Part 22 (1/2)

GEORGE W MCMURPHY was born at Newcastle, Delaware, in 1821 In 1845 he came to St Croix Falls, and in 1848 to Clifton, where he pre-empted the beautiful homestead which he still holds, and where he has successfully followed the business of far He has been repeatedly elected to town and county offices In 1848 he was ustus (resident of St Paul), George (a physician living in Ortonville, Minnesota), Jahters Mr McMurphy is a ational church

OSBORNE STRAHL was born in Belmont county, Ohio, in 1818; came to Galena, Illinois, in 1838, in 1845 to Mauston and Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and to Chippewa Falls in 1847 During these years he followed lu In 1850 he came to the town of Elisabeth, St

Croix county, which on subsequent division of towns and counties left Mr Strahl in Clifton, where he has been engaged in far He was married in 1860 to Rebecca McDonald They have two sons, W in Dakota, Howard P, in River Falls; three daughters, Mabel, wife of Joseph M Shters unmarried Mr Strahl filled various town and county offices

CHARLES B cox was born June 25, 1810, in Chenango county, New York

He learned the trade of a miller, lived in Ohio seventeen years and carist ed his residence to River Falls in 1854, where he lived till 1874, when he reround three hundred bushels of wheat, the sole product of the valley

EPHRAIM HARNSBERGER was born in Kentucky, Nov 21, 1824, moved with his parents to Illinois in 1832, and to Prescott in 1847, where he pre-empted a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres He was married at Alton, Illinois, in 1858, to Lizzie Johnson Their children are Charles, Sarah Etta, and Jennie

DIAMOND BLUFF

Is a triangular shaped town, the hypotenuse being formed by the Mississippi river It contains ten sections and three fractional sections in town 25, range 18, and five sections and five fractional sections in town 25, range 19 It is traversed in the eastern part by Trimbelle river The toas established in 1857, and the first townwas held that year at the home of David Comstock The town board consisted of: Supervisors--Ja and C F Hoyt; justice, S Hunter Susan Rogers taught the first school This town has the honor of clai the first white settler, aside from traders, in the Upper Mississippi valley He cae of Diaive elsewhere a somewhat extended account of this ancient pioneer, with so hih to warrant their insertion In historic times a post office was established here in 1854, called at the time, Hoytstown, froanization of the town the nae has since grown up around it The first frame house was built in 1855, by Enoch Quinby The first sermon was preached by Rev J W Hancock, a Presbyterianthe Indians The first birth was that of Mary Day, in 1851, and the first death that of Daniel crappers, in 1854

CAPT JOHN PAINE--Jack Paine, as he is fareater part of his life has been a seafaring man For the past thirty years he has been a steamboat man on the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers He has been married three times: first in Rhode Island, second to Mrs La Blond, of St Louis, and last to Miss Ressue, of Diamond Bluff He came to Diamond Bluff in 1848, with four children of his first wife, his second wife having died childless He is now living with his third wife in La Crosse

They have three children

JOHN DAY was born in Martinsburg, Virginia In 1850 he and his wife and three children, with Allen B Wilson and his wife, came to Diamond Bluff Mr Day is well known as a fearless and enthusiastic hunter In 1852 he had a close encounter with a large black bear, which, after a desperate struggle, he killed with an axe The Indians considered Mr

Day as ”waukon,” supernatural, averring that their bravest warriors would not have attacked singly so large an animal

SARAH A VANCE, the wife of Mr Day, was born in Kentucky The Vance family were famous pioneers, and some of thee was to John R Shores, by whom she had two children, one of whom, Isabella, became the wife of A R

Wilson

ALLEN R WILSON--Mr Wilson was born in Kentucky; spent his early boyhood in Shawneetown, Illinois; was married to Miss Shores at Potosi, Wisconsin, April 16, 1848, and in 1850 careat interest in politics, was an ardent Republican, and was a the first to volunteer his services for the suppression of the Rebellion in 1861 He enlisted in Coiment, Wisconsin Volunteers, and fell in battle, Sept 14, 1862, at South Mountain Mr Wilson ell informed, a close observer of political events at home and abroad, and was a brave and efficient soldier He left five children

E S COULTER--Mr Coulter is a Virginian by birth In early ent, and finally settled at Dia and dealing in wheat and merchandise

JAMES BAMBER, ex-musician in the British and United States armies

JACOB MEAD, ex-shoemaker, ex-soldier and miner, a man of superior natural and acquired talent

CHARLES WALBRIDGE came to Dia a large property

CHARLES F HOYT, with his wife and one child, came to Diamond Bluff from Illinois, in 1853

ENOCH QUINBY was born at Sandwich, New Hainally from Athens, Maine Mr Quinby and his wife came from Pittsfield, Illinois, to Diamond Bluff in 1854

THE FIRST SETTLER