Pioneers Early Settlers Family Families of Milwaukee Ozaukee Sheboygan Washington Waukesha County Counties Wisconsin Pioneers Early Settlers Family Families of Milwaukee Ozaukee Sheboygan Washington Waukesha County Counties Wisconsin Pioneers Early Settlers Family Families of Milwaukee Ozaukee Sheboygan Washington Waukesha County Counties Wisconsin

Subject Listing:
Pioneers of Southeastern Wisconsin Collections, A-I

Pioneer Collections, J-R

Pioneer Collections, S-Z

This subject guide contains descriptions of collections containing materials predating 1865. In some cases, the materials are recollections about events before that year. The guide does not contain citations to commonly used genealogical collections.

Aarons-Jung-Sheuerman family papers, 1850-1992.
UWM Manuscript Collection 44
Papers of three related Jewish families, with some information on other extended relatives, mostly from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The papers were compiled by Matilda Jung. Includes family correspondence, usually discussing personal affairs, of Judge Charles Aarons, Lehman (Buz) Aarons, Louise Aarons Blosten, Matilda Jung, and other relatives; scrapbooks documenting the life of Matilda Aarons Jung and Rose Sheuerman Aarons; family histories for the Aarons, Frankel, Jung, Schram, and Sheuerman families; and photographs and photograph albums of the Aarons and Jung families. Finding aid available in the Archives

Alden, Albert, 1811-1892.
Papers, 1836-1878.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection CC
Correspondence, record books, deeds, indentures and mortgages of Waukesha County's first sheriff. Also includes an extract with translation of Pierre Sonnerat's 1782 book Voyage aux Indes Orientales et a la Chine; and genealogical materials on the Alden and Brewster families, especially James Alden who became an admiral in the Civil War.

Bank of Milwaukee. Board of Directors.
Minute book, 1837-1842.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection AB
Minute book, beginning with the first meeting of the Board from 5 January 1837 to 2 August 1842.

Barelmann family.
Papers [microform], 1852-1901.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 10
Correspondence, military documents, insurance policies, indentures, citizenship and marriage certificates, and other documents of the family, which immigrated to Ozaukee County from Germany around 1857.

Bartholf, Adelia.
Diary, 1858-1859.
Milwaukee Small Collection 195
Diary entries, May 13 to December 30, 1858, written by Bartholf when a young woman living in Greenbush, Wisconsin, commenting on her daily activities at home and as a teacher, local personalities and events, and personal matters.

Bender, Peter.
Papers, 1828-1914.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection CH
Papers of a Milwaukee County commission merchant and mill owner; including certificates, bills, legal documents, and other materials concerning the Milwaukee and Green Bay Plank Road, daybooks of the Bender and Johnson Superior Grist Mills (1870-1880), and miscellaneous papers (1828-1914).

Bergwall, George Edward, 1806-1873.
Papers, 1858-1949.
Milwaukee Small Collection 50
Translations of letters written to relatives in Sweden by George Bergwall and his wife Ebba, residents of New Upsala, Waukesha County, including comments on American public issues and events; and genealogical information on the Bergwall family. Includes letters by Charlotte Bergwall while on an 1889 trip to Sweden, biographical information, and a genealogical chart showing the ancestry of Edward Anton Bergwall and of his wife, Jennie Marie Brown. Also contains letters written by the Bergwall children.

Birchard, John F., 1819-1894.
Papers, 1836-1930.
Milwaukee Small Collection 161
Papers of a Milwaukee furniture manufacturer, and a few belonging to his wife, Harriett Fanning Birchard, primarily consisting of exchanges with family members, legal and financial documents, and genealogical notes. Although health and family matters predominate, there are some materials on Birchard's business concerns.

Bird, Miriam Y.
History of Granville, Wisconsin, 1850-1900.
UWM Manuscript Collection 85
Collection contains Bird's history of the township of Granville, Wisconsin from 1850-1900. Includes a bibliography and information on churches, cemeteries, Indian camp sites, maps, roads, schools, settlers, and survey and deed terms. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Bird, Miriam Y.
Town of Milwaukee's early settlers, 1992.
UWM Manuscript Collection 117
Manuscript history compiled by Bird from published and unpublished sources of early families who lived in the town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Each family has a separate biographical sheet, providing names, ages, occupations, property ownership, vital dates, and data from cemeteries. The manuscript also includes several photographs of existing original structures and copies of plat maps. An index to the family names is at the beginning of the manuscript. The town of Milwaukee was created in 1838, and portions became the towns of Wauwatosa and Granville (1840s); Whitefish Bay (1892); Shorewood (1900); Fox Point (1926); River Hills (1930); Glendale (1950); and Bayside (1954). The town of Milwaukee legally ceased to exist in 1955. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Booth, Sherman M., 1812-1904.
Family papers, 1818-1908.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BB
Papers of a 19th-century Wisconsin abolitionist agitator, politician, lecturer and publisher. Includes correspondence concerning Booth family affairs; miscellaneous school and church materials collected by Booth's daughters while living in Connecticut; Civil War soldiers' medical examination records; family diaries; and school notebooks of Lillian May Booth, one of Sherman Booth's daughters. The majority of the collection concerns the family of Adeline P. Corss, mother of the second Mrs. Booth. The letters written during the Civil War almost completely ignore the conflict; they are instead concerned with the affairs of Booth and his family. Booth wrote only about 145 of the estimated 3,000 letters in the collection; these are mainly to his daughters and to Adeline Corss. Booth's letters have been photocopied, and the originals also remain in the collection. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Brandt, Gerard.
Papers, 1850-1860.
Milwaukee Small Collection 47
Letters from Gerard and Catherine Brandt of Holland Township in Sheboygan County to relatives and friends, chiefly in Milwaukee and the Netherlands, about personal and religious matters, and life in Wisconsin. Contains the original letters in Dutch, and transcriptions in Dutch and English.

Camp, David M.
Papers, 1820-1867.
Milwaukee Small Collection 31
Account book kept by David Camp at Montpelier, Vermont, and at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, dealing largely with personal and household purchases and expenditures.

Castleman, Alfred L.
Papers, 1838-1875.
Milwaukee Small Collection 196
A letter written by Delafield, Wisconsin resident, dated February 15, 1854, critical of statements made about him; Milwaukee tax receipts, notes for money owed him, Mary Castleman's grades report from Milwaukee Female College, and a memorial notice for Anthony Green who died December 16, 1870.

Central United Methodist Church (Milwaukee, Wis.).
Records, 1844-1973.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection AT, Milwaukee Micro Collection 3, and Milwaukee Micro Collection 56
Records of a church formed in 1969 from two urban predecessor congregations: the First Methodist Church and the Wesley Methodist Church. The records of the First Methodist Church are notable for their rarity or completeness when compared with the Archives' other church records. The files include church bulletins (1900-1973); sacramental records (1892-1933); financial records dating to 1844; records of the Milwaukee Missionary Society; and information on various remodeling efforts. Also includes minutes of the church, dating to 1853, which are not complete but are the most important source on the history of the congregation. Minutes of special meetings (1906-1966) are available on Milwaukee Micro Collection 3. The sermons of Ensworth Reisner (1943-1973) are available on Milwaukee Micro Collection 56. For Wesley Methodist there are sacramental records (1883-1922), collected historical materials, and some ministerial subject files from the 1960s. There are few records from the Central United Methodist Church itself. Finding aid available in the Archives

Chase, Enoch, 1809-1892.
Papers, 1876.
Milwaukee Small Collection 32
Reminiscences describing early Milwaukee and its residents, beginning with Chase's journey to the area in 1831, used in James S. Buck's 1890 Pioneer History of Milwaukee.

Clark, Ellen J. Harlow, 1845-1938.
Papers, 1864-1866.
Milwaukee Small Collection 70
Correspondence of Ellen Harlow, resulting from her 1863 attendance as a student at Milwaukee College; including three letters from Katie Flanders, a fellow student, and one letter to and one letter from Sara McMechan, a teacher there; plus a clipped obituary.

Crocker, Hans, 1815-1889.
Papers, 1836-1887.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 85
Miscellaneous papers of a Milwaukeean active in Wisconsin economic development. The bulk of the collection (1846-1871) documents real estate transactions, consisting almost entirely of quitclaims and property tax receipts from Crocker's activities as a railroad receiver and investor in land and other ventures. Also contains some correspondence of Crocker, of relatives by marriage, and of business associates. The materials provide information on the price and ownership of land, but not on its subsequent use. Collection also contains some records pertaining to the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad, and includes a few items concerning the transportation of soldiers during the early years of the Civil War. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Day, Frederick T., 1842-1920.
Business papers, 1855-1910.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection M
Papers, including cash and letter books, of a Milwaukee real estate and loan operator and president of the Plankinton Bank. Most of the collection relates to the operation of the loan business, especially the making of loans on farm lands in the Dakotas, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. There is a vast quantity of correspondence, much of it routine, with mortgagers and with local agents concerning the examination of applications for loans, collection of interest commissions, security, abstracts of title, extensions of mortgages, foreclosures, and taxes. The agents included Melvin Grisby, C. M. Harrison, Edward J. Hodgson, and George W. Wishard. The collection contains letterbooks dealing with the administration of the firm's assignee, William H. Momsen. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Dexter-Roundy family papers, 1772-1951.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 108
Contains detailed correspondence between Judson A. Roundy and Joshua L. Dexter concerning family matters and the establishment of their Shelbyville, Illinois grocery business in 1851 and Milwaukee grocery business in 1872; letters and diaries of Joshua's son Charles J. concerning his education, early life, 1879 move to Milwaukee, and business career; correspondence and brief diaries of Charles' son Edward; and a 1908 European travel diary and correspondence of Charles' wife Effie McBeth Dexter. Also contains the articles of incorporation, examples of advertising, and circular letters of the grocery firm (which has undergone numerous name changes). Collection includes family photographs, genealogical material, and miscellaneous correspondence of the extended family. All of the diaries are available on microfilm. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Donaldson, Nathaniel S.
Papers, 1839-1850.
Milwaukee Small Collection 25
Portion of a ledger (1839-1845); an indenture (1842); and two business letters (1844, 1850), kept by a Milwaukee merchant.

Douglas, James.
James and Margaret Douglas papers, 1840-1930.
Milwaukee Small Collection 162
Letters, including typed transcriptions, describing America to family members in Scotland from James and Margaret Douglas, immigrants who first lived in Mount Morris, New York and then settled in Milwaukee in 1844. The letters describe their passage to New York, costs of goods, clearing of land, and farming conditions in New York and Wisconsin. Also includes one letter, written about 1930, transmitting the letters to a Douglas granddaughter from a cousin in New Zealand.

Downer, Jason, 1813-1883.
Papers, 1853-1883.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection O
Business and personal letters of a Milwaukee lawyer, including extensive legal files containing office copies of materials prepared for legal cases, deeds, wills, and leases. The best documented cases involve a series of lawsuits between Peter McNab, Josiah A. Noonan, and John Jay Orton concerning the failure of the Humboldt and Menomonee Paper Mills. Most of the remainder of the collection contains miscellaneous personal financial information concerning fees and land purchases. A small amount of correspondence concerns Downer's involvement with the Fox Lake Academy. Most of Downer's family correspondence refers to business matters. There is almost no mention of the Civil War in the correspondence from 1861-1865. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Emmons, Norman.
Papers, 1840-1882.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EV
Papers of a Milwaukee attorney and railroad executive. Most of the collection is correspondence relating to Indian claims at Mackinac, Michigan; letters from New York investor Russell Sage about his Wisconsin business affairs; and several Civil War letters. Also contains correspondence of Emmons' brother-in-law Robert Eliot concerning family matters, and includes an 1852 letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Theodore Parker concering the inscription on the Concord Bridge, and an 1854 letter of appointment to the rank of lieutenant from Matthew C. Perry to Garret V. Denniston. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Foley, John.
Account book, 1864-1877.
Milwaukee Small Collection 26
Account book shows cash expenditures and receipts for Foley's family and store in Wauwatosa.

Giddings, David.
Papers, 1827-1884.
Milwaukee Small Collection 57
Copies of documents concerning David Giddings, a pioneer settler in Sheboygan Falls; including family letters, letters about land transactions, deeds and other legal documents, and an 1884 letter by Giddings recalling his arrival and first experiences in Wisconsin.

Goodnow, Lyman.
Manuscript, [1880?].
Milwaukee Small Collection 19
Typed manuscript of how Goodnow helped the first slave escape to Canada from Wisconsin Territory in 1843. The slave was a sixteen year old girl named Caroline Quarlls, who originally escaped from St. Louis.

H. Niedecken Co.
Records, 1845-1865.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BU
Records of a Milwaukee stationery, book binding, and blank book manufacturing company founded by Henry Niedecken, including journals (1845-1851); ledgers (1853-1856); business letter book (1848-1854); cash book (1854-1856); and an invoice book (1848-1854). Finding aid available in the Archives.

Hauser, Otto R., 1886-1972.
Papers, 1860-1972.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection CF
Papers of a Milwaukee Baptist minister and Socialist leader who helped organize American Relief for Germany, an organization which raised money for German relief after World War II. The collection consists primarily of minutes, organizational materials, photographs, reports, speeches, a film, and other records of American Relief for Germany. Also contains Hauser's recorded autobiography, several school notebooks, and diaries, mostly in German. Miscellaneous items include files on Immanuel Baptist Church, Roger Williams Hospital; a few speeches and pamphlets from Hauser's two political campaigns; his secretaryship to Mayor Hoan of Milwaukee; his opposition to war and fascism; and his support of Milwaukee's blacks. Finding aid available in the Archives.

Hazelton, Gerry W. (Gerry Whiting).
Papers, 1852-1920.
Milwaukee Manuscript CD
Papers of a Milwaukee attorney and congressman, mainly concerning family affairs; a few letters from his Republican colleagues; a diary of an European tour (1892); and certificates of membership and appointments.

Immanuel Presyterian Church (Milwaukee, Wis.).
Card indexes, 1837-1880.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BT
Card indexes of persons received and dismissed at the church

Increase A. Lapham collection, 1870-1964.
UWM Manuscript Collection 5
Miscellaneous materials concerning a pioneer Wisconsin naturalist, including several photographs, letters and an article about the 1964 dedication of the Lapham Rock memorial at the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, newclippings, and a biography. Also contains Lapham's shaving box and other miscellaneous artifacts, and two manuscripts of Charles Lapham's 1874 oration on "Nature's Laws." Finding aid available in the Archives.

Independent Order of Good Templars. Lodge 94 (Greenbush, Wis.).
Records, 1863-1870.
Milwaukee Small Collection 165
Photocopied minutes of the lodge, which was involved with the temperance movement, from its organization to dissolution, and membership lists.