Mass. d. before 3-4-1675 M. Hannah Smith
III.  SAMUEL - b. Ca 1668 d. 1739 m. Hannah Bushnell about 1696
IV.   JOHN - b. 1700 - Danbury, Conn. d. 1758 on board ship on Lake Erie m. Margarete Taylor 1724
V.    CHARLES - b. 1731 d. 2-11-1793 m. Hannah Finch
VI.   MOSES - b. 9-3-1755 d. 12-13-1846 or '47 Pompey, N. Y. m. Amy Sprague
VII.  JAMES - b. 1-22-1787 d. 9-11-1878 m. Elizabeth Spoor at Lafayette, N. Y. The 1860 census shows
      him a farmer living at Pompey and Hastings, N. Y.
VIII. DAVID - b. 4-26-1821 Hastings N. Y. d. 7-31-1888 Colfax, Wis. m. Lovina Pangborn, Columbia, N. Y.
IX.   SIDNEY - b. 3 or 5-17-1850 d. after 1936 Missoula, Mont. m. Eunice Wright b. Mossirtown, N. Y.
X.    RAYMOND - b. 4-15-1887 d. 2-13-1947 m. (1) Freda Quiggle, West Salem 6-9-1915, Divorced 3/1917
      m. (2nd) Irene Cartter 6-24-1918.  Raymond was one of 5 brothers, others being Stanley, Donald,
      Horace and Lawrence

Two girls blessed the marriage of Raymond and Irene (Cartter) Knapp.

RUTH ELAINE, b. 3-26-1919 m. John A. Forssen 10-6-1945

KATHLEEN EUNICE, b. 8-28-1923 m. (1) Donald Robertson 9-2-1943 d. W.W. 2 8-9-1944 m. (2) Chester Bower Schendel 8-15-1947

Both girls graduated from the University of Montana in Missoula with education degrees and taught in Montana schools. Irene in addition to her music and library work was very active in women's work of the church and taught Sunday school for thirty-five years, serving for a time as State Secretary of Children's Work for the Montana Conference of the Methodist church. She died June 8, 1960. She had been preceded in death by her husband on February 13, 1947. Both are burined in the Missoula, Montana cemetery.

BRUCE LANPHER CARTTER attended the University of Wis. College of Agriculture and was graduated in 1920, with a B.S. degree in agriculture, having majored in Animal Husbandry. With World War I in progress he enlisted as a member of the S.A.T.C. organized at the Univ. of Wis. in 1918. The Armistice was signed just a few days after he had received transfer orders to Camp Hancock (machine gun officer training center) The order was rescinded and the S.A.T.C. program was phased out in December of 1918.

After graudating in 1920 Bruce worked two and a half years on the home farm, heling his father and also doing some Advanced Registry testing, during the slack winter months, under Roy T. Harris of Dairy Husbandry. This was followed by his conducting of a Special Dairy Cattle Feeding Trial at the Carnation Farms near Oconomowoc, under the supervision of Professor Henry Morrison of the Animal Husbandry Dept. of the College of Agriculture.

In 1924 his career as an agricultural teacher was begun at the Marinette County Agricultural School in Marinette, Wis. Here he also started a winter short course for farm boys not in high school and supervised 4-H club work for boys in the county. In 1927 he became one of the first three county 4-H club agents in Wis. to be employed under the Capper Ketchum Act and worked full time with rural youth in Marinette County. After having spent eight months in 1938 on leave of absence from Marinette Co. while serving as Extension Rural Sociologist at the College of Agriculture in Madison, he returned to Marinette. In 1943 he received an appointment to the Rural Sociology Dept. at Madison and resigned from his county work to spend the balance of his employed years in that department and as a member of the State 4-H Club Staff. He finished his M.S. Degree in Adult Education and Rural Sociology in 1946.

As Professor of Cooperative Extension his major contributions have been in the fields of adult education and youth development. He retired December 31, 1965.

Bruce was born October 4, 1899 at Black River Falls. He has been married twice. His first marriage, celebrated in New York City on Sept. 18, 1923, was to Elizabeth May Fitch, a classmate of his at the University of Wis. Elizabeth, better known as Betty, was at the time of their wedding serving as Woman's Editor on Farm and Fireside a publication of the Curtis Publishing Co. She had been in this position since her graduation from the Univ. of Wis. in Home Ec. Journalism. Bruce had just accepted a farm manager's job at Somerset, Penn. It was here they made thier first home.

Elizabeth (Fitch) Cartter was born March 27, 1896 at Stockville, Nebr. the youngest daughter of Lyman Hawley and Iome Delia (Parker) Fitch. This Fitch family later lived at Lincoln, Nebr. where Elizabeth went to high school finisheing her last year at Green Lake, Wis. where she had gone to live with her mother. Green Lake, earlier known as Dartford, had been the childhood home of Iome Delia whose father was Ezra Ashabel Parker b. 9-10-1823. Her mother was Sarah S. McGlashen b. 11-11-1830.

Ezra Parker has arrived in Wis. in 1844 first stopping in Milwaukee only one year after James Bruce Cartter had arrived in Kenosha. Ezra moved on to Green Lake County in 1846. He was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, his parents being Jared and Betsy (Jones) Parker. Sarah had come with her parents Robert P. and Sarah (Holmes) McGlashen from Cattaraugus County, N. Y. to settle in Beaver Dam, Wis. in 1845. Exra and Sarah were married Dec. 11, 1849 and lived the remainder of their lives on a 600 acre farm near Green Lake. Eight children were born to this unionome, being the 5th child, was born Dec. 21, 1858 and died on 5-17-1967, age 109 years.

Lyman Hawley Fitch, Elizabeth's father was in the eighth generation of the Fitch family in America. From the History of the Fitch Family prepared by Roscoe Conklong Fitch we take the following male line of descent.

Rev. James Fitch the pioneer ancestor arrived in America in 1638, when sixteen years of age, from Bocking, County Essex, England. He was ordained about the year 1646 and established his first church at Saybrook, Conn. that same year.

      1.  Rev. James Fitch - b. 12-24-1622.  m. Abigail Whitfield oct. 1648, six children.
      2.  Major James - b. 8-2-1649 m. (1) Elizabeth Mason Jan., 1676  (2) Widow Alice Adams 5-8-1687
      3.  Col. Jabez - b. 1-30-1703 m. Lydia Gale ab. 1700 - Seven children - 2 other marriages
          with no children

      4.  Dr. Jabez - b. 5-23-1729 - m. Lydia Huntington 8-22-1754 - twelve children
      5.  Dr. Chauncey - b. 1-17-1771 - m. 1st Eliza Sheldon 10-10-1800 (2) m. Nancy Peckham
          11-5-1815 - twelve children.
      6.  Rev. John Ashley - b. 8-22-1804  m. Lucia Miranda May ______ - eight children.
      7.  Jabez Huntington - b. 4-4-1833 - m. Sarah E. Hawley - ______ - five children.
      8.  Lyman Hawley - b. 9-6-1858 - m. Iome Delia Fitch 12-21-1883 d. 11-25-1923.

      9.  Elizabeth May - b. 3-27-1896  m. Bruce L. Cartter 9-19-1923 d. 9-12-1957 - four children.

Elizabeth May (Fitch) Cartter died in Madison, Wis. 9-12-1957 after several years suffering with rheumatoid arthritis in severe form. Her spirit through those years was remarkable and her concern and care for her four children was most sincere and thoughtful.

These Cartter children are:

Elizabeth Fitch - b. Aug. 25, 1924

Bruce Lanpher Jr. - b. Jan 13, 1926

David Kellogg - b. Mar. 30, 1928

Nancy Ann - b. Feb 7, 1930

Further mention of these children and their families may be found in the 10th Generation of the Cartter Genealogy section following this story.

Bruce Lanpher Sr.'s second marriage was to Mrs. Rachel (Gard) Farrington, of Madison, Wis. on July 15, 1961. She was the widow of Wendel farrington of Madison who died Feb. 25, 1958. Rachel is the oldest daughter of Samuel Arnold and Louisa Maria (Ireland) Gard of Iola, Kansas. She was born there Feb. 4, 1905, wnet to high school in Iola, and was graduated from the Univ. of Kansas with a B.A. degree in Education, later completing her M.A. in the same field. She became a teacher both at the elementary and junior high school levels in Kansas.

During World War II Rachel was on the national staff if the YWCA - U.S.O., directing recreation and education centers for young women war workers. Following the war she became Young Adult Director in the Y.W.C.A. programs at Tulsa, Oklahoma; Des Moines, Iowa; and at Madison, Wis. Returning to teaching in 1955 she taught in the elementary schools at Stoughton and at Evansville, both in Wis., until she retired in June of 1966.

JAMES MARION CARTTER finished his high school work at Black River Falls in 1934 going on to the College of Agriculture, Univ. of Wis. where he received his B.S. degree in Agricultural Education. Before completing the work for his degree he returned to the farm in order to assist his parents in its operation, his father's health having begun to fail. David Cartter died Oct. 11, 1941.

On November 8, 1941 James married Margaret Dora Olson of Black River Falls and brought her to the farm where they lived with James' mother until he was inducted into service Dec. 8, 1942 during World War II. After about one and a half years of service in the states he was sent overseas in Sept. of 1944 with 103 Company - 409 Infantry Div. of the 7th Army to serve under General Patton in his European campaign. He served as a staff sergeant and was discharged Sept. 26, 1945 with several citations.

Following the war James moved his family to Madison where he secured part time employment with Oscar Mayer Packing Co. and completed requirements for a M.S. degree in Rural Sociology and Education.

During this period he became interested in art and craft forms and perfected skills in pottery, painting, and photography. He secured permanent employment with Oscar Mayer Packing Co. where he has completed twenty-six years of continuous employment. He is presently chief night steward and on the company's Labor Arbitration Board.

Margaret, as her children grew older, secured employment at the University of Wis. Medical Center and has held the position of ward clerk continuously since 1953. Margaret is the daughter of Oscar H. Olson, b. 10-12-1892 on a fram in North Dakota, and Lillian Brown b. 9-17-1901 in Vernon County. The Brown family moved to a farm in the Disco area where they lived until after Mr. Olson's death 1-20-1940 when they moved to Black River Falls. Oscar's father b. 4-7-1868 on a farm in Vinger, Norway, emigrated in 1888 to N. Dakota.

Nine children were born to the marriage of James and Margaret Cartter, namely,

Ellen Louise         b. 10-12-1942
James Marion         b. 9-1-1944
David Kellogg        b. 11-7-1946
Mary Jean            b. 10-24-1947
John Michael         b. 10-7-1948
Donald E. R.         b. 10-29-1949
Julia Ann            b. 10-4-1952
Kristin Kathryn      b. 9-17-1954
Charles Allan        b. 9-25-1956

Five members of this family saw service in the armed forces during the Vietnam conflict as follows:

Ellen served three years with the Army Nurse Corps receiving training at Walter Reed Hospital. Later attended Whitewater State College and is now employed at the Wis. State Medical Center.

James Marion (2) has seen eight years of service, 18 months overseas, in the Air Force. He received his M.S. degree at Texas Tech. Univ. in 1973.

David Kellogg served three years in the army as a missle man. Presently serves as Deputy Sheriff in Madison, Wis. and is attending the Univ. of Wis. part time.

John has completed 6 years of service, made two trips overseas with 24 months in Vietnam as a Marine helicopter repair man.

Donald E. R. served three years in Germany with the Army as a surveyor. All are now out of the service.

Mary is a graduate from the Univ. of Wis. and is now employed as a Labor Economist with the Labor Dept. in Washington, D.C. She is married to Mark Babash, also a graduate from the UNiveristy and employed in Senator Nelson's office.

Julie ia a senior at the Univeristy of Wis. and Kritsin is a sophomore at the Area Vocational-Technical College. Charles the youngest is a junior in East High School. More detail on this family may be found in the Cartter Genealofy section in this book.

By early 1940 David Kellogg Cartter was in failing health which required him to give up active farm operation and he shortly was confined to the house. He had lived all of his life on this, the original Cartter homestead, and had early assumed responsibility for farm operation due to his father's advanced years and poor health.

James Marion, his second son, came home from school to aid his mother in carrying on farm operations with the help of hired labor.

David died October 11, 1941, a man highly respected in his local community and in Jackson County where he had held many positions of responsibility. The following are extracts from an obituary found in the Banner Journal, Black River Falls weekly paper.

" - - - David Kellogg Cartter was born January 1, 1858 at Black River Falls, a son of James Bruce and Isadora Swift Cartter, residents of Disco where they had settles in 1855. - - - Mr. Cartter early became interested in the affairs of his community, in which his interest continued throughout the years. - - - The various offices he has held show the standing he held among his fellow men, who placed faith in him and always found him worthy. - - - In politics he was a staunch Democrat throughout his long life. His advice and counsel was sought by his party leaders. - - -

- - - Mr. Cartter was a student and reader throughout his life, and one of the best-read men in the country, posted on every subject and with a philosophy and judgement which made his opinions well worth while. - - -

Mrs. John Levis remembers an incident that was symbolic of the man. She came here as a bride in 1888 and shortly after that Mr. Levis' mother passed away. As the funeral procession passed through town enroute to Riverside she asked Mr. Levis who the mas was who stood on a corner with his head bared as the procession passed. "That is Dave Cartter'" was the reply. Throughout his life he possessed that inate courtesy and sense of values and his hat was off to what he respected and esteemed. - - - Mr. Cartter will be remembered by his fast thinning group of friends. He was an estimable man, honest, sincere, straight-forward, and worthy of the trust that was put in him by his family, his friends and his community."

Only once during his public career was David prevailed upon to run as a candidate for the State Assembly -- This occured in 1914. Being a member of the minority party in Jackson County he was not elected, much to his own relief, as he was a home and community centered man. The author remembers how, as a boy, having accompanied his father to Black River Falls on various occasions he had sat by as his father became involved in the discussion of public affairs with men of prominence in the city. He had a faculty for drawing upon his reading for reference to subjects under discussion. He held his own in discussions of principle or policy but neer did the author see him lose his temper, for he always respected every man's right to his own opinion as well as the right to express that opinion.

The funeral services were held at the home where David had been born 84 years earlier. He was buried in the Riverside Cemetery at Black River Falls.

After David's death in 1941 Edith (Davis) Cartter and her son James Marion continued to live on the Cartter farm, operating it with hired help. James was married on November 8, 1941 making his home on the farm until he was inducted into the service Dec. 8, 1942. Under the stress of the war the farm labor condition was acute. Not being able to find a competent renter the decision was made, very reluctantly, to sell the farm.

This was a decision hard to make, realizing the years of dreams, love, joy, sorrow, and inspiration that had been lived here. All of these emotions had contributed to make this a home full of memories for three generations of Cartters and a welcome spot for all who chose to stop by.

Following the sale and final settlement of the estate Mrs. David K. Cartter (Edith) chose to make her home with Mark Davis, her brother, who was at time operating the original Davis farm at Irving. She made her home with him until her death on April 1, 1945, at age 72.

In the thirty-one years she had lived at Disco, Edith had been very active in church, W.C.T.U., and Sunday school work. Her many years spent in elementary school teaching kept her always interested in young people and in teacher's activities. She was always a student of public affairs and kept abreast of a number of special interest fields such as astronomy. She was sensitive of character and held a deep interest and concern for the problems of the individual. As the author's step-mother, she helped to make his life happy and gave him much to thank her for; things which a boy of ten and older might not be conscious of but which have grown in importance to him with the passing years. Unfortunately her son, James Marion Cartter, was still on active military duty in Europe at the time of her death.

Edith was buried in the Sechlerville cemetery with her two infant children in a lot adjacent to where James Bruce and Isadora are buried.

This concludes our story of The Wisconsin Cartters and a review of their direct past in the United States. It is for others to relate further chapters and perhaps to add what is here recorded. Other lines of the family may well be discovered and relationships established. Hopefully so.

Frontiers such as James Bruce and his family encountered may not be so readily found today but their place is being taken by new frontiers in knowledge and accomplishment. The pioneers in these new areas will be challenged as were the westward-looking pioneers who opened up Wisconsin, helped to lay the foundation for this new state, and shouldered hardships and privations in order to fulfill individual dreams. The pioneering, migrating spirit of our ancestors is "in our blood." How else could we explain why a family's members today may be found in all parts of the United States and often in foreign lands?

True, the Cartter farm is no more, children and grandchildren are scattered throughout the nation. Some have never seen the Cartter farm of heard of James Bruce and Isadora. But, this is not to say that the pioneering spirit of the Cartters, Kelloggs, Hollisters, Swifts, Adams, Willards, Lanphers, Davises, Knapps, Fitches and Olsons is any less alive and providing a driving force to action and accomplishment regardless of where individuals may reside.

It is the hope of the writer that this story of the Cartters will help all readers tie the past to the present and help them also envision how the future may be better shaped by drawing on the experiences of their forefathers. May all living descendants express their grateful thanks to those ancestors.

You are invited to travel through the following, somewhat limited, genealogical record of the Cartter family dating from 1635 to 1973 in as complete a form as the author is able at this time to present. He welcomes corrections, questions and additions.