JAMES LONIE, MAKER OF JUNEAU COUNTY

 By Lawrence W. Onsager

            James Lonie was an early Juneau County settler. In 1851 he purchased Strong's tavern in what later became Seven Mile Creek Township. At that time the tavern was located in Lemonweir township and was part of Adams County. James Lonie is listed as a voter in a Lemonweir town meeting held on September 25, 1851.

            The previous tavern owner, Chauncey B. Strong was listed in the 1850 census as a 37 year old farmer who was born in Vermont. His family consisted of his wife and four children. Strong had bought the claim from a man named Beers. Beers had built a log house in 1847 or 48. The mill hands from Hewlett's Mill including William Rich, John I. Smith, and George A. Brown attended the "raising".

            Strong was the first postmaster of the Seven Mile Creek Post Office which was in service from 1851 to 1858. Lonie became the new postmaster and "kept tavern." In 1887 this place was the Thomas Dalton farm.

            Lonie's Tavern was part of the circuit developed by William C. Armstrong, a Methodist Episcopal minister, who came as a missionary to Juneau County in September 1854. One Sunday that month, Armstrong preached at 10 a.m. at Fluno's schoolhouse, at Maughs mills at 2 p.m., and at Lonie's Tavern in the evening "at early candle light."

            In the fall of 1854, Lonie went to Mauston and built the main part of what became the Sherman House in lower town. When he contemplated building this hotel opposite where Anderson's store stood in 1887, Lonie let the job to Gideon Gallup and his sons Frank and Andrew, but for some reason they abandoned the job before they had done much on it. Lonie then hired Mathew Grinnolds, William Taylor, N. B. Hills, Marsh, Jones, and Adam Stultz to build it for him and they completed it that season.

            In the spring of 1855, Lonie sold his hotel in Mauston to George McCafferty and the tavern at Seven Mile Creek to William Grover. A man named Fergeson, who had married the widow of John Pillings became the new postmaster at Seven Mile Creek. The next postmaster was Joe L. Beedle who removed the post office to his house east of the creek where he had settled in the spring of 1852.

            Lonie moved to New Lisbon. A James Lonie was listed as a head of family in Lisbon township, Adams County in the Wisconsin state census taken on June 1, 1855. Lonie drowned while running logs probably on the Lemonweir River on May 17, 1857. He was buried in the New Lisbon City cemetery in a lot with Delos and Sarah (Meredith) Lonie. Delos was born in 1853 and possibly was James' son. A Jennie Lonie, 1848-1918, was also buried in another lot in the cemetery.

            This sketch was pieced together from J. T. Hanson's History of Juneau County, census records, post office records, and cemetery records. It is an attempt tell the story of one of Juneau County's lesser known early pioneers. It would be interesting to find out more about this shadowy pioneer who lost his life so early in the county's history. I don't know how old he was, who his wife was, where they came from, how many children they had, other relatives, etc.

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