The chronology
1837
115 published events.
Overview
Caleb Blodgett set up the first sawmill in March, with water let into the mill race in the spring and the first boards sawed by April 15; he had earlier persuaded the Chauncey Tuttle family to come from Meacham's Grove, purchased the Meeker claim, erected a board house (the beginning of the Rock River house), and sold shares in the claim to Goodhue and, for three thousand dollars, four-twelfths to Dr. White on behalf of the New England Company. R. P. Crane and Bicknell arrived in March, buying Thibault's log cabin; the New England Company brought further settlers through the summer, including D. D. Egery, the Bicknells, Mrs. John Hackett and Alfred L. Field, and Charles M. Messer. John Hackett opened the first store in the fall, the Kelson survey of Beloit was started, Horace Hobart conducted the first prayer meeting in August, the first public preaching service followed in September, Horace Clark's death on December 2 was the first in Beloit, and Mrs. Caleb Blodgett arrived in December as the first white woman settler. The legislature granted a charter for the 'Beloit Seminary' — the first school charter — in December. ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ (+20 more)
Beyond Beloit, Rock County and the region filled with settlers in 1837. Janesville saw Henry F. Janes running a ferry and platting land east of the river, arrivals including Charles Stevens, Volney Atwood, Judge Whiton, Seymour Stoughton, Harvey Storey and George H. Williston, its first sermon (Rev. Jesse Halstead, September), and its first mail; in December the legislature established the county seat on the east side of Rock River and made the town of Rock equal to the county. Settlements or claims were made at Lima, Clinton, Bradford, Harmony, Fulton, Turtle, La Prairie, Milton, Aztalan's circuit area, Shopiere and Johnstown. Major Charles Johnson and Cyrus Eames traveled to Burlington, Iowa, in November to seek a charter for a seminary, and the territorial legislature, meeting there from November 6, located the seat of government at Madison. ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ (+34 more)
The wider context of 1837 included Michigan's admission to the Union on January 26, the great panic of 1837, and treaties with the Chippewas at Fort Snelling (July 29) and certain Sioux chiefs in Washington (September 29) ceding lands. Tebo/Thibault, the earliest proprietor of Beloit, was murdered in the winter by his son Francis and one of his wives after a quarrel over whether to stay on the land or follow the Indians west of the Mississippi. Speculative town sales ran their course: Newburgh sales totaled $95,200 between March 29 and August 5, the last sale of platted land in a twenty-four-block town was made August 10, and Saratoga's only recorded sale was to Alfred Bixby on November 17 — with the close of 1837 seeing the end of the boom in Rock County speculative towns, villages and cities. ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ ↗ (+10 more)
Month by month
- January 1837Caleb Blodgett persuaded a family—the Chauncey Tuttles with four sons—to come from Meacham's Grove to Beloit.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- January 6, 1837The town of Saratoga was laid out in the town of Porter by Calvin Harmon, William Payne and Thomas A. Holmes.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- January 26, 1837Michigan was admitted into the Union as a state.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- February 16, 1837William B. Slaughter was appointed to replace Horner.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- February 25, 1837Mr. Payne sold Newburgh to William B. Lamb for $20,000.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- March 1837Henry G. Spencer removed to Wisconsin, one of the first settlers of Rock County.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- March 9, 1837R. P. Crane and Bicknell arrived at Beloit; Crane's arrival is also given as March 1837.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- March 29, 1837Sales of parts of the village of Newburgh began; between March 29 and August 5, 1837, parts of the village were sold to the amount of $95,200.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- April 1837The first settlements were made on the west side of Jefferson Prairie.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Water was let into the mill race of the Blodgett–Goodhue saw mill.The propertyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Dr. Heath built a house on Section 2 at "East Wisconsin City," where he opened a store and tavern, the first in the town; he located East Wisconsin City early in the spring.The regionGrade A · 2 independent sources
- Spring 1837Thibault sold his twelve-by-sixteen log cabin to Messrs. Crane and Bicknell and removed with his family to Lake Koshkonong.The propertyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837The narrator's father returned from Pennsylvania to make improvements on his claims near Beloit.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837The subject of P49 made a permanent location in Rock County on the farm where he ever after resided.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Lucius Burnham made a claim on Section 36 (La Prairie).The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Charles Stevens and family arrived at Janesville and commenced keeping a hotel in Janes' tavern.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Joseph and William Spaulding came with their families and entered adjoining claims/farms four miles north of Janesville.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Mr. Janes surveyed and platted the land east of the river contiguous to the ferry (the village of Janesville); he also made out a plat of his homesteaded land.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Judge Whiton came to Janesville and settled on a claim about five miles up the river; Whiton and Williston were among the arrivals in the early part of 1837.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- April 1837Mr. Tuttle first went to Beloit and, in the same spring, made a claim in Clinton, entering 320 acres.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837A claim was made for a friend from the East near Milton Junction.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Spring 1837Joe Payne of Monroe brought the first mail to Janesville.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- April 2, 1837A party under the guidance of Deacon Chauncey Tuttle arrived; the 1879/1908 histories give the date as April 2 and April 9, 1837 — both readings are reported.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- April 2, 1837Clinton was settled by W. S. Murray and others.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- April 15, 1837The first boards were sawed by the mill begun by Blodgett and completed with Goodhue.The propertyGrade A · 1 independent source
- April 22, 1837George H. Williston settled in Harmony Township, Rock County, on Section 17.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- April 23, 1837A single horseman from Mineral Point, bearing the U. S. mail via Janesville to Racine, appeared on the west bank of the Rock river; the first United States mail entered Janesville.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- May 1837Mrs. Eliza Smith came — the first white woman to settle in the township.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- May 1837The narrator's brother's family came to Otter Creek in the northern part of the town of Milton; a saw mill was built on the creek.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- May 9, 1837Mr. Van Tassel came to Bradford, Rock County; in 1837 he raised a crop of sod-corn there.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- June 1837Solomon L. Harrington and Thomas Vanhorn located in the town of Lima and built a saw-mill on the west branch of Whitewater Creek; the 1856 history gives only "summer of 1837."The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- July 1837D. D. Egery came to Beloit (with the New England Company) and settled in Turtle.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- Summer 1837The settlers were startled one morning just after sunrise by fife and drum music from the north side of the river at the foot of the lake.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- Summer 1837From the summer of 1837 the Beloit settlement filled up rapidly; the New England Company sent out a number of new settlers.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- July 1837Fellows came to Wisconsin and Rock County, making a claim of 240 acres.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- July 1837Dr. George and Edward Bicknell arrived at Beloit, followed in the same month by Mrs. John Hackett and Alfred L. Field.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- July 29, 1837A treaty was made with the Chippewas of the Mississippi at Fort Snelling, ceding all their lands in Wisconsin south of the divide between the waters of Lake Superior and those of the Mississippi.The regionGrade A · 2 independent sources
- August 1837The Crosby family came to Rock County, among the first white settlers of Beloit.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- August 5, 1837The Newburgh sales recorded in the passage ran through this date (see March 29).Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- August 10, 1837The last sale of any of the platted land (of the town whose map shows twenty-four blocks and a public square) was made.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- August 13, 1837Horace Hobart conducted the first public religious service held in the Beloit community, a prayer meeting in a shanty, with the singing led and first prayer offered by Ira Hersey.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- September 1837Rev. Jesse Halstead, on the Aztalan circuit, delivered the first sermon preached in Janesville, in a small log house that served as a tavern.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- September 10, 1837The first public preaching service in the Beloit settlement was conducted in the large boarding house; the preacher is named "Prof. Whitney" in one history and "Professor Whitman" in another .BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- September 18, 1837Churchill and his boy went out to the prairie claim and staked out the line between Churchill and the narrator's family, selecting a place for Butts to plow.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- September 29, 1837Certain chiefs and braves of the Sioux nation, while visiting Washington, ceded to the United States all their lands east of the Mississippi and all their islands in the river.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- Fall 1837John Hackett opened the first store in Beloit, in his house at the southeast corner of State and School streets.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- Fall 1837Maj. Charles Johnson and Cyrus Ames were selected to visit the seat of government to procure a charter incorporating a seminary.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- Fall 1837William and his brother pre-empted 160 acres of wild land in Harmony Township.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- Fall 1837Ole Natesta laid the foundation of a Norwegian colony at Beaver Creek, Iroquois county, Illinois.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- Fall 1837The Kelson survey of Beloit was started (and probably finished).BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- October 1837Henry Tuttle came to Clinton, and William Jack came to Beloit.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- October 18, 1837The Churchill boy brought Ogden's a fine fish and received a piece of pork in exchange.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- October 23, 1837The narrator of the passage (having come to Wisconsin from Michigan in 1837) arrived at Turtle after two weeks of riding.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- November 1837Horace White's father returned to Beloit, but did not bring his family because there was then no place to put them.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- November 6, 1837The second session of the first legislative assembly of the Territory began at Burlington (now in Iowa); at this session the seat of Government was located at Madison, and the session continued until January 20, 1838.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- November 11, 1837Major Charles Johnson and Cyrus Eames started for Burlington, Iowa, to obtain a charter for a seminary, paddling down Rock River in a dug-out with smoked suckers and cornbread for provisions.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- November 17, 1837The Saratoga proprietors sold a number of blocks and lots to Alfred Bixby — the only sale of which there is record.Nation and worldGrade A · 1 independent source
- November 17, 1837A fire came near burning up Ogden's hay, and Churchill and his boy helped fight it back.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- November 23, 1837The Churchill boy got Ogden's ox cart to go up to Smith's (at Otter Creek) to get Amanda's clothes.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- December 1837Mrs. Caleb Blodgett arrived in Beloit, accompanied by her two daughters — the first white woman settler.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- December 1837The subject of P140 came to Wisconsin and settled on the land he still occupied (Janesville).Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- December 1837The Legislature granted a charter for the "Beloit Seminary" — the first school charter.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- December 2, 1837The first death in Beloit occurred — Horace Clark, after a four days' illness.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- December 7, 1837By act No. 12, the seat of justice of Rock county was established on the fraction of land on the east side of Rock River, part of the northwest quarter of section 36, town 3 north, range 12 east.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- December 7, 1837The town of Rock was made to equal the county.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- December 27, 1837By act approved this date, the seat of justice of Rock County was located on part of the northwest quarter of Section 36, Town 3 north, Range 12 east, of the Fourth Principal Meridian.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
During 1837
Events the sources date only to the year.
- 1837Caleb Blodgett erected a house of boards, the product of Goodhue's mill — the beginning of the Rock River house.The propertyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837B. Allyne located on Section 35 — in 1837 or 1838 (both readings reported).The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Blodgett purchased the Meeker claim and soon built a saw mill; the first importation was a distillery.The propertyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Dr. White bought of Blodgett four-twelfths of the claim in behalf of "The New England Company," paying three thousand dollars.The propertyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Mr. Stone came to Wisconsin in 1836 or 1837 (both readings reported), among the earliest settlers of Rock County.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837The first large building in Beloit, a temporary lodging and boarding house, was made for the men building Blodgett's mill.BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837The subject of P315's family came to Wisconsin in 1837 and bought a tract of land from the government.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Mr. Clauson settled on the "Youngs' Farm"; the Delano/Ratheram farm was settled by Jeremiah Roberts; and the Afton village farm by Hiram Brown — all in 1837.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837The subject of P316's parents settled in Rock County on a tract of land the father improved.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837The close of the year 1837 saw the end of the boom in Rock County speculative towns, villages and cities.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Goodhue bought of Blodgett a share of the claim for two thousand dollars; the 1856 history says three-twelfths and the 1879 history one-fourth — both readings are reported.The propertyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Captain John P. Houston came to Beloit (his family following in 1838).BeloitGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837The first settlers of Fulton, at the mouth of the Yahara (Catfish), plowed the first furrow, broke seven acres and planted it with corn and beans.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837A brother, William, came (to the Clinton family's settlement) in 1837.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837The subject of P314 removed to Turtle township and bought a quarter section of land in section 2.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Daniel A. Richardson settled in the town, building a shanty on Section 17 and later locating permanently in Section 24 with Charles and Alexander Hart.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Griswold Weaver came to Clinton from Utica, N. Y., and settled on what is now the northwest part of the town; he was one of the founders.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837The great panic of 1837 occurred, overtaking business men and banks (including the banks at Green Bay and Mineral Point) and forcing bankruptcies.The regionGrade A · 1 independent source
- 1837Other settlers came to Janesville, among them Seymour Stoughton, Harvey Storey, and George H. Williston.Rock CountyGrade A · 1 independent source