Once upon a house — and every word of it on the record.

Beloit

• 1840 The Hanchett family came to Beloit, bought forty acres in Sec. 34, and Mr. Hanchett built the dam across Rock River at Beloit.
• August 7, 1840 Caleb Blodgett, the first white settler at Beloit, died.
• 1840 By fall, the Rock Prairie Norwegian settlement was established, consisting of five homesteads: Gravdal, Hallan, Odegarden, Lars Skavlem, and Gullik Halvorsen Blakstad (Skavlem); Gisle Hallan had taken possession of his new home in Sec. 6, Town of Beloit, and Gullick Halvorsen Blackstad (Skavlem) located on Sec. 28 during the spring and summer.
• October 1, 1840 Benjamin Brown arrived in Beloit with his wife (married May 14, 1840) and her daughter Lucy; the 1908 history also says his father first came to Beloit in 1840 and that Brown arrived in October.

Rock County

• September 1840 The parents of Paul M. Green came to Rock Co. and purchased 120 acres on Sections 4 and 5 (Milton).
• 1840 Easton and Gusta Johnson arrived in Rock county and settled in Avon township.
• Fall 1840 A church and parsonage were erected on a lot at the southwest corner of Section 36, known as the First Congregational Church of Rock County, at a cost of about $500.
• Spring 1840 Jacob West and John T. Baker came to the Evansville area; the 1879 history says Jacob West removed with his family to Rock Co. in 1840 and settled in Union Township in the fall of 1840 — the sources differ on the season.

The region

• 1840 The lands in Rock and Jefferson Counties came into market; the sale was at Milwaukee; settlers could first obtain title to the land that year.
• Summer 1840 An organized school was set up in the shanty first occupied by the Ogdens.
• 1840 Rock County members served in the Fourth (extra) Session of the Second Legislative Assembly (James Maxwell, Edward V. Whiton, John Hackett, Hugh Long).
• 1840 General Atkinson, with two and a half regiments of United States soldiers, forcibly moved 4,500 Winnebagoes to the west side of the Mississippi; from 1840 to 1848 six companies of soldiers were kept in Wisconsin.

Nation and world

• August 5, 1840 James D. Doty was re-elected Territorial delegate.
• 1840 A young lawyer purchased the Cortland "County Whig," a weekly newspaper, during the presidential contest between Harrison and Van Buren.
• 1840 The town received a large accession to its population by the arrival of a colony from Cortland, N.Y.
• 1840 The legislature's memorial to congress represented that the people were anxious to establish a common-school system; many schools were poorly organized for lack of funds.

Beloit

• October 1841 A settler came to Beloit, which then had about three hundred inhabitants, all on the east side of the river.
• April 4, 1841 A settler arrived in Beloit on a Sunday morning, having walked from Racine in the spring of 1841.
• 1841 A Beloit settler went to Michigan in 1841 and then came to Wisconsin, locating at Beloit.
• 1841 Mr. Willard was in Beloit, living for a time in the house of Samuel B. Cooper.

Rock County

• September 1841 Silas and Cynthia Hurd arrived in Rock county, settling in a log cabin on the Rock river east of Indian Ford.
• Fall 1841 Rollin Thorpe came to Rock County and purchased 160 acres in Sec. 11, Town 4, Range 13.
• Spring 1841 W. Wood came to Rock County, locating in Harmony, Sec. 1.
• 1841 A family came to Rock Co. and settled on 240 acres in Clinton and 120 acres in Turtle.

The region

• 1841 The Government sent a military detachment to enforce the removal of the Rock River Winnebagoes beyond the Mississippi.
• October 22, 1841 Quarter-section entries were recorded for Margaret Oles Dater (Mrs. Gullik Springen) and Erek Gulbeitson.
• July 12, 1841 A quarter-section entry was recorded for Geesley Saberson Hollen.
• October 7, 1841 A quarter-section entry was recorded for Gubrand Oleson.

Nation and world

• September 13, 1841 President Tyler appointed James Duane Doty governor of the Territory in place of Dodge; another passage gives the appointment date as September 30, 1841.
• January 25, 1841 Dunn was commissioned as secretary of the Territory in place of William B. Slaughter.
• December 7, 1841 Henry Dodge took his seat in Congress for the first time.
• September 4, 1841 Congress approved the pre-emption law.

Beloit

• Summer 1842 The central bridge at Beloit (a toll bridge built by a private company, a timber trestle structure framed by John P. Houston) was built over Rock River; it was later given to the village in 1844.
• February 17, 1842 The town of Beloit was constituted by an act of the territorial legislature.
• July 6, 1842 The corner stone of the "old stone church" (Congregational) was laid at the northwest corner of Broad and Prospect streets, Beloit; the edifice was erected in 1842 (built in 1842 and 1843).
• February 17, 1842 The Territorial Legislature passed an act, approved February 17, authorizing Selvy Kidder, A. L. [and others; the passage is truncated] regarding the wants of the residents of Beloit.

Rock County

• Fall 1842 A house of worship was constructed on the northeast quarter of section 35, town of Milton, and the congregation became known as the First Congregational Church of Rock County.
• July 1842 Adrien Bassett and Annie Gates came to Rock County.
• February 17, 1842 The town of Rock was organized into a separate town.
• April 5, 1842 Rock township held its first town election — the passages disagree on the date: April 5, 1842 or April 15, 1842 , when Dr. Heath was elected supervisor.

The region

• February 19, 1842 Goelick (Goelicke) Holt (Gravdal) was registered as the purchaser of land.
• September 26, 1842 Land was registered to Ole Newhouse (several parcels) and Kittel Newhouse.
• September 29, 1842 Land was registered to Abram Hobartson (Herbrand Halvorson Skavlem).
• November 25, 1842 Ole Knudson (Natesta) took title to his land.

Nation and world

• May 9, 1842 The government patent was issued to Mr. Crane for lots 6 and 7 (he had entered them in 1838 and had reconveyed them to the parties in interest before receiving the patent).

Beloit

• May 15, 1843 The Moseley family reached Beloit.
• 1843 The Winslow family came to Beloit.
• May 1843 Benjamin Brown joined the Congregational church in Beloit.
• July 3, 1843 Rev. Mr. Winchell was secured to preach each alternate week (Beloit).

Rock County

• November 1843 James Sowle came to Rock County and settled on Sec. 26, purchasing 240 acres; the land was deeded to him from the Probate Court in the fall of 1843.
• 1843 The subject's father moved to Rock county and settled on land his father had purchased.
• 1843 E. Bowerman came to Wisconsin and settled in Fulton Township, Rock Co.
• 1843 The Gaarder family immigrated from Norway and settled in Rock county (Plymouth Township), making the journey from Milwaukee with ox teams.

The region

• April 12, 1843 An act was approved appointing commissioners to alter the Beloit–Madison road and lay out roads from Janesville to Ellis's Mill and to Mineral Point.
• 1843 The log schoolhouse at the "big ford" of Rock river was used until 1843, when another log house was occupied by the school.
• 1843 Surveyor Willard Barrows noted Black Hawk's wigwam and grave while surveying.
• 1843 Thomas Quigley located and claimed sixty acres where the railroad depot later stood.

Nation and world

• December 4, 1843 Henry Dodge took his seat for his second term as delegate at the commencement of the first session of the twenty-eighth Congress.
• August 12, 1843 The Clinton post office was established.
• March 21, 1843 The town of Fulton was organized by act of the legislature.

Beloit

• 1844 John Chamberlin and family came to Beloit; he took up 160 acres in Sec. 8 and built a log cabin.
• 1844 Bennett Wooster came to Beloit and began farming about three miles east.
• April 1844 A settler built and moved to the west side of Rock river at Beloit, the second residence there.
• 1844 First brick block erected on Main street (Beloit).

Rock County

• 1844 The Flagler family moved to Rock county and settled on a quarter-section in section 12, Janesville township.
• 1844 The Cleophas Holverson family moved from Dane county to Rock county, settling on forty acres in Newark township.
• May 1, 1844 A settler came to Rock County (Milton Junction).
• 1844 A man came West and settled in La Prairie township, Rock county.

The region

• 1844 The red frame schoolhouse of the joint districts of Rock and La Prairie was erected.
• Winter 1844 Julius Gilbert and Francis Smith "shantied" on the s. e. qr. of section 34; they were young men and single.
• 1844 H. Caldwell purchased 80 acres on Sec. 3, Range 12 north.
• 1844 John Cook sold out to John Shepard, who commenced erecting a grist-mill.

Nation and world

• 1844 A township was settled.
• June 21, 1844 Nathaniel P. Tallmadge was appointed.
• 1844 A church edifice was erected (later rebuilt in 1874).
• June 1844 A convention of Northwestern ministers and churches at Cleveland, Ohio, shaped plans for higher education; the idea of Beloit College originated with ministers returning from a clerical convention held at Cleveland.