Collected and posted by RITA
This site is exclusively for the FREE access of individual researchers.
* No profit may be made by any person, business or organization through publication, reproduction, presentation or links to this site.
This was the idea of Gloria Olson who uses it for her own family research!
Coordinated and posted by Rita
WHEN and WHENCE THEY CAME
Oconto County Settlement Time Line
Turning the pages of time.
Here you will find the years that families migrated and settle in the county, along with a brief history including any related background information as well as the contributing family researcher's name and e-mail link. Various historic events are included to give a better understanding of any particular point in time.
If you have family information to add, PLEASE e-mail Rita.
| 7522
BC * |
Earliest known human inhabitants buried their dead, hunted small game, fished, and collected wild foods, using bark and skin containers. Tools were bone, shell and stone. |
| 5556
BC* |
Copper Culture people were settled in the eastern part of today's Oconto County. Their cemetery is now Copper Culture State Park. Copper was used for tooling weapons, hunting equipment, jewelry, and in an extensive system of intertribal trade that includes thousands of miles. |
| 1668 | Negotiations between the Potawatomie and Menominee averted an almost certain war. French-Indian fur trader, Nicolas Perrot mediated settlement of the crisis. His partner was Tousignant Baudry. |
| 1669 | Father Claude Allouez founded the first mission in northeastern Wisconsin at the present day city of Oconto and named it St. Francis Xavier Mission. An estimated 600 Native Americans lived in the nearby village of "Oak-a-toe" now Oconto. |
| 1687 | Native Americans, resistant to the increased travel of the French through their lands, burn the mission church in DePere and the Oconto Mission was abandoned. |
| 1745 | Augustin DeLanglade, with young son Charles (later proclaimed "Father of Wisconsin"), of Canadian French and Indian heritage, visit and bargain with the Oconto Village Menominee on fur trade. |
| 1750 | A general peace is made between the Canadian French and Tribes of La Baye after the Fox Indian Wars. |
| 1761 | The English, under Ensign James Gorrell, occupy the Baye Post (Fort Howard now in Brown County) and the Menominee of the Oconto Village send small squads to assess the demeanor of the new occupants. The gifts and more honorable business agreements, than previously made with the French, earned acceptance by the tribe. |
| 1762 | Ensign Gorrell and his men quickly leave their fort by canoe and bateaux for Montreal, Canada, after a massacre took place at the fort Mackinac. The group was attacked by Michigan Indians entroute, who were persuaded by friendly Oconto Menominee Indian guides to let them pass safely. |
| 1787 | Oconto County area becomes a territory of the newly established United States of America in the Ordinance of 1787 as part of the Northwest Territories. |
| 1812 | The LANGLADE and GRIGNON French - Indian families were well established residents who fought on the side of the English against the United States. |
| 1813 | CHAPPIERE (French - Indian), FARNSWORTH (Scotish - Irish - Indian), CHEVALLIER (French - Indian) These mixed blood families were well established independant fur traders with numerous posts in the region later to become Oconto County. |
| 1814 | Canadian, French, English and Indian troups reluctantly quit forts and primitive outposts in Wisconsin and Michigan. |
| 1815 | RANKIN - The Rankin family, of English and Indian bloodlines, lived at and ran both fur trading posts on the Peshtigo and Oconto Rivers. |
| 1816 | The first US Flag is raised claiming what is now the Oconto County area for the United States, by Fort Howard troups. |
| 1820* | The American Fur Trading Company of John Jacob Astor began operation of a trading post near the mouth of the Oconto River. |
| 1826 | LAW - RANKIN Judge John Law, of English and Jewish heritage, Probate Judge from Green Bay, marries local resident Therese Rankin. They bought an island in the Peshtigo River where they settled. |
| 1827 | ARNDT John Penn Arndt builds the first dam, sawmill, beginning the first settlement in Oconto County was established at today's Pensaukee. He was the first to have a written land deed. |
| 1827 | Local Menominee Indian Chiefs, OASKASH (The Claw), OK-KO-ME-CHUM (Great Wave), and STHAI-KE-TOK (Scare-all) contracted with John Arndt for the lumbering and milling rights in exchange for the grinding of their flour, milled lumber to meet their needs (they did not live in frame houses at the time), and $15 dollars per year. |
| 1831 | The first full course journey for maping and description of the Oconto River is undertaken and prepared by Indian Agent Samuel Stambough. He called the river "Gillispie" rather than Oconto. |
| 1838 | MECHAQUETTE (Covered by Clouds) - Susie (Elizabeth) Mechaquette, born in Oneida on the Stockbridge Indian Reservation in 1831, moves to the Oconto Indian Village. She witnesses the transitions of the area from Indian land, through fur trading, lumbering and logging, to white ownership, sawmilling, farming and city status. She lives and works on Susie's Hill until her death in 1940 at 109 years of age. |
| 1840 | Government Surveyors Ellison and Gliddings survey the present city of Oconto in July and August while mapping the west shore of Lake Michigan's Green Bay. The river name is spelled "Oconto", La Baye is renamed Green Bay on their maps. |
| 1841 | TOURTILOTTE Expert hunters and canoemen, brothers Abel, Abram, and Henry came from New England by way of Ohio, eventually settling in the county. The family is considered to originally be of Canadian French and Indian bloodlines. |
| 1844 | JONES Colonel David Jones, with sons Tarleton and Huff, from Wellsburg VA, built the first successfull dam and mill at the site of today's city of Oconto at "Susie's Hill" near the large Menominee Village. Earlier attempts had washed out, including the first in 1842 by George Lurwick. The Jones family manufactured the first wood for general sale. The Jones family eventually settled nearby in 1847, after living several years in the comfort of Fort Howard near Green Bay. |
| 1846 | LINDSEY Thomas Lindsey and family came to the mouth of the Oconto River from Milwaukee by boat as the first permanent settlers in the city of Oconto. They built an "over-night place" for travelers. Thomas Lindsay family, first permanent settlers of City of Oconto. Lived at first in a tent. Followed shortly after by HARTS & Richard BERRY. |
| 1846 | VOLK John and Almira Volk come up the Oconto River as far as the falls by boat as their possessions could not be taken along the Indian trails, the only land routes of the time. They traveled from Chicago to settle and build a saw mill at Oconto Falls. |
| 1847 | WINDROSS John Windross and and his wife settle in Oak Orchard, building a "stopping-off" place for the growing number of travelers and settlers. |
| 1848 | SHAAL The large Schaal family came to the United States from Germany in 1848. They settled on a farm just west of Oconto Falls. Herb Dower |
| 1848 | Significant to the family researcher when reviewing document information: The United States Federal Government will not accept mixed race designations and Menominee mixed blood families must declare themselves either "Indian" or "White". A cash settlement is given to those individuals of any age who declare White, and they forefit any benefits of Indian status. Those who declare Indian status must sell their land and live on the reservation. This ruling creates significant changes in family data on all legal, civil, and religious family documentation of the time, as either "White" or "Indian" heritage is no longer recognized. |
| 1848 | Wisconsin gains statehood status |
| 1849 | COUILLARD - Thomas Howard Couillard, Sr. and all his children and their families, along with Lavina Couillard, Married to Benjarmin Woodman with her family migrated to Milwaukee. Thomas Howard Jr. continued on the Oconto Falls area & returned to Milwaukee in late 1849 early 1850. The Couillard migrated to an area on the Oconto River later called Couillardville from Milwaukee.The first Couillard in New England's Penobscot River was John Couillard who was there by 1719. Gloria Olson |
| 1849 | PECOR - COURCHAINE Peter Pecore came from New England and married the daughter of the local Menominee Indian Chief, Angelique Courchaine. Together they founded "Frenchtown", now a part of the city of Oconto. |
| 1850 | COUILLARD -The first Couillard in New England was there in 1719, he eventually settled in the Penobscot River area of Maine. Jacob Couillard, son of Thomas Howard Sr., moved by ox drawn covered wagon to Oconto County. Gloria Olson |
| 1851 | Oconto County is formed from the northern part of Brown County. It extends the entire western length of the Green Bay and Lake Michigan to Michigan's Upper Penninsula boarder. Oconto Mills is chosen as the county seat. .It was the largest county in the state and had 5,000 square miles of unbroken widerness. |
| 1851 | GROSSE Gustavus A. Grosse and his four sons camped on the river bank where the family cemetery now stands near Little Suamico, along the Little Suamico River. Gustavus , his wife Caroline Wilhelmina, and sons John, William, George, and Charles left Germany in 1849 for Green Bay. They were the first permanent settlers to the area. Jane Neverman |
| 1851 | ELDRED Anson Eldred, a lumberman, came from Michigan to Wisconsin, building dams, starting mills, and lumber concern patnerships in Oconto County. He is founder of Stiles, which is said to be named after his son. |
| 1852 | HART Captain Edwin Hart arrives with his wife and eight children in Oconto County. He had bought a sailing ship to carry the family possessions and provisions to open a trading post. Upon reaching the mouth og the Oconto River, they found it was impossible to go upstream to their home as the river was completely choked with the sawdust dumped into it by the three lumbermills of the time. He built the first permanent home, as the only dwellings of the time were crude shacks near the mills. |
| 1852 | BEYER George Beyer had traveled from Germany with his parents to the US some years earlier. In this year, the industrious young man came to Oconto County. |
| 1852 | DAVIS Joseph L. DAVIS emigrated
from Wales and settled in
Oconto. |
| 1852 | COUILLARD - Thomas Howard Couillard, Jr., and we assume Sr., joined Jacob in the Couillardville area of Town of Oconto. We know the balance of the Thomas Howard Sr. family was still in Milwaukee in 1851, because his Wife died there and Thomas Howard Jr. had a son in Milwaukee in 1852. Gloria Olson |
| 1853 | GIKLEY Samuel Gilkey puchases Indian land for his logging house and tavern. The following year he builds a steam driven sawmill that stands until 1942. He builts and runs the four storey Empire House Hotel. |
| 1854 | TOURTILOTTE Henry Tourtilotte settles in what was to become Gillett Center (now Gillett) with his Native American wife and there three children, building an impressive three story log cabin. |
| 1854 | CLARK - MATRAVERS – John Matravers and Mathilda Clark are married in England and immigrate immediately to the U.S. Later that year arriving in Oconto County. They settled on Cty J between Couillarville and Brookside. Gloria Olson |
| 1854 | PECOR John Pecor was one of the town's earliest pioneers, arriving in time to help build (city of) Oconto's first sawmill, Jones' watermill, at Susie's hill. He was born in Canada in 1825, the grandson of a Frenchman who had deserted from Napoleon's army and fled first to England and then to Canada. In 1844, when he was 19, John came to the United States. In 1854 he moved on to Oconto with brother Peter, traveling by boat to Green Bay and making it the rest of the way on an Indian trail through the woods, carrying his truck on his back. He fathered 17 children with his wife. Dave Cisler |
| 1854 | FARNSWORTH George Farnsworth moves to Oconto to become supervisor of the Norton Sawmill |
| 1854 | The first Steamboat service came to Oconto, the "Pioneer" carried travelers and some cargo to different villages on the Bay |
| 1855 | KELLY Patrick Kelly, born in Ireland, settles in Hickory Corners. Kelly Brook and Kelly Lake are named after him. Pat Conley |
| 1855* | BELONGNIA - Moyse
Belongia was born August 8th, 1805 in St. Ursule, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
He married Josephte Piette dit Trempe at St. Joseph's, Maskinonge, St.
Ursule on Jan 10, 1831 (from certificate). The family settled in Oconto
County.
Submitted by Holly Sprise Kobza |
| 1855 | The first state road to connect Oconto with Pensaukee Marinetter and Green Bay in Brown County surveyed by Richard HOLL, with the help of Mr. JACOBS, Mr. ROYCE, and Dave KIKATOSH, all county residents. Prior to that, all land travel was on very narrow Indian trails on foot, or by boat in summer and iced-over rivers in winter to carry quantities of provisions. |
| 1855 | HAGGERSON George Haggerson, He was born in London, England in the year 1827 and emigrated to the US in 1850. |
| 1855 | LaCOURT - The LaCourt family arrived in Oconto and settled in the Little River area. Gloria Olson |
| 1856 | SPENCER - JACKSON Jernah J. Spencer was born near Syracuse New York, in May 1840. Her father, Lenuel Spencer, came with his family into Kenosha county, Wisconsin in 1846. Miss Spencer came to Oconto in April of 1856 with her sister, Mrs. O.H. Jackson, with whom she lived until her marriage, Dec. 7, 1857 to Mr. James Conniff of Oconto. |
| 1856 | WHITING-
Jacob Whiting and family left Maine/Massachusetts and traveling by train
and ships arrived at Green Bay. They liked the area and decided to settle
in Town of Oconto near his sister's family in the fall of 1856. This ended
up being in the area now known as Cream City Road, Town of Oconto.
The Whitings were first in Massachusetts in 1635. Roger
Whiting,
Gloria Olson
The BEAULEAU family immigrated from Canada in the late 1860's settling in the same area as the Whiting and LaCourt families in the Town of Oconto. |
| 1856 | SPICE Thomas and Nancy Ann Logan Spice settled in Stiles with their young family. Thomas had come from Kent, England to Canada, to New York, to Oconto County as a lumberman. Peggy |
| 1857 | JOHN William F. John moved from Oconto to Gillet. |
| 1857 | The first county Catholic Church, St Peter's, is erected of logs in "Frenchtown". |
| 1857 | GILLETT Rodney Gillett, born in Albany, New York in 1833, buys the Henry Tourtilotte homestead in what is now the village of Gillett. He marries Mary Roblee in Clayton the next year and she becomes the first white woman to live in the area. Prior to coming to Wisconsin he lived in Pennsylvania. The rest of his family migrated to Minnesota. |
| 1857 | YEATON Richard B. Yeaton was the first settler and land owner in Abrams. He started as a blacksmith for the homesteaders coming to the area. Abrams was settled by New Englanders from Lowell & Portsmouth Maine. |
| 1857 | MITCHELL William Blair Mitchell moves to Oconto opening a furniture, coffin and cabinet shop. He later becomes a Justice of the Peace and performs many local marriage ceremonies. |
| 1858 | SARGENTLevi Sargent bought land adjoining Yeaton's in Abrams. Abrams was settled by New Englanders from Lowell & Portsmouth Maine. |
| 1858 | ROST FREDRICK ROST and HANNA settled in Little Suamico, Oconto County, Wisconsin, Submitted by Michael Phillips |
| 1860 | Mr. Bushey becomes the first paid school teacher in the county. |
| 1861 | The American Civil "War Between The States" is declared. |
| 1862 | HEBMKE, McKENENSE Joshen Hebmke & Charled McKenense settle in Gillett. |
| 1863 | RUSSELL family (and probably the CORBOY family, too) traveled from Ottawa, CAN (then Bytown or Upper Canada) via the Rideau Canal to Lake Ontario; then via the Welland Canal to Lake Erie to Lake Huron to Lake Michigan north to Oconto, WI. They settled in Lena. Ellen Barr |
| 1864 | VAN ABEL Peter VAN ABEL, who was born in Haps, and Nicolasina Schuurmans who was born in Oss came to Oconto probably in 1864. Family Genealogy Site (Link to another web site): |
| 1864 | GENNEGAN Matt Gennegan settles in Gillett |
| 1864 | WILSON Wilson ancestors came to this area between 1864 and 1867 from Grand Haven, Michigan. Hiram Wilson born in Canada, settled in Little Suamico. Hiram Wilson died at St Nathans (now named Chase) in 1872. Submitted by Peggy Oberbeck |
| 1865 | VAN USSEN (VAN ESSEN) - SCHUURMANS -
Cornelis VAN USSEN and Hermina (Minnie) SCHUURMANS
were married in March, 1864, in the village of Oss in the Netherlands and emigrated to Oconto later that year. John Van Essen Family Genealogy Site (Link to another web site): |
| 1865 | The US Civil War ends. |
| 1865 | FOREMAN George Foreman, the brother of Mary Jane Herriman, was born on July 24, 1842 in Euclid, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He came to Oconto County in 1865. He obtained a land grant near the Herrimans and settled on a nearby section of 40 acres. George married Lucy Ann “Loo” Brockett on July 28,1865 in Mayville, Dodge County, Wisconsin. Submitted by Peggy Oberbeck |
| 1866 | HUEBSCHER August Huebscher immigrated from Germany 1866 to Pensaukee. Later he settled on farm Town of Pensaukee, west of the village of Pensaukee. Information from obit. |
| 1867 | BARRIBEAU George Barribeau Sr.
- Born on March 14, 1850. In
1867, at the age of 17, he came by train, along with brothers Antone and ? , from St. Leon Canada to the Oconto area. George settled in Oconto while Antone ended up on a farm in the Little River area. Fanise "Fanny" Barribeau (same surname but unrelated) - Born March 2, 1860, came to Oconto with her family at the age of 7, also in 1867. They traveled by water from Trois Rivers, Canada. Her father's name was Dominic. Dave Cisler |
| 1867 | HERRIMANN Mary Jane Foreman, the daughter of James T. Foreman and Ruth Russell, was born November 30, 1839 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. She married John Van Ransellier Herriman on December 9, 1855 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was born on September 11, 1832 in Boston, Summit Co, Ohio. J.V. Heriman was a veteran of the Civil War serving with the 2nd Ohio Calvary. They brought their family of 5 children to Oconto in 1867, settling on a 40-acre land grant, which became Little River Township.Submitted by Peggy Oberbeck |
| 1868 | FABRY - LADURON Mathilda Fabry came from Town of Union, Door county, to which they had immigrated from Belgium. Gerard Laduron 1856 (husband), Mathilda Fabry 1857 - were their original dates of immigration to the US. Gloria Olson |
| 1868 | SCOFIELD Edward Scofield was born in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, 1842. Lived independantly from age 13, served in the Civil War attaining Major ranking, married local Ocontoan Agnes POTTER, and became two term Governor of Wisconsin. |
| 1969 | GALE Mrs. Harriett Gale settles in Gillett. |
| 1869 | PHILLIPS William Henry Phillips came to Oconto in 1869. He married in 1877 in Oconto and returned to Pennsylvania where he was born. He returned to Oconto in 1882 and remained there for the rest of his life.Michael Phillips |
| 1869 | HERRIMANN John Van Rensalear and Mary (Foreman) Herriman, natives of Ohio, came to Oconto county, and settled in what is now Little River. Peggy |
| 1869 | Oconto Mills is officially chartered as City of Oconto. |
| 1870 | BRAUZEAU Mr. F. X. Brazeau was born April 1st, 1829, at Beauharnois, Province of Quebec, Canada. He came to the United States in about 1846, locating at Two Rivers. He later returned to Canada and on October 23, 1855, he was married to Onezime Fortier at St. Benoit, Province of Quebec. With his wife and family he came to Oconto in May, 1870, making the trip by boat from Green Bay to Oconto. Submitted by Nancy Lees Pederson |
| 1870 | McMAHON Joe McMahon came from Canada, purchasng 160 acres of farm land in Hickory. He was followed in the same year by Lorenzo LORD, George TRECARTIN, Tom TRECARTIN, Tom SMITH, and Tom McMAHON |
| 1870 | WAY Stephen Way builded a log house and cabin to begin his homestead in Hickory. |
| 1870 | McMAHON Joseph McMahan came from Canada and purchased 160 acers in Hickory. Also in that year Thomas TRECARTIN, Thomas SMITHand Thomas McMAHON. |
| 1870 | HEATH - FISHER James Heath was born in Jefferson County, New York on January 6, 1828 according to the Heath family bible. There were many Heaths in Jefferson County at that time, some being descended from William Heath (originally of England) who died in Roxbury, Massachusetts. By 1870 the Heath family settled in the City of Oconto. He and his family lived next-door to Stephen and Maria Fisher. Stephen was his second wife's brother, Mary Ada Fisher was born May 22, 1846 in Jefferson County, with their parents being Stephen and Maria Fisher of Jefferson County, New York. Patricia Stickels |
| 1870 | QUIRT CHARLES QUIRT I (JOHN H.2 QUART, HENRY1) was born Oct 23, 1844 in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence Co, New York, and died Oct 10, 1897 in Oconto, Oconto Co., WI. He married LETITIA LUDLOW Oct 09, 1866 in Arthur Twp, Wellington Co, Ontario, Canada ( Information provided from Canadian Church records.), daughter of WILLIAM LUDLOW and LETITIA DALE. She was born Dec 24, 1847 in Arthur Twp, Wellington Co, Ontario, Canada, and died Oct 16, 1913 in Oconto, Oconto Co, WI. Peg Quirt Dosen |
| 1871 | GILLARD, JOHNSON Joseph Gillard and Al Johnson settle in Hickory. |
| 1871 | Mc GOVERN - QUINN Patrick & Mary (Quinn) Mc Govern, moved to Pensaukee. The orginal home was just burned down some years back. It was in the area of the school. fifi@vbe.com Pat Fifarek |
| 1871 | NELLIGAN Born in 1852 to Patrick and Johanna Sullivan Nelligan, in New Brunswick, John Emmett Nelligan left his home at age 15 to strike out on his own. His father had died when he was very young and he felt that the remaining family would fair better without his mouth to feed. From Maine, to Pennsylvania, he finally worked his way to Oconto, where he settled. |
| 1871 | The largest natural disaster in the history of the US, The Peshtigo Fire, burned thousands of acres of land in two states, destroyed whole cities, countless farms, industries, and killed an esimated 1500+ people, many of whom were never identified nor even found due to total distruction by the 2000 degree F. temperatures and tornadic winds that drove the fire at 60 to 120 miles per hour. |
| 1871 | KNISLEY- Frank Knisely came to Oconto County in 1871. Mr. Knisely was the last living Civil War Veteran in the city of Oconto and the second longest living in the county. His wife was locally born Ellen M. DAVIS, daughter of Oconto County residents E.L. and Mary Davis originally from Wales, England. Frank Knisely's birth parents were John and Sarah L. KING of Crawford County, Ohio. His original name was Renious King before his parent's death and his adoption, at age nine, by his great uncle Judge Samuel Knisely, whose surname he also adopted. Frank was one of 6 siblings. Amanda |
| 1871 | TAYLOR Robert Burns Taylor, was born on August 13, 1843, in Bristol Township, Pontiac County, Quebec. He was the son of Alexander and Jessie (Burns) Taylor, who were natives of the Parish of Old Kilpatrick, Dunbartonshire, Scotland. They had crossed the ocean to Canada, in 1835.On September 30, 1876 Mr. Taylor was married to Miss Henrietta Herriman, who was born in Euclid, Cuyahoga Co., Ohio, and lived in Little River, Oconto County. Peggy |
| 1872 | SHANNON Patrick and Elizabeth Turvey Shannon of Jacquet River, originally from New Brunswick, settle in the city of Oconto. Mary Turvey |
| 1872 | MOTT Archibald Mott and Eliza Turvey, who moved separately from Restigouche County, New Brunswick, married in Green Bay, Wisconsin then settled and raised their family in Oconto, beginning in 1872. Mary Turvey and David Mott |
| 1872 | ADAMS Thomas William Adams was born May 9, 1817 in Restigouche , Quebec. and became a US citizen in the year 1865. He was in Oconto City in 1873. He lived in Oconto along with son, Peter L Adams. Submitted by Wendy Cosper |
| 1872 | Town of How is separated from Town of Washington, Shawano County |
| 1873 | SCHROEDER Charles (Karl Friedrich
Gottfried) SCHROEDER, a
veteran of the Franco-Prussian War, emigrated 1873 (probably from (Pommern) to Oconto County. He married Wilhelmina (Minnie) SCHLORF of Dargun, Mecklenburg, Dec. 1875 at Forest Junction. Charles and Minnie settled in Morgan ca. 1877 Mark Johnson |
| 1874 | McDONNELL Dan McDonnell comes from Canada and settles in Gillettt |
| 1874 | CAMPSCHREUR - BONGERS Gertrude BONGERS and her husband, Rut CAMPSCHREUR (spelled CAMPSHURE in America), arrived in the U.S. on April 20, 1874, They settled in Oconto. John Van Essen |
| 1874* | FORTIER Charles Nelson Fortier was a resident of Oconto for approximately 30 years, working as a butcher and raising 7 children with his first and second wives (who were sisters). Born in Mishicot, Wisconsin, he first moved to Oconto after the marriage to Vitaline Craite, also of Mishicot.Submitted by Ruth M. Mathieu |
| 1874 | BIRR August Birr establishes a home in Morgan after sailing from Germany. Originally immigrated from Settin, Germany in 1870 to the United States |
| 1874 | Marinette and Forest Counties are divided from the northern part of Oconto County |
| 1875 | SCHLORF Wilhelmina (Minnie) SCHLORF
came from Dargun, Mecklenburg. She was married Dec. 1875 at Forest Junction
to Charles (Karl Friedrich Gottfried) SCHROEDER, a veteran of the
Franco-Prussian War. Charles and Minnie settled in Morgan ca. 1877. Mark Johnson |
| 1875 | MEYER Carl Meyer homesteads in Morgan. He had come from Germany. |
| 1875 | DE FRANCE Anton DE FRANCE emigrated from Arnhem to Oconto John Van Essen |
| 1877 | The Pensaukee Tornado reduced the once large and prosperous town to total ruin, from which it never fully recovered. |
| 1877 | Mc ALLENThomas McAllen built first permanent residence in Mountain for his wife & family. |
| 1877 | LUCAS, VALLIER James Lucas and Charles Vallier (Valley) originally came from Quebec, Canada, to Manitowac, and then to Lena logging and settling homesteads that year. |
| 1877 | ZAHN "CARL" FRIEDRICH AUGUST ZAHN son of AUGUST ZAHN and WILHELMINA ZAHN in Pommer, married MAGDALENA WILHELM, September 02, 1875, in Rantoul, Calumet County, Wisconsin, daughter of JACOB WILHELM and WILHELMINA LATTERMAN. They settled in Underhill, Oconto County, Wisconsin. Barb Bubolz |
| 1878 | RUSCH CHRISTIAN"LUDWIG" FRIEDRICH
RUSCH was born January 06, 1848 in Dorow, Regenwalde, Prussia, the son
of FRIEDRICH1 RUSCH died 1861 in Dorow, Regenwalde, Prussia. and LUISE.
He married JOHANNA "FRIEDERIKE" WILHELMINE JAEGER November 09, 1877
in Dorow, Regenwalde, Prussia, daughter of JOHANN JAEGER and WILHELMINE
WEGE. They settled in Underhill, Oconto County.
Betty Piepenburg |
| 1878 | GRIGNON Alexander Grignon of the old Brown County French Grigon family, settles on Grignon Lake in western Oconto County. He becomes the first school teacher. The original Pierre Grignon was an educated Canadian French and Indian who ran the fur trading post in Green Bay during the 1770's. He was also the great-grandson of Charles DeLanglade, considered the "Father of Wisconsin". |
| 1879 | Town(ship) of How was moved from Shawano County to Oconto County. |
| 1879 | HOLL - The first of the bothers, Jacob, begins his homestead on "wild" land in the western part of the county, now town of How. He is followed the next year by John, and soon after by Peter, Joseph, Matthew, Henry and Edward. Their father, Jacob Sr. came to Brown County from Blankenrath, Rhineland, in 1855. Their mother, Margaret Dollar, came to Brown County from Klingemuenster, Bavaria, at the age of 12 in 1844, with father Johann and family. Rita |
| 1880 | Joseph Suring opens a store in Hayes and is doing surveying in town of How |
| 1881 | ZIESMER Gustave Frederick Ziesmer arrived in the United States circa 1879 from Germany. Worked at Fort Howard for a while and relocated to Abrams circa 1881. In approxmiately 1893 he bought a farm in Lena, WI.Gloria Olson |
| 1882 | SURING Joe Suring , with his wife and six children built a home along the Oconto River and purchased the land that is now the city of Suring for $215. |
| 1883 | ZEISMER Karl Charles Ziesmer arrived in United States from Germany in 1881. Worked in Fort Howard lumber mill and moved to Stiles in 1883. In 1893 he bought a farm in Pensaukee and moved his family there were he resided until he died. The original farm is still in the family. Dates of arrival taken from obit, Pensaukee move from land transfer search.Gloria Olson |
| 1883 | ANDERSON - JENSON Olof Anderson born 1851 Lilli Harrie, Sweden. He married Maren Kristine Jensen, born 1858, Maglelby, Denmark. Maple Valley Soldier Creek Farm |
| 1883 | JAHNKE, FOSS (VOJS) Karl Jahnke, known as John, immigrated from Grosse Zapplin, Germany to Stiles with his family. It appears that in the group that immigrated was his father-in-law John Foss (Vojs) and his children, whose wife Jackolin Kohloff had died in Germany.Gloria Olson |
| 1884 | OESTREICH Theresa Augusta Meuche was born July 30, 1865 in Sachen, Thuringen, Germany. Her parents were Michael Meuche and Augusta Marie Simon. She came to the U.S. at age 18 (1883) and lived in Neillsville, Wisconsin until her marriage to Adolph Oestreich on August 14,1884. They lived on a farm west of Spencer.Brent Oestreich |
| 1884 | ERDMANN John (Johann) Carl Frederick
Erdmann married Johanna (Minnie) Wilhelmina Broetzmann. The passenger lists
puts them as being from Zimmerhausen, Pommerania, Prussia. The family lived in Concord until about 1884 when they moved to Abrams, Oconto County. Beverly Weddle |
| 1884 | HINES James Hines, Civil War Veteran, settles in Mountain. |
| 1885 | BARTZ Fred Bartz settles in Mountain |
| 1886 | James ARMSTRONG and Martha GILMORE were both born in Ont., Canada were married in Croton, Newaygo County, Michigan. In the 1880`s they moved to Wisconsin after losing 3 children to Diptheria. Not long after their move, Martha`s father, Henry Gilmore and a son, believed to be Darwin, joined them. Metney Gilmore then moved his family to Oconto County, Wisconsin in 1886. It is believed that the Gilmore`s and Armstrongs lived in How, with grandchildren in Suring, Wis. Leonard Gilmore |
| 1886 | PALMER - Elias
and Laura Palmer came from Vermont to settle in Mountain. They
homesteaded 120 acres by Chute Pond. Ed Palmer |
| 1886 | World's first church for Christian Science Worship was erected in the city of Oconto. |
| 1893 | ST. LOUIS - LEMAY Peter ST. LOUIS, b 02 Jul 1866 at Maskinonge, Ontario, Que, married to Marie Flavella LEMAY St. Louis 10 Dec 1893 at Oconto WI. Mary |
| 1893 | PHILIPPI - BRUST - The Matthias and Christina Brust Philippi family bought a logger/trappers cabin in the western part of the county (now town of How). They logged and cleared the land along Pecor Creek for crop and dairy farming. The family came to Brown County from Heckenbach, Rhineland, in 1883. Each parent had children from late spouses, then went on to have their own family. Their lineage has been researched back to 1754 for PHILIPPI and 1616 for BRUST. Rita |
| 1896 | FRYE - John Frye settled on 40 acres in Lakewood. He received, in 1906, a land patent signed by Pres. Theodore Roosevelt. |
| 1900 | IHLENFELDT Herman Ihlenfeldt homesteaded in Lakewood. |
| 1900 | JAHNKE John Janke moved to a farm Pensaukee.Gloria Olson |
| 1892 | GIESE August Giese settles in Suring |
| 1896 | DIECK John Dieck settles in Suring |
| 1902 | ZUEHLKE R. F. Zuehlke settles in Suring |
| 1903 | SORENSON H.P. Sorenson settles in Suring |
| 1908 | MATHEYS JOHN B. MATHEYS was born June 24, 1879 in Duval, Wisconsin, and died April 30, 1961 in Stiles, Oconto County. He married ELLA CORNET April 26, 1900 in Duval, Wisconsin, daughter of DESIRE CORNET and JOSEPHINE THOULE. She was born March 9, 1878 in Duval, Wisconsin, and died March 10, 1954 in Stiles, Oconto County. Submitted by Mike Phillips |
| 1917 | The United States enters World War I. Oconto County men sign up for military duty. |
| 1941 | December 7, Pearl Harbor is attacked by Japan and the United States enters World War II. Donald Modrow, son of the Martin Modrow is the first of many from the county to lose his life on March 1, 1942. |
| 1952 | The Oconto Old Copper Site of the early inhabitants was discovered by 13 year old Donald Baldwin while digging in an abandoned gravel quarry, noth of the city of Oconto. |
| 1960 | The Menominee Nation is united under county status, from Shawano and Oconto Counties, one of the very few Native American peoples to remain on ancestral land. |
Back
to Oconto County Home Page