Moving to Dakota Territory
When my brothers were old enough so they thought they could do a man’s work, they were given their time and went off for themselves. My brother, John, though younger than the others, taught school winters, so he got ahead somewhat faster than the others. In March, 1878, he was married and rented a farm in the neighborhood. He was able to buy a team and wagon and a few other needed things. One year as a renter, however, convinced him that this was not his type of job, and he began looking for another opening.
A neighbor of ours had a brother who had moved to Dakota territory in the spring of 1878, and with his two sons and two sons-in-law and settled between the village of Oakwood and Lake Poinsett. He began sending back to Wisconsin glowing accounts glowing accounts of the richness of the soil, the fine climate, and of the large half section farms the government would give to the settlers. One thing that was emphasized was that the land did not have to be cleared, but all that was necessary was to go on and plow and your farm was ready for cultivation and cropping.
Brother John decided to go west, so in the spring of 1879 I helped him to put a waterproof cover on his wagon and loaded up his few belongings. With his wife and three months old baby, he started to Dakota. Two weeks later while skirting the north shore and looking for a good place to camp, they stopped to ask a man if they could camp there.
“Sure,” the man said, “make yourselves right at home and if there is anything you want that you haven’t got, just hollar.”
In order to get acquainted, the man asked where they were from and John told him from Kilbourn, Wisconsin. The man got excited right away and said he had a brother living near there and said his name was Bob Ramsey. [Transcription note in the original: The name is Rob is this line. In the next lines it is Bob. Which is correct is unknown.] John told him Rob Ramsey was his father’s neighbor. Turning to the house, the man called, ”Hey, ma, here’s folks from brother Rob’s neighborhood in Wisconsin. Come out and make them welcome.” This was on Friday and they were unable to get away from those good people until the following Monday.
From Lake Benton on there were no roads-just a trail across the prairie. Mudholes and creeks had to be waded through, but at last they got through and found the friends were they were looking for. These friends helped them find a claim about two miles from Lake Poinsett. The nearest railroad was 35 miles away, but a store at Oakwood could supply them with most of their needs. Lumber was secured and a small one room house was built. Twenty acres of sod was broke in and later in the summer hay was put up and a sod stable built.
During the winter of 1878-1879, my two other brothers were married. Tom had been working in eastern Minnesota for several years and went back there in the spring of 1879. Jim rented a farm in Wisconsin for that year and in the spring of 1880 they both went to Dakota and got claims near their brother, John. We were getting many letters that summer from the West, and my folks were pleased that their boys were doing well, but my mother pined a little that they were so far away. I, too, became a little dissatisfied and longed for the larger opportunities offered in that newer country.
In June a man came into our neighborhood from Ohio and it soon became known that
he would buy a small farm if he found one to suit him. My parents talked the matter over and decided to offer our farm to the man, and, of course my sister and I were strong for this. Much to our surprise, the man decided to buy the farm and the deal was soon made. We began making preparations for our move to the West. We had to stay and harvest our crop and had many other plans to make, so its early October before we were ready to start. My brothers had been advised of our plans, and while they were glad to have us come, they were a little worried if people as old as my parents could stand the hardships of pioneering. My fatherand mother were not worried at all about this. If they could have their family all near, they could stand anything. Amnyway, I was young and taough and was supposed to take most of the hard knocks.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Transcriber's Note
As I read and transcribe from the original Crothers Family Book, I'm using the spelling and punctuation from the original. Chapter headings stay the same. Occasionally a very long paragraph is being broken into two or more shorter paragraphs for ease of reading. Other than that, the text is transcribed just as it was in original, though sometimes a very long section is being broken into two posts, with the second section being labeled as 'continued from..."
I would love to have photos to go with the text. If you're a Crothers by kinship or marriage and have other materials, please get in touch. If you have a copy of one of the original books and would like to share in transcribing, please let me know.
There was a web site for awhile titled the Crothers House by Susan Cristofferson that is no longer on line that included some photos. Possibly some of those materials could be shared too
Hope to hear from some of you.
I would love to have photos to go with the text. If you're a Crothers by kinship or marriage and have other materials, please get in touch. If you have a copy of one of the original books and would like to share in transcribing, please let me know.
There was a web site for awhile titled the Crothers House by Susan Cristofferson that is no longer on line that included some photos. Possibly some of those materials could be shared too
Hope to hear from some of you.
CHAPTER II
PAPERS OF PERCY R. AND GEORGE E. CROTHERS
Life on Jordan Lake by Percy R. Crothers
The country schools were nothing to brag about in those days and during the hard times following the Civil War, boys were often kept out of school to help on the farm. I never got more than four months of schooling a year after I was fourteen years old.
Children on the farm were supposed to find their own entertainment. There were no movies, Boy Scouts, or organized ball teams. We used to play “three old cat” or pom pom pull away or hide and seek. I never cared for athletic sports anyway and to this day the sport pages have no attraction for me.
My uncle James’ farm was located along the south shore of Jordan Lake, one of the most beautiful of the small lakes found around Wisconsin. My home was less than half a mile from the north shore. There were lots of fish in the lake, and a neighbor boy could catch them readily, but a fish would never bite my hook. The only thing I excelled in was swimming. I was the champion swimmer in that neighborhood. Ducks and geese were plentiful on the lake during the spring and fall. In the earlier years wild pigeons came through in vast hoards.
I think it was in the spring of 1872 that the pigeons were a little late in reaching us, and the farmers were just seeding their grain. Grain at that time was scattered by hand and the pigeons would sweep over the fields as fast as we kids could run. Scarce a seed would be left. My sister and I nearly ran our legs off in the spring chasing pigeons. I think it was that spring that they nested in the tamarack swamp a few miles to the north of us. They were so thick there that they broke the branches off the trees and people would drive for miles to see them. The first game I ever shot was a wild pigeon. That was when I was 12 years old and that was the last year they ever came through. This bird has been extinct now for many years.
One of our early sports at the beginning of winter was fishing through the ice. As soon as the ice would become thick enough to be safe, it would be as smooth and clear as glass. Where the water was not more than four feet deep, one could see the fish through the ices plainly. A boy on skates with an ax in his hands and a short handled spear in his belt would skate along near the shore until he startled a fish; then away they would go. The fish could see the skater, too, and he would flee at top speed and dodge about. The skater would try to strike the ice directly over the fish so he would be skating and dodging and striking in a mad scramble. A hard blow of the ax directly over the fish would stun it, and it would remain quiet until the skater could chop a hole and spear the fish. The larger fish cold be caught this way, and it was great sport. Another method of fishing much practiced was torch light spearing in the spring after the ice would go out. I never enjoyed this method so much because being the youngest of the family it was always my job to row the boat while the older boys did the spearing.
It was the practice at that time and place for the farmers to fence their cultivated fields
and in the summer allow their cows to hunt their pasture in the woods. A bell would be placed on the lead cow and it was our job to hunt the cows and bring them home in the late afternoon. Usually they would be found within a mile or two of home, but in the late summer when the feed was getting scarce, they would often range several miles from home.
At such times it would often be dark when we would get home with them. There would come a time late in each summer when the woods would be thick with toad stools. They would last a week or so and the cattle were crazy for them. When they began to get scarce the cattle would run their legs off looking for them. That would mean trouble for the poor cow boy. Worst of all, that would occur about the time the corn was in the roasting stage, and the bears would come down from the north for their annual feast of green corn. We had a neighbor who kept a hound that was a famous bear dog and every day or two we would hear their dog chasing a bear or perhaps killing one. I began hunting the cows when twelve years old, and to a twelve year old boy in the woods after dark every bush looks like a bear. It is no wonder that my hair turned white early in life.
The nearest high school to us was the one in the village of Oxford, five miles away. My cousin, George, who was just my age, and I felt we could use a little more education, so in the fall of 1879 when we were 17 years old, we rented a small two room house of the edge of town. After moving in a few necessary articles of furniture, we moved in and were ready for school when it opened. We would move in on Sunday afternoon with our week’s provisions and on Friday after school we would hike for home if we did not get a chance to ride. In order to have a fair division of labor one of us would act as cook and the other as chamber maid one week and the next week exchange jobs. We got along fine. Our worst trouble was with our noon lunch. We did not have time to build a fire and warm things up, and in very cold weather everything would be frozen except the cake. We found that cake would not freeze.
Anyway, we got along. For that time and place Oxford school was a good school and we profited by our winter’s experience, not only by what we learned in the school but in brushing up against a lot of new young people, many of whom knew much more of the social graces than we did, which was a help to us. At the teachers’ examination in the spring, the county superintendent pronounced us qualified to teach a third grade school. I never made use of the permission, but my cousin George did and in time became a lawyer and newspaper editor, a man of influence in his state.
PAPERS OF PERCY R. AND GEORGE E. CROTHERS
Life on Jordan Lake by Percy R. Crothers
The country schools were nothing to brag about in those days and during the hard times following the Civil War, boys were often kept out of school to help on the farm. I never got more than four months of schooling a year after I was fourteen years old.
Children on the farm were supposed to find their own entertainment. There were no movies, Boy Scouts, or organized ball teams. We used to play “three old cat” or pom pom pull away or hide and seek. I never cared for athletic sports anyway and to this day the sport pages have no attraction for me.
My uncle James’ farm was located along the south shore of Jordan Lake, one of the most beautiful of the small lakes found around Wisconsin. My home was less than half a mile from the north shore. There were lots of fish in the lake, and a neighbor boy could catch them readily, but a fish would never bite my hook. The only thing I excelled in was swimming. I was the champion swimmer in that neighborhood. Ducks and geese were plentiful on the lake during the spring and fall. In the earlier years wild pigeons came through in vast hoards.
I think it was in the spring of 1872 that the pigeons were a little late in reaching us, and the farmers were just seeding their grain. Grain at that time was scattered by hand and the pigeons would sweep over the fields as fast as we kids could run. Scarce a seed would be left. My sister and I nearly ran our legs off in the spring chasing pigeons. I think it was that spring that they nested in the tamarack swamp a few miles to the north of us. They were so thick there that they broke the branches off the trees and people would drive for miles to see them. The first game I ever shot was a wild pigeon. That was when I was 12 years old and that was the last year they ever came through. This bird has been extinct now for many years.
One of our early sports at the beginning of winter was fishing through the ice. As soon as the ice would become thick enough to be safe, it would be as smooth and clear as glass. Where the water was not more than four feet deep, one could see the fish through the ices plainly. A boy on skates with an ax in his hands and a short handled spear in his belt would skate along near the shore until he startled a fish; then away they would go. The fish could see the skater, too, and he would flee at top speed and dodge about. The skater would try to strike the ice directly over the fish so he would be skating and dodging and striking in a mad scramble. A hard blow of the ax directly over the fish would stun it, and it would remain quiet until the skater could chop a hole and spear the fish. The larger fish cold be caught this way, and it was great sport. Another method of fishing much practiced was torch light spearing in the spring after the ice would go out. I never enjoyed this method so much because being the youngest of the family it was always my job to row the boat while the older boys did the spearing.
It was the practice at that time and place for the farmers to fence their cultivated fields
and in the summer allow their cows to hunt their pasture in the woods. A bell would be placed on the lead cow and it was our job to hunt the cows and bring them home in the late afternoon. Usually they would be found within a mile or two of home, but in the late summer when the feed was getting scarce, they would often range several miles from home.
At such times it would often be dark when we would get home with them. There would come a time late in each summer when the woods would be thick with toad stools. They would last a week or so and the cattle were crazy for them. When they began to get scarce the cattle would run their legs off looking for them. That would mean trouble for the poor cow boy. Worst of all, that would occur about the time the corn was in the roasting stage, and the bears would come down from the north for their annual feast of green corn. We had a neighbor who kept a hound that was a famous bear dog and every day or two we would hear their dog chasing a bear or perhaps killing one. I began hunting the cows when twelve years old, and to a twelve year old boy in the woods after dark every bush looks like a bear. It is no wonder that my hair turned white early in life.
The nearest high school to us was the one in the village of Oxford, five miles away. My cousin, George, who was just my age, and I felt we could use a little more education, so in the fall of 1879 when we were 17 years old, we rented a small two room house of the edge of town. After moving in a few necessary articles of furniture, we moved in and were ready for school when it opened. We would move in on Sunday afternoon with our week’s provisions and on Friday after school we would hike for home if we did not get a chance to ride. In order to have a fair division of labor one of us would act as cook and the other as chamber maid one week and the next week exchange jobs. We got along fine. Our worst trouble was with our noon lunch. We did not have time to build a fire and warm things up, and in very cold weather everything would be frozen except the cake. We found that cake would not freeze.
Anyway, we got along. For that time and place Oxford school was a good school and we profited by our winter’s experience, not only by what we learned in the school but in brushing up against a lot of new young people, many of whom knew much more of the social graces than we did, which was a help to us. At the teachers’ examination in the spring, the county superintendent pronounced us qualified to teach a third grade school. I never made use of the permission, but my cousin George did and in time became a lawyer and newspaper editor, a man of influence in his state.
Belfast to Adams County Wisconsin
“The first of my family, of whom I know, lived a few miles out of Belfast, Ireland in the later years of the 18th century. I never knew his first name and knew nothing of him except that he had three sons. One of the sons was named George, but I have forgotten the name of the other two. George had two sons, James and Robert. Georges’ two brothers each had a son named Robert—Big Robert and Little Robert. I now nothing of any other children they might have had. Big Robert and Little Robert came to America about 1840 and settled in the province of Quebec near Lake Champlain….James came to America in 1841 and settled a little farther south at Pike River, Canada. My father (Robert) came over in 1842. After working six years near Hartford, Conn., he bought land across the road from his brother James. My father and his brother James sold their farms in Canada and moved to Adams County, Wis., in 1856.”
“My grandmother’s maiden name was Margaret Graham. The only thing I know about her family is that her father was one of six brothers all over six feet tall and weighing over 14 stone. (a stone was about 14 pounds). They were all terrible fighters and in the days when every Irishman carried a shilleiagh fornint him, they were the terror of the country. I will say that shillelagh means “a stout stic” or “cudgel” and “forint” means “in front of.” Most papers in this country that use that word give it the meaning ‘against,’ but this is wrong.”
“Big Robert had a chance to get hold of a lot of leather at a great bargain and then learned the leather had been stolen. A family council was held and it was decided the leather must be turned over to the police. The question was, who would do it? Robert evidently knew too much to want to be questioned and his father was too old, so James was picked for the goat.”
“James at that time was engaged to a very pretty dark eyed girl by the name of Ann Briggs. The leather was loaded onto the cart and James drove it through the streets of Belfast to the police station and was promptly arrested for possession of stolen property. All he could tell them was he had not stolen it but was returning it to them. Not being able to tell how he had come by it, he was put into jail and kept there some weeks until the authorities became satisfied that he was just an innocent errand boy and let him go. During the time he was in jail, Ann Briggs visited him everyday and took him food she had prepared for him.
About that time there seems to have been sudden migration of the Crothers family to America, headed by Big Robert. A little later James and Ann were married and they sailed across. A year later my father and his mother also came to America. I never heard my father say, but I imagine those who came first helped the others to follow, for I am sure money was very hard to come by in Ireland. I do not know how much Big Robert was involved in that leather deal, but at any rate he seemed to have learned his lesson for he became a very respectable citizen in Canada and raised a fine family and gave some of them at least a college education.”
“It was in May, 1849 that James Crothers and Ann Briggs were married in Ireland. A year
later they came to a French Canadian settlement in Quebec, Canada. James farmed in
the summer and worked in the lumber camps in the winter. One reason they moved to
Wisconsin was that the schools taught French only and they wanted their children to learn
English. They knew some people who were living in Wisconsin by the names of Hamilton and Russell. Robert and his family traveled with James to Wisconsin.”
Percy R. Crothers writes:
“…They drove from their homes at Pike River to the north shore of Lake Ontario, crossed the lake by boat, and drove to Buffalo, and again took a boat to Detroit. A new railroad had just been completed from Detroit to Fort Dearborn (Chicago), so they shipped by rail to Fort Dearborn, where again they took the boat for Sheboygan, Wisconsin. From Sheboygan, they drove west until they reached a point between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers in what is now known as southern Adams County. Here they settle down, opened their farms, and raised their families.”
“There is some question about the method of travel used on this trip. Some say they came to Chicago by water and traveled overland to Jordan Lake.”
“The mother of James and Robert was Margaret Graham, according to the letters of Percy Crothers. She came to Canada with one of her sons and died in 1858, two years after they arrived in Wisconsin. For many years she was blind. She was buried in the Tanner Burying Ground, which is not recognized as a cemetery now, but is just a sandy, windswept piece of land on the Ray Rodger farm in Adams County, Wisconsin.”
“My grandmother’s maiden name was Margaret Graham. The only thing I know about her family is that her father was one of six brothers all over six feet tall and weighing over 14 stone. (a stone was about 14 pounds). They were all terrible fighters and in the days when every Irishman carried a shilleiagh fornint him, they were the terror of the country. I will say that shillelagh means “a stout stic” or “cudgel” and “forint” means “in front of.” Most papers in this country that use that word give it the meaning ‘against,’ but this is wrong.”
“Big Robert had a chance to get hold of a lot of leather at a great bargain and then learned the leather had been stolen. A family council was held and it was decided the leather must be turned over to the police. The question was, who would do it? Robert evidently knew too much to want to be questioned and his father was too old, so James was picked for the goat.”
“James at that time was engaged to a very pretty dark eyed girl by the name of Ann Briggs. The leather was loaded onto the cart and James drove it through the streets of Belfast to the police station and was promptly arrested for possession of stolen property. All he could tell them was he had not stolen it but was returning it to them. Not being able to tell how he had come by it, he was put into jail and kept there some weeks until the authorities became satisfied that he was just an innocent errand boy and let him go. During the time he was in jail, Ann Briggs visited him everyday and took him food she had prepared for him.
About that time there seems to have been sudden migration of the Crothers family to America, headed by Big Robert. A little later James and Ann were married and they sailed across. A year later my father and his mother also came to America. I never heard my father say, but I imagine those who came first helped the others to follow, for I am sure money was very hard to come by in Ireland. I do not know how much Big Robert was involved in that leather deal, but at any rate he seemed to have learned his lesson for he became a very respectable citizen in Canada and raised a fine family and gave some of them at least a college education.”
“It was in May, 1849 that James Crothers and Ann Briggs were married in Ireland. A year
later they came to a French Canadian settlement in Quebec, Canada. James farmed in
the summer and worked in the lumber camps in the winter. One reason they moved to
Wisconsin was that the schools taught French only and they wanted their children to learn
English. They knew some people who were living in Wisconsin by the names of Hamilton and Russell. Robert and his family traveled with James to Wisconsin.”
Percy R. Crothers writes:
“…They drove from their homes at Pike River to the north shore of Lake Ontario, crossed the lake by boat, and drove to Buffalo, and again took a boat to Detroit. A new railroad had just been completed from Detroit to Fort Dearborn (Chicago), so they shipped by rail to Fort Dearborn, where again they took the boat for Sheboygan, Wisconsin. From Sheboygan, they drove west until they reached a point between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers in what is now known as southern Adams County. Here they settle down, opened their farms, and raised their families.”
“There is some question about the method of travel used on this trip. Some say they came to Chicago by water and traveled overland to Jordan Lake.”
“The mother of James and Robert was Margaret Graham, according to the letters of Percy Crothers. She came to Canada with one of her sons and died in 1858, two years after they arrived in Wisconsin. For many years she was blind. She was buried in the Tanner Burying Ground, which is not recognized as a cemetery now, but is just a sandy, windswept piece of land on the Ray Rodger farm in Adams County, Wisconsin.”
Origin of the Crothers Name
Analysis and Genealogy of the Name CAROTHERS by LaRina
“The CAROTHERS or CARRUTHERS family as they are known in Scotland are descended from a proud lineage which resided in County Dumfries for over seven centuries. Their name means ‘Red Fortress’ named after the red rocks from which their ancient stronghold was built.
“The Carruthers family manor was at Annadale. William Carruthers, head of the family in 1329 was active in support of King David II. Later, about 1440, Thomas Carruthers was specially rewarded by King James II for his services against the English.
“The Carruthers coat-of-arms consists of two chevrons between three flueurs-de-lis on a red shield.“Their motto, “Promptus et Fidelis” means “Ready and Faithful.”
“The surname spread into northern England and in the 1700s to America. Distortions of Carruthers are numerous and some are almost unrecognizable; such as CROTHERS, CRUDDIS, CARUDDERS, AND CARRUTHERS.
The late Percy R. Crothers of Brookings, South Dakota wrote:
“The name Carruthers originated…by the use of the Celtic word caer, meaning a stronghold or camp, with the name Ruther. Caer Ruther, meaning the stronghold or camp of Ruther. This had become a place name in Dumphryshire, Scotland in the 4th century and by the 16th century had become a family name of the people living there. (They were known as the lowlanders of South Scotland. They fought when the English invaded Scotland and finally were overcome and moved to North Ireland.)
“The several ways of spelling the name at present are not surprising, for in times past it was likely many who bore the name could not spell. When they began to use the written name the tendency was to shorten the spelling and spell the name as it sounded. My own family has used the spelling Crothers back as far as I have been able to trace them.”
“The CAROTHERS or CARRUTHERS family as they are known in Scotland are descended from a proud lineage which resided in County Dumfries for over seven centuries. Their name means ‘Red Fortress’ named after the red rocks from which their ancient stronghold was built.
“The Carruthers family manor was at Annadale. William Carruthers, head of the family in 1329 was active in support of King David II. Later, about 1440, Thomas Carruthers was specially rewarded by King James II for his services against the English.
“The Carruthers coat-of-arms consists of two chevrons between three flueurs-de-lis on a red shield.“Their motto, “Promptus et Fidelis” means “Ready and Faithful.”
“The surname spread into northern England and in the 1700s to America. Distortions of Carruthers are numerous and some are almost unrecognizable; such as CROTHERS, CRUDDIS, CARUDDERS, AND CARRUTHERS.
The late Percy R. Crothers of Brookings, South Dakota wrote:
“The name Carruthers originated…by the use of the Celtic word caer, meaning a stronghold or camp, with the name Ruther. Caer Ruther, meaning the stronghold or camp of Ruther. This had become a place name in Dumphryshire, Scotland in the 4th century and by the 16th century had become a family name of the people living there. (They were known as the lowlanders of South Scotland. They fought when the English invaded Scotland and finally were overcome and moved to North Ireland.)
“The several ways of spelling the name at present are not surprising, for in times past it was likely many who bore the name could not spell. When they began to use the written name the tendency was to shorten the spelling and spell the name as it sounded. My own family has used the spelling Crothers back as far as I have been able to trace them.”
The Crothers Family Book
The Crothers Family Book was a self-published family history with articles and data collected by Marjorie M. Maurer of 714 Janice Avenue, Lockport, Illinois, dated April 1956. It was "Dedicated to all those whose names appear herewithin, hoping this will bring us all closer and keep future generations in contact with each other."
Over time, I plan to continue her work by transcribing the fading purple print in my copy of the book and posting the stories and genealogy charts from her original work. I too hope this will bring us all closer and keep future generations in contact with each other.
If you have pictures or stories related to Crothers history, please check my profile for my email address. I would be interested in hearing from you. It would be wonderful to have pictures and other stories to add, enriching the history of the past and bringing the stories forward to our own time.
Over time, I plan to continue her work by transcribing the fading purple print in my copy of the book and posting the stories and genealogy charts from her original work. I too hope this will bring us all closer and keep future generations in contact with each other.
If you have pictures or stories related to Crothers history, please check my profile for my email address. I would be interested in hearing from you. It would be wonderful to have pictures and other stories to add, enriching the history of the past and bringing the stories forward to our own time.
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