The chronology
The land through time
Every documented event, from the property outward: Beloit, Rock County, the region and the world. Each one links to the page of the source that records it. The record so far covers 1820–1864; more years are being added.
1845
Beloit
- September 1845 A tavern-keeper came to Beloit and bought eighty acres of land in Section 4, building a log house.
- 1845 The first bridge across Rock River at Indian Ford was built by private subscription, Stephen Allen, builder.
- January 1, 1845 A merchant (a Buffalo former resident) came to Beloit and commenced business as a merchant.
- 1845 A large brick house was built in Beloit, with a conspicuous front portico supported by four tall Corinthian columns.
Rock County
- 1845 Arrivals and settlements in Rock County recorded without more precise dates: A. Wyatt Smith removed to Janesville ; Capt. William Macloon came from Boston and settled at Janesville ; A. M. Simmons (father) settled in Harmony about 1845 ; a Beloit lawyer removed to Beloit ; Ezra Philo Doty came to Janesville ; a Walworth lawyer came to Wisconsin and located at Janesville ; a New York farmer bought a farm at Beloit ; a Connecticut man took up eighty acres in Sec. 18 at Beloit ; the Millett family located in Beloit ; Hans and Bargitt Halverson's family came to Newark, buying land in Section 12 ; a Durham Co. settler located in Newark, buying and improving two farms ; the Case family moved to Clinton and settled on 160 acres ; L. Burdick's neighbors ; a Rhode Island man located in the town of Lima ; Abram Caufman emigrated to Center ; an 1837-born resident came to Wisconsin ; E. Footville-resident moved to what is now Footville ; a settler located on his present homestead in Center ; families emigrated to Wisconsin ; a Bennett came to Wisconsin and taught school in Union ; Leonard Bullard's family settled in Union Township ; a Hancock Co., Me., man located in Union Township ; the Hubbard family settled on land entered in 1840 in Union Township ; a Cortland Co. man located in Union Township ; a settler bought 200 acres and built one of the first log houses in Plymouth Township ; Jacob Fisher came to Plymouth Township about 1845 ; a Steuben Co. man located at Darien ; a New York man came to Wisconsin locating at Johnstown ; a Scotland-born man came to America in 1845 and settled on a farm in Harmony ; A. Douglas entered forty acres of land settled in 1843 ; Johnstown settlers from New York located there, purchasing farms [B156]; G. came to Rock County and bought a farm of forty acres of government land ; M. Wilcox located and bought 100 acres in Harmony ; the Miller family came to Harmony Township, buying 240 acres ; families from Ohio settled in Milton township ; a father settled on a 1,000-acre farm in Lima township ; the Marquart family moved from Ohio and settled in Wisconsin ; an Irish couple (Clinchy) came to Wisconsin and bought a farm northwest of Beloit ; a family settled in Milton township ; Thomas bought eighty acres in section 6, Bradford township ; the Moore family located near Milwaukee ; the Bradley family settled on a farm in Turtle township ; Mr. Fifield's brothers later joined his lumber business ; a resident came to Janesville prior to January 1845 and served as probate judge for Rock County in 1845 and 1846 ; Carpenter engaged in general merchandising in Beloit .
- Spring 1845 A Norwegian family (Keesey) came to the United States and purchased and settled on a farm in Rock County.
- October 1845 A Freeborn came to Wisconsin and wintered in Cooksville, Rock County.
- Spring 1845 Guy Stoughton contracted with Mr. Hanchett to build a dam at the foot of Lake Koshkonong; the dam was completed during that year and a saw-mill built.
The region
- February 24, 1845 Prior to this date Rock and Walworth counties constituted one election district; the territorial legislature of 1845 passed an act dividing the district and constituting Rock County an election district.
- 1845 Charles C. Cheney, Henry Chesebro (Cheesebro), William Loyd, Adelmon Sherman and Ephraim Leach, Jr., made their land purchases (in 1844 and 1845).
- 1845 The first church organization on Rock Prairie was made by Diedrichson; Lars H. Skavlem was one of its members.
- 1845 Prevost was appointed marshal of the Territory in place of Daniel Hugunin.
Nation and world
- April 8, 1845 Henry Dodge was appointed governor of Wisconsin Territory; the 1908 history gives his term as beginning May 13, 1845, a discrepancy with the April 8 date.
- July 6, 1845 The First Congregational Church at Johnstown Village was organized by Rev. Stephen Peet.
- 1845 Other events outside Rock County dated 1845: admission to the bar of Orange Co., Vt. (spring term) ; admission to practice in New York ; graduation from Hamilton College ; admission to the Supreme court of New York at Utica, July 18, 1845 ; fall of 1845 entering the law office of Judge Charles M. Baker at Geneva ; David R. Platts's family settled in Green Lake county ; a father returned to his native state, married, and brought his bride to Milton township ; a family's removal in 1845 ; removal to Manchester, N. H. ; the Wisconsin lawyer moved to Indiana in 1845 ; increase of the father to Wisconsin since 1845 ; the editor of the 1908 history was born in Beloit in 1845 ; Caswell's canoe trip on Lake Koshkonong in the fall of 1845 ; Milwaukee grain exports commenced in 1845, amounting to 213,448 bushels ; lead production attained its maximum in 1845, nearly 25,000 tons ; land sales 1835–1845 inclusive totaled 2,958,592 acres ; the wheat crop of 1845 commenced the blight ; the founder of the Milwaukee female college died May 29, 1845 ; Uriah Goodrich died September 2, 1845 ; Lewis Cass was in 1845 the Democratic nominee for president ; parts of the "pretentious city" (Milwaukee townsite area) were sold for taxes in 1845 ; since 1845 the townsite has been sold as farming lands ; the state constitutional convention delegates assembled 1845-47-48 ; Grant farm sold in 1845 ; and the first saw-mill lumbering operations on the Oconto were begun by David Jones ; moose tracks seen on the Montreal river in the summer of 1845 ; an epidemic malarial fever of a bilious type visited in 1844 and 1845 .
- April 1, 1845 The first town election of Lima was held at the schoolhouse in District No. 9; Prosper Cravath was made chairman of supervisors.