From the book History of Walworth County Wisconsin, by Albert Clayton Beckwith, publ. 1912 -

Page 484 WILLIAM P. ALLEN, son of John and Mary ALLEN, was born in Jefferson county, New York, in 1821. In 1842 he was a teacher at Portageville, Wyoming county, New York. He came to Sharon in 1845, and for fourteen years served that town as clerk and as assessor, and for twenty years, nearly continuously, as justice of the peace. In 1873 he became postmaster at the village, at which place he was a dealer in general goods. He was chosen over Samuel W. VOORHEES as assemblyman for 1854. He died July 25, 1901. His wife was Sophronia L. LYMAN. JAMES ARAM, son of Matthias ARAM and Elizabeth TOMPKINS, was born at or near Utica, New York, August 9, 1813; came west in 1838 and to Delavan village in 1840, where he went into retail business. A few years later he became one of a firm of warehousemen and lumber dealers, composed of George PASSAGE, himself, Leonard E. DOWNIE, and Col. Jacob T. FOSTER. He was successively a stockholder in the Walworth county Bank, a director of E. LATIMER & Company. He was a member of the county board for thirteen terms, 1862 to 1875; and a trustee of the State School for the Deaf 1872-5. He served a few years as president of the village. January 6, 1836, he married Susan C., daughter of James ROOD and Elizabeth MILLER. She was born at Scipio, New York, August 16, 1814, died at Delavan December 14, 1906. Their three children had died, and at Mrs. ARAM's death the bulk of their estate was applied, as they had wished, to the building and equipment of a free library at Delavan. Page 488 HENRY BARLOW, son of Nehemiah BARLOW and Orinda STEELE, was born November 23, 1815, at Ballston, New York; came from Perry, New York, in 1838 to sections 5, 6, Delavan; married July 3, 1841, Emeline, daughter of Daniel Edwin LaBAR and Hannah REES - perhaps the first marriage at Delavan; served a few years as supervisor; was an opposition candidate in 1872 for assemblyman, defeated by Carlos L. DOUGLASS; died August 6, 1884. Mrs. BARLOW was born in 1821, near Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania; died September 22, 1890. Page 489 JOHN WHITNEY BARLOW, youngest son of Nehemiah and Orinda, born in western New York, June 26, 1838; appointed from Wisconsin about 1857 as a cadet at the United States Military Academy, West Point; second lieutenant, second artillery, May 6, 1861; nine days later first lieutenant; brevet captain May 27, 1862, for distinguished service at Hanover Court House; transferred to topographical engineers July 24, 1862; to engineers March 3, 1863; captain July 3, 1863; brevet major for service in Atlanta campaign; brevet lieutenant-colonel for conduct in battles before Nashville; major of engineers in 1869, and successively lieutenant-colonel and colonel; superintended services, and in 1901 was retired as brigadier-general. Now living at New London, Connecticut. NEHIMIAH BARLOW, son of John BARLOW and Sarah WHITNEY, was born December 23, 1781, at Ridgefield, Connecticut; married at Windham, New York, in August, 1810, Orinda, daughter of Perez STEELE and Hannah SIMMONS; came about 1839 from Perry, New York, to Delavan; died in Darien, in October, 1846. Mrs. BARLOW was born at Tolland, Connecticut, April 4, 1792; died January 25, 1876. Their eleven children were: 1) Hannah Simmons (1811-1907), wife of William Harrison PETIT. 2) John Whitney (1813-1838). 3) Henry. 4) Stephen Steele. 5) Mary, wife of Stephen P. FULLER. 6) Sarah Anne, wife of Dr. Henderson HUNT. 7) Eliza Jane (1826-1906), wife of Stephen S. BABCOCK. 8) William Augustus (1829-1908), married Antis Almira MALLORY, daughter of Samuel MALLORY and Jane Frances HART. 9) Harriet, first wife of George BULKLEY. 10) Emily Wright (born 1834), wife of Henry PETTIT. 11) John Whitney (born 1838). Hanna S., William A. and Harriet lived at Elkhorn. Nearly all the others are found in the history of Delavan. Mrs. Orinda (STEELE) BARLOW's American ancestors were: George1, James2,3, Rev. Stephen4, Stephen5, Perez6. Mr. BARLOW's ancestors came early to New England. Page 489 SAMUEL W. BARLOW, whose grandparents are said to have come from England, was born in Niagara county, New York, January 28, 1802; married Almira, daughter of William WRIGHT, was a carpenter, farmer, and Wesleyan preacher; came to town of Delavan about 1860; died March 24, 1889. His wife was born in 1807; died January 18, 1882. They had seven children, of whom Silas Van Ness BARLOW, born January 9, 1835, married Antoinette, daughter of Stephen C. GOFF and wife Matilda. Page 489-490 STEPHEN STEELE BARLOW, son of Nehemiah and Orinda, was born August 17, 1818; came to the village of Delavan and was admitted to practice in the territorial courts. He married October 4, 1843, Anna Maria, daughter of James PARSONS and Olive BEACH. He was a member of the county board in 1851; elected assemblyman in the same year over Perry G. HARRINGTON; moved to Dellona, Sauk county, about 1855; was chosen presidential elector at large in 1868; state senator 1868-9; elected attorney-general in 1869 and 1871; died at St. Paul, October 1900. Page 49 RICHARD BAXTER BATES, son of Joseph and Esther, was born at West Troy, New York, August 17, 1843; came before 1860 with his parents to Darien; married September 29, 1864, Clara A., daughter of Leander DODGE and Harriet CARTER; lived at Delavan and later at Racine; was national bank examiner 1893-8; died at Milwaukee, May 18, 1910. ADELAIDE COWLES BEARDSLEY, elder of two daughters of Bennett BEARDSLEY and first wife, Mrs. Susannah (JOHNSON), widow of Jetur GARDINER, was born at Walton, Delaware county, New York, June 1, 1815; was baptized in childhood at the Episcopal church of Walton, and in due time truly confirmed "for her faith never wavered nor were good works once forgotten or neglected." The sister came to Elkhorn in 1843, where she called the children together for non-sectarian primary instruction in Christian doctrine and practice. She also taught in the earlier common school. Every bishop of her diocese, from KEMPER to WEBB, knew and esteemed her. "She was capable, clear-seeing, justly judging, resolute, and enduring; and she was always sunny, kind, sympathetic, helpful, modest, self-effacing, womanly - a somewhat remarkably endowed person." She died at Elkhorn, June 10, 1907. Her full sister, Mary Martha, was wife of Col. Edward ELDERKIN. Page 490-491 NELSON BECKWITH (Reuben5, Asa4, Joseph3, Nathaniel2, Matthew1), born in town of Western, Oneida county, New York; married Elinor W. KEYES (a native of Nova Scotia); lived at East Troy some years each way from 1860; removed to Oceana county, Michigan, and died. His son Alanson married first, Caroline WATERS, of East Troy, January 30, 1860; second, Miss QUACKENBUSH; now lives in Oceana county. Seth BECKWITH, not nearly related to any namesakes in the county, came to East Troy with wife Elizabeth in 1839, and in 1842 sold his land, in section 12, to Abel SPERRY. He may have gone to Omro. Page 491 NATHANIEL BELL, son of James BELL and Isabel HARKNESS, was born at Truxton, New York, February 22, 1800; married, before 1830, Sarah Leonard, daughter of John COOK and Dorcas CASE. She was born in 1810 and died January 31, 1847. Major BELL came to section 25, Lafayette; in 1839 was chairman of the first board of county commissioners, and was five times a member of the county board of supervisors. He was the territorial sheriff, 1845-8. It is not known whence he derived his military title, but he may have been a drum-major, if not a major of New York militia. He, with Riley HARRINGTON and Lot MAYO, with or without General WALLING, usually made martial music on patriotic or Democratic occasions. John BELL, his brother, was assemblyman in 1853. His sister, Mary Ann, was wife of Dr. Jesse C. MILLS. Page 491-492 WILLIAM BERRY was born at Salem, Massachusetts, December 20, 1780; married April 3, 1798, Nancy MELLEN, of Pelham; moved to Madison county, New York, and thence to Cortland county, where he held for a term a nominal judgeship of the court of common pleas. (From 1823 to 1847 each county of New York having forty thousand inhabitants had such a court, composed of a first judge, who was presumably competent, and four associate judges, in common speech called "side judges." The first judge and at least two of the associates made a quorum; but the latter usually had no voice in the court's rulings and decision. Some amusing incidents are told of these court ornaments.) In 1843 Judge BERRY came to Honey Creek, and in 1846 was member of the first constitutional convention - the oldest member of that body. Because of his delayed attendance he missed assignment to a committee. He died late in 1848. Mellen BERRY, his son, died July 5, 1859. He had also a daughter, Sally Ann. Page 504 HARLOW MERRILL COON did not suppose himself related to David. He was son of Ezra COON and Cyrena (or Serena) BURDICK, and was born in Otsego county February 14, 1819. He came in 1843 to section 25, Walworth. For some years he was in retail business at the village and then returned to farm management. He died April 13, 1899. His wife, Harriet E. CRUMB, was born March 3, 1823; died November 10, 1884. Children: Phoebe S. (once a teacher at the seminary), Eva H., Harlow Irving. Page 506 BOOTH BEERS DAVIS, son of Gershom DAVIS and Margaret VORHEES, was born in 1810; perhaps in Delaware county, New York. He came to a farm in Lyons about 1841. He lost both legs by freezing when hauling a load of flour to or from Fort Winnebago. In 1842 he came to Elkhorn as register of deeds, and at the end of his term remained here till his death, February 20, 1880. He had married Adeline Irene, daughter of Joseph BARKER, at Batavia, New York, October 24, 1833. Her father was afterward one of the early settlers of Sugar Creek. Mr. DAVIS went into business as a dealer in dry goods and groceries, and until the crash of 1857 had a large and apparently profitable trade. He went under, as did all his neighbors, but started anew and struggled, with moderate success, till the end of living and striving. His wife died at Chicago, September 2, 1892. One of his daughters, Adeline, was wife of Henry Fish SPOONER. The other, Frances Augusta, was wife of Dr. Louis Joseph KORDS, of Burlington. Page 507 JOHN POTTER DAVIS, grandson of John DAVIS, son of Peter DAVIS (1806-1861) and wife Rebecca J. KINGSNORTH (1809-1892), was born at Woodchurch, Kent, England, July 9, 1834, and came to America in 1850, and lived at Deansville, Oneida county, New York. He married December 12, 1855, Mary, daughter of John MACK and Electa TRUBY, December 12, 1855, at Stockbridge, Madison county, where she was born March 6, 1837. In 1857 he came to Oakland, Wisconsin, and thence in 1876 to section 7 of Richmond. Mr. HULCE, a poor commissioner, induced him and his wife in 1882 to undertake the management of the county poor farm and the care of its inmates. Their administration, from which they retired in 1901, earned for them the fullest approval of the commissioners, the county supervisors, and the community - and, though yet living, a place in the county history. Their children were: Emma Luella (Mrs. Franklin GAGE), Edgar Monroe (married Helen GOODHUE), John Frederick (died in his first year), Mabel Josephine (Mrs. Charles Kinne DUNLAP Page 512 ELIJAH EASTON was born at Afton, Chenango county, New York, May 18, 1815; came to Walworth in 1842; served in Assembly of 1851, having been elected over William P. ALLEN and Hyman H. SEAVER; went to California in 1860; to Minnesota in 1866; died at Owatonna, February 27, 1905. Page 526-527 SAMUEL WIRT HENDERSON, son of Dr. John M. and first wife, Rebecca WIRT, was born at Willoughby, December 17, 1817; studied in his father's office and was graduated from the medical college at Cleveland. He married, January 11, 1845, Rebecca, daughter of Nathan HICKS. After practicing in Herkimer county, New York (once his father's home) and in northern Ohio he came in 1847 to Elkhorn. He died May 6, 1857, having a week before jumped from a wagon to hard ground, causing intestinal constriction or intussusception, followed by inflammation. Doctor HENDERSON's perception was quick, his mind active, and his action prompt, and he was rated among the better county physicians and surgeons. He was also a working Democrat and persecuted opponents with unbridled tongue, vitriol-dipped pen, and jack-knife wickeder than tongue or pen; for it made caricatures on pine as ugly as modern exaggerations in the Sunday papers. His knife and pen were voluntary contributors to his friend UTTER's paper. He left three little boys, of whom, John Hicks, the eldest, was a soldier of Company B First Heavy Artillery. Page 527 JACOB HERRICK, son of Joseph6, and Hannah NORTHRUP, of Salem, Connecticut, was born in Chenango county, in 1790. His older ancestors were Joseph5, Stephen4, Samuel3, Ephraim2, Henry1 of Ipswich. His first wife was Roxana BRADLEY. In 1841 he came to section 21, Geneva; married Mrs. Sarah (CORWIN) ROUSE; died October 30, 1859. His children were Gilbert, Jason, Henry, Miles, Polly Maria, Phoebe, Adeline, Julia, and Harriet. All these were long residents and became connected by marriage with other old families as ARMSTRONG, GRAY, ROSS, STEVENS, and WAIT. The brothers, Alonzo and Moses S. HERRICK, of the same town, were not definitely related to Jacob's family, but Moses S. married Jacob's daughter Julia. Page 536 JAMES LAUDERDALE, son of Edward and wife Janet ELLIOTT, was born at Cambridge, Washington county, New York, August 29, 1813; married in Livingston county, May 11, 1841, Margaret, daughter of James P. STEWART and Janet McNAUGHTON; came to Lagrange in 1842; served on county board; was assemblyman in 1853, chosen over George G. WILLIAMS, and again in 1856, chosen over Datus ENSIGN; died March 13, 1888. Mrs. LAUDERDALE died October 1, 1909; their children were James Edward, John Henry, Amanda (Mrs. D. Judson WILLIAMS), Mary Eliza (Mrs. Chester B. WILLIAMS), and Walter Elliot. CHESTER DEMING LONG, son of Hugh and Parnell, was born in Pembroke, New York, February 15, 1819. He came with his father to Darien in 1839 and married November 1, 1843, Laura Ann (1826-1893), daughter of Zebulon T. LEE and Sabra, daughter of Orange CARTER. In 1851-2 he served a term as register of deeds, and his records show that he was a competent and neat-handed officer. In 1860 he was elected member of Assembly for one session, over Charles A. HUTCHINS and David COON, Jr. He died June 15, 1884. Mrs. LONG died January 31, 1893. Page 541 ALBERT L. MASON, son of Darius B. MASON and Harriet C. STARR (early settlers of Sharon), was born at Cooperstown, New York, August 23, 1824; came to Sharon in 1840; married in 1847 Sophronia, daughter of William JOINER; was postmaster 1850-3 at Sharon village; member of Assembly in 1879 - elected without opposition; died March 26, 1896. His father had been a member of the county board, and his son, Darius B., is named in later official lists of the town. ASA LEWIS MAXON, JR., was born in Rensselaer county, New York, May 5, 1802; lived in Madison and Jefferson counties between 1825 and 1853; came to section 27, Walworth, and bought a large farm. His wife was Julia Ann READ (1823-1897). He died May 5, 1882. Four sons were named; Edgar Read (1823-1907) married Emily Wilson, daughter of August ROGERS; Henry J. (1826-1892) married Phoebe HOWLAND; Francis W. (1805-1887) married Mary L. COLBURN; Dr. Joseph S. married Anna, daughter of Anson GOODRICH. [Transcriber's note - obvious error in that mother and son are listed as born in the same year.] *See Also: Austin MAXON DEACON ALFRED MAXON (1785-1858) had wife Mary (1787-1864). He may have been an elder brother of Asa L. MAXON. Clark P. MAXON, born in 1818, married Lucy Ann KINNEY. His relationship, if any there was, is not shown. The presence, in the same town, of MAXONS and MAXSONS makes some uncertainty as to the correct spelling for any individual. COL. JAMES MAXWELL was born at Guilford, Vermont, about 1785. The story of his early and middle life is but scantily told. He must have had a fair education and some experience in business. He lived for some time in Pennsylvania and in Indiana, and at the time of Black Hawk's war was at Chicago, and at that time, probably, was one of Governor Reynold's militia colonels. The records of the adjutant-general's office, at Springfield, might make this clear. Coming with Dr. Philip S., his younger half-brother, to Lake Geneva, he left that theatre of war and made a peaceable settlement in Walworth, where he and his son, and with them the Doctor, bought liberally in sections 15, 24, 26, 27. He was a member of the upper house of the second and third Legislative Assemblies for the joint district of Rock and Walworth, 1838-42. It is not known when he left the county, but, at the organization of the State Historical Society, in 1849, he was present from Sauk county. It is said that he died about 1869. His son, James Alexander MAXWELL remained in Walworth long enough to find a place in the official list of that town. Page 561 AMOS WAGMAN STAFFORD, grandson of Amos and son of Samuel H. STAFFORD and wife Nancy, daughter of Jacob FERGUSON, was born at Saratoga Springs, November 2, 1810; moved to Victor, New York, in 1824; married first, Ann Sabrina, daughter of Stephen and Jane ELLIS, May 20, 1832; came to Bloomfield in 1844 and bought a farm (with his father) in section 4; wife died November 7, 1882; moved to Lake Geneva and May 10, 1887, married second, Mrs. Juliet, daughter of R. Wells WARREN and Mary KNAPP, and widow of Simeon GARDNER; he died September 20, 1900. He was seven times a member of the county board and was chosen assemblyman for 1872 over Maurice L. AYERS. He had five children. Eliza was wife of Abner FARNUM, and Sarah, wife of Jefferson P. HARLOW. HENRY J. STARIN, son of Jacob F. STARIN and Mary SCHERMERHORN, was born at Glen, Montgomery county, New York, August 25, 1808; married Ella Green SCHERMERHORN in 1835; came to Whitewater in 1840; was a horticulturist, and the village owed much to his early efforts in planting shade trees. He was found dead in his bed, May 5, 1880. He had sons Henry Allen, and Duane, a soldier of the Civil war. His brother, Frederick Jacob STARIN, born April 17, 1821, married Jane Martha GROAT; died October 2, 1896. He was a surveyor and civil engineer and was connected with most of the early railway building in which Whitewater had great concern. Page 562-563 HENRY TOPPING, son of Jared and Sarah, was born in Montgomery county, New York, March 14, 1804; taught school; opened a store at Leesville, Schoharie county; married in that county, December 31, 1828, Nuel, daughter of William and Nancy S. VAN DOREN; was ordained as a Baptist clergyman in 1835 and was pastor at Leesville until 1839, when he came to a farm in Darien. from 1841 to 1850 he preached at Delavan, East Delavan and Walworth; went to Sauk county, and returned in 1857 to Delavan. In 1867 he moved to southernmost Illinois, and thence to Kansas, where he died, at Ottawa, November 20, 1870. His wife died October 11, 1880 - her birth September 24, 1808. They had two sons and two daughters. One of the latter, Harriet Nuel, was Mrs. Samuel Rees LaBAR. Page 563-564 JAMES TRIPP was born at Schenectady, September 5, 1795; studied medicine and was graduated about 1817 from the medical college at Albany; went to Mobile, but returned in 1819; by Governor Clinton's commission he became in 1822 surgeon of a regiment of state militia - and honorary rank; married January 4, 1825, Rosepha Ann, daughter of William COMSTOCK, of Otsego county; came in 1837 to sections 4, 5 of East Troy (then included in the town of Troy), and built a saw-mill at the outlet of Tripps' lake (Lake Beulah), which he soon sold. He had plenty of money, for the time and place - plenty and scarcity then as now relative terms - and was induced to build a gristmill at Whitewater. In 1840 this mill was grinding for a large part of the country for eight or ten miles around it. He platted the village of Whitewater, chiefly on his own land, and dealt justly and liberally with lot-buyers. But he would not doctor them, except in emergencies, in which his knowledge and skill were trusted by his fellow physicians as well as by his patients. He died September 4, 1844, at the rising village he had founded and named, and which he had planned with intelligent foresight. Mrs. TRIPP was born at Laurens, New York, November 2, 1802, and died, full of good works, February 2, 1881. She had been baptized in the Episcopal church, and she brought with her an abiding faith and a habit of showing it forth by kind and helpful deeds, to the end of her life. Her memory, too, was well stored with matter for local history; for she had seen the infancy of one of the finest small cities of Wisconsin. Page 564 JAMES LAWRENCE TUBBS, son of Samuel TUBBS (a soldier of the war of 1812) and Polly FROST, was born at Augusta, Oneida Co., New York, September 10, 1824; came with parents in 1843 to Lafayette; qualified himself as a surveyor, and in time, as a civil engineer; married December 10, 1849, Anna Rebecca, only child of Dr. John Mathias HENDERSON and Samantha, daughter of Charles and Anna HIME; was elected eight times county surveyor, and served occasionally as undersheriff. As first a Democrat, he became a Freesoiler and then a Republican. In 1872 he supported Greeley and returned to the Democracy. His profession brought him little revenue until past middle life, when he became more profitably occupied in laying out the village of Williams Bay, and in civil engineering work for Chicagoan owners of Geneva Lake (shore) property. He also began the compilation of a second general abstract of titles to county property, and this work had begun to bring him revenue before his death, which was September 6, 1899. Mrs. TUBBS was born at Willoughby, Ohio, December 13, 1830, and died at Elkhorn, December 25, 1904. Mr. TUBBS was a lifelong student of pure mathematics, and even in latest years found much pleasure in the study and mastery of quaternions. His clerical habit was neat and exact, and his memory of the political events of his time, of the actors therein, and of men who in earlier years had come to and gone from Walworth county was seldom matched.

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