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     The town of Monroe embraces congressional township 2 north, range 7 east, of the fourth principal meridian, except that portion which is included within the incorporated limits of the city of Monroe, which lies in the southeastern part of this town.  The surface of this town is, in places, quite broken, yet it is all an excellent agricultural and stock raising region.  The soil here is variable.  That in the east and south is rich, dark loam, while in the northwest there are some ridges with a clay soil.
The principal farm products grown in this town during the year 1882, were as follows:  1,731 bushels wheat; 79,568 bushels corn; 40,577 bushels oats; 160 bushels barley; 2,242 bushels rye; 5,550 bushels potatoes; 1,510 bushels root crops; 1,780 bushels apples; 44 bushels clover seed; 24 bushels timothy seed; 2,919 tons hay; 46,900 pounds butter; 172,250 pounds cheese.
      The average of the principal farm products growing in the town, at the time of making the annual assessment, in 1883, was a s follows: 146 1/2 acres wheat;2,572 acres corn; 1,450 acres oats; 103 acres rye; 70 1/2 acres potatoes; 55 1/2 acres apple orchard; 2,865 bearing trees; 1 acre tobacco; 2,723 acres grass; 1,907 acres growing timber.
 The live stock in the town, in 1883, was assessed a s follows: 600 horses, average value, $70.90, total, $42,543; 2,575 head of cattle, average value $23.62, total $59,829; 8 mules, average value $100, total $800; 844 sheep, average value $2.31, total $1,951; 1,695 swine, average value $6.62, total $11,237; 734 milch cows, valued at $19,108.
 The land in this town was assessed at $15.50 per acre.  The total value of real estate $424,560; total value of real and personal property, $649,835.
      The first move toward settlement, in what is now the town of Monroe, was made in 1830.
      John B. Skinner came here that year, for the purpose of mining.  He erected a log cabin and smalting furnace just north of the south line of the northeast quarter of section 10.  There were others here at the same time, in his employ.  It seems that they all left about the time of the Black Hawk War.  In the spring of 1834, Nicholas Cornelius visited the place and found four vacant log cabins, and a log building for a smelting furnace.  One of these cabins was on a rise of ground, and there were port holes in every side of it, showing that they were prepared to defend themselves in case of attack.  In 1835, operations were again begun here by Nicholas Cornelius, Hiram Rust, Richard Palmer and Joab Enos.  Mr. Palmer had a wife and three children.  The other men were single, and boarded with him.  Mr. Enos left in the fall of 1835, while the others remained until  the fall of 1836.  They sold their ore to William S. Hamilton, a son of Alexander Hamilton, of National fame.  He had a smelting furnace at Wiota.
     In the spring of 1835 Hiram Rust and Leonard Ross claimed the east half of section 35, built a log cabin and did some breaking.  Mr. Rust was there but a short time, when he went to the mines as before stated.  Mr. Ross stopped and held the claim until that fall, when he went to Wiota and engaged in smelting ore.  He sold . . .

. . . the claim to the Wilcox Bros., who entered the land but never settled on it.
     In the winter of 1835-6, Hiram Rust entered the southwest quarter of section 27, and also the southwest quarter of section 28.  He employed some one to do the first breaking on his land, while he was engaged in mining.  He afterward married and settled on section 27, and made his home there until the time of his death.  He was a native of Litchfield Co., Conn.  He was a man much respected by all, and was one of the first justices of the peace of the town.  For a number of years he was superintendent of the county poor.
     George Reeder, a native of Ohio, came in 1836, and entered land on section 25.  He improved a farm and lived theron some years, when he returned to Ohio.
     N. Cornelius came in 1836, and is a native of Illinois, born in St. Clair county nine miles east of St. Louis.  He was reared upon a farm, and remained upon the same until he came to Wisconsin.  His parents were Joseph and Mary (Rutter) Cornelius, both of whom are now dead and buried in St. Clair Co., Ill.  The former was of Scotch descent and the latter of German parentage.  In 1834 he left his native county and went to Galena, thence to this county.  During that summer he broke land at Brewster's Ferry.  During that time he passed over the land where the city of Monroe now stands, which then was without an inhabitant or anything except the wild prairie.  He also visited "Skinner's Diggings" and the following winter worked in the new diggings.  The pioneers of that day had many and varied experiences, and accomplished, under the existing circumstances, what would now seem impossibilities.  In breaking prairie, it is a necessity to have a plow in good condition, and it must be frequently sharpened, and for that purpose, Mr. Cornelius had to go sixteen miles and carry the iron part of an old breaking plow on his back, wading the Pecatonica.  Not many people at the present time would break prairie under such circumstances.  Not only such inconveniences were the lot of people at that time, but actual danger often threatened them.  Indians were, at times abundant, and liable at any time to take the war path, and spread destruction and desolation among the settlers.  On one occasion, Mr. Cornelius was down near the Pecatonica, and saw large numbers of squaws and papooses going down the river.  This was not considered an occurrence a all favorable to the settlers, for frequently such a move was made when fighting was contemplated, and this knowledge had a tendency to put the people on their guard.  Mr. Cornelius and Mr. Plummer slept, "with one eye open," on the banks with ax and butcher knife under their heads, ready, at a moment's warning, to give up their lives if they must, only after a struggle.  They slept in that manner about ten nights, when one night Plummer looking about said, "I hear them coming."  Mr. Cornelius was on his feet in a moment, but in the excitement Plummer could not find his pants, which caused him some trouble.  The Indians were singing and dancing and it was supposed they were coming, and the two quickly gathered up a couple of quilts and concealed themselves in the brush, where they remained an hour and a half, when, becoming chilled, they took refuge in an old cabin and remained until day-break, then returning to their cabin they found everything all right.  In the spring of 1835, Mr. Cornelius came to Green county again and mined at Skinner's Diggings until the fall of 1836, during which time he had taken out considerable mineral.  He went to White Oak Springs in the fall of 1836 and thence to Blue river, where he mined until the fall of 1837 with good success.  He then came again to Green county and entered 220 acres of land on section 33, township 2 north, of range 7 east, in the present town of Monroe, within a short distance of the place where he now lives.  In 1840, having traded off a part of his land, he secured a deed for eighty acres on section 34 which he has owned since that time.  During . . .

. . . all these years Mr. Cornelius was an unmarried man and continued in the county most of the time, and mined principally until about 1844.  He then came to Monroe and built a store, which he rented to Mr. Ludlow to put in a stock of general merchandise.  At length concluding it was not best to be alone, on the 16th day of June, 1849, he married to Phillippi Tresidder.  She was a native of Ohio, and French descent.  Her parents were both dead, the father died of cholera in 1832, and the mother died in 1845.  They have two children -- Alice and Erwin.  After marriage they lived on the place they still occupy, in a log cabin, which in time gave way to a good brick house.  He now owns 150 acres of land joining the corporate limits of Monroe, valued at $100 per acre, and some city property.  Politically, he adheres to the priciples of the republican party, and is a temperate man, having never drank a glass of beer or liquor.  In 1836-7-8 there were quite a number of arrivals, among whom were the following:  Rev. R.H. DeLap, Asa Brown, D.S. Sutherland, John Walling, Dickson and Hamilton Bailey, Isaac Chamness and T. Bragg.
     Isaac Chamness, formerly of Indiana, was born April 5, 1820.  He is a son of William and Margaret (Henshaw) Chamness, natives of North Carolina.  His father, now ninety-one years old, is living in Randolph county, and his mother is dead and buried in that county.  His early life was spent upon a farm in Indiana, where he continued to live until 1843.  Oct. 5, 1837, he was married to Mary Willman, a native of Wayne county.  They remained on Randolph county until 1843, then came to Green county, arriving on the 3d day of October.  He bought eighty acres on section 32, of what is now the town of Monroe, where he lived for thirteen years, then moved to section 33, having bought from Charles Foster the DeLap farm, containing 108 acres.  They have had four children -- Louise M., now married to Cyrus Dye and living in Monroe; Abigail M., married to Andrew Hawthorn and living in Clarno; William M., now dead and buried in Hawthorn cemetery; and Mary E., married to Stephen Potter, and living in Chippewa Falls, Wis.  Mr. and Mrs. Chamness are members of the M.E. Church.  Upon their arrival in the county they had two children and $3.  They made a start under many difficulties, but have been successful.
     T.J. Bragg is a native of this county, born in Monroe June 13, 1846.  His father, T.J. Bragg, Sr., is a Virginian, and his mother, Emily J. (Nobles) Bragg, is a native of Kentucky.  Mr. Bragg, of this sketch, in 1875, took a prospecting tour through Missouri, Nebraska and Dakota, and returned, convinced that Green county was not an undesirable dwelling place, and has since remained here.  He owns a farm of 150 acres, located on section 12, of the town of Monroe, and makes stock raising a specialty.  He was married Aug. 29, 1867, to Martha Lindsley, a native of Tazewell Co., Ill., and daughter of Oliver and Priscilla (Coffin) Lindsley, both of whom are deceased and buried in Missouri.  He was a resident of the village of Monroe for the last two years of his life in this State.  He formerly lived in the town of Sylvester, where he was engaged in making wagons for over twenty years.  From there he came to Monroe.  Mr. and Mrs. Bragg have four children -- Lora T., Allie V., Irvie M., and Chessa D.  Mr. Bragg is politically a democrat.
     Rev. DeLap was the first preacher in the county.  He entered land on section 34, which is now occupied by Nicholas Cornelius.  Mr. DeLap was a resident of this town for several years, when he removed to Richland county, where he has since died.  His son, R.H. DeLap, is one of the prominent physicians of that county, and is located at Viola.
     D.S. Sutherland was a native of New York State.  He settled on the southeast quarter of section 25, where he still resides.
     Asa Brown was from Indiana.  He settled on section 21, where he lived two years, then removed up near D.S. Sutherland's place.  He . . .

. . . lived on that place several years, when he went to Missouri, where he has since died.  He served several terms on the county board during his residence here.
     John Walling came from Missouri and located on the southeast quarter of section 23.  He was a carpenter by trade, and erected a large frame house, which was opened as a hotel or tavern, and was the first of the kind in the limits of the town.  He rented the building to Joseph Paine, and later sold it to Joseph Kelly.  He returned to Missouri in 1844 or 1845.
     The Bailey brothers were from Illinois.  They located on sections 20 and 29.  They lived there about two years, then removed to the town of Adams.  They have since died.
     J. Austin came in 1838 and settled on section 34, and erected a log house.  In 1840 he erected the first brick house in the town, in which he made his home until the time of his death.
     Ben Buzick arrived here in 1839, and located on section 28, where he lived some years.  He died while living on the old farm.
     Samuel Truax, who had been a resident of the county for some time previous, settled in this town in 1842.  He has been successful in business ventures, and now lives a retired life in Brodhead.
     Asa Richardson came from New York in 1841, and settled in this town.  He was a speculator, and was for a time president of the Bank of Monroe, and of the Monroe First National Bank.  He now resides in Lawrence, Kansas.
     The town was organized at a meeting held in the court house April 3, 1849.  The following officers were elected: D.S. Sutherland, chairman, Hiram Rust and Andrew B. Cunningham, side board; Horace Poyer, town clerk; George Kuykendall, assessor; Jesse Chandler, treasurer; John W. Stewart, James Moss, J.B. Stevens and A.B. Cunningham, justices of the peace; J.C. Richardson, superintendent of school; C. Martin, W.H. Foster and Caleb Morse, constables.

    Thomas Cotherman was born in Union Co., Penn., July 4, 1833.  He is a son of Daniel and Catharine (Frederick) Cotherman, who had seventeen children of their own and two adopted children, eleven boys and six girls.  The subject of the sketch was the twelfth child.  The parents are now deceased and buried on Union Co., Penn.  Thomas Cotherman came
to Green county in 1855, and at first worked at the carpenter trade, which he had learned previously.  He helped to build many buildings on the county.  He now owns eighty acres on sections 1 and 2, of the town of Monroe.  He was married Dec. 11, 1859, to Susan Ball, a native of Ohio.  Seven children have been born to them -- Frank T., Lillie B., Susie, Lulu, Mary, Ernest and Myrtle.  Frank T., is an engineer.

     Taylor Wickersham is a native of Pennsylvania, born Dec. 5, 1805. He went to Ohio in 1833, and remained there seven years, thence to Indiana, and lived three years, thence to Pennsylvania and remained until 1854, then came to this county, bought a saw mill and 136 acres of land which he sold in 1864, and removed to his present place on section 20, where he now owns eighty-five acres. Susan K. Kimble became his wife April 23, 1833, and died Dec. 26, 1882, leaving four children -- Minerva, Gideon, Meriba and David C.  Gideon, a son of the subject of this sketch, has always lived at home, except 1859, when he took a westward trip to Colorado, New Mexico, and other places, and in 1864 when he enlisted in the army, in company H, 38th regiment, Wisconsin Infantry. He was mustered in at Madison, and served about one year, when he was taken sick and returned to Washington, thence home, since which time he has engaged in farming, running a threshing machine, and carpentering. He was married Dec. 22, 1867, to Theressa DuMars, a native of Pennsylvania, but for a long time a resident of this county. They have five children -- Mary A., Taylor E., Myrtis G., Thomas T. and Earl P.
     Daniel Clark, son of D.W. and Elizabeth (Lucas) Clark, was born in Ohio, March 10, 1826.  When nine years of age he removed with his parents to Illinois, and afterwards came to this county.  His father owned a farm on section 24, of the town of Monroe.  Daniel remained with his parents till 1857, when he was married to Mary Tome, who died, and he was again married to Julia Phillips, from whom he was separated, and he was again married to Christina Beattie, a native of Scotland.  By these unions there were ten children, six of whom were by the last marriage -- William, Charles C., David B., Mamie J., Guy E. and Agnes.  Mr. Clark's father is deceased and buried on Monroe.  His mother lives in the city of Monroe.  Mr. Clark served nine months in the War of the Rebellion.  He now owns 120 acres of land on section 14, where he resides.
     Gottlieb Pellen was born in Switzerland, Sept. 3, 1850.  In 1866 he emigrated to America with his parents, and settled first in the town of Washington, where he engaged in farming for a few years.  In 1874 he came to Monroe, where he has since resided.  In 1876 he was married to Elizabeth Tordi, who was also a native of Switzerland, by whom he has two children -- M. Alice and M. Annie.  Mr. and Mrs. Pellen are members of the Lutheran Church.
     Jacob Kundert is a native of Glarus, Switzerland, born on the 8th of March, 1830.  He was reared on a farm.  Before coming to America he worked in a cotton factory five years.  He emigrated to this country in 1854, locating in New Glarus, where he lived about fifteen years.  On the 12th of September, 1962, he enlisted in company K, 9th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.  He was in the battles of Prairie Grove and Red River expedition.  After serving about three years, he returned to New Glarus, and soon after purchased a farm in the towns of Jordan and Monroe.  He lived on his farm in the west part of the town of Monroe, until 1883, when he removed to his present place on section 12.  Mr. Kundert is one of the heaviest land-owners in the county, owning 1,100 acres.  He is extensively engaged in raising stock and making cheese.  He has 140 milch cows of his own, and makes Swiss cheese a specialty.  When he came to America he was in debt $100, but by hard labor and perseverance he has accumulated a considerable fortune.  He was married May 16, 1851, to Barbara Kundert, also a native of canton Glarus, Switzerland, where they married.  They have raised quite a large family -- Jacob, deceased; Jacob, living; Sarah, Barbara, Abraham, Ruday, Lena, Anna, buried in New Glarus; Henry, Thomas, Frederick, buried in Union cemetery, Monroe; Frederick, living; Anna and John.  Mr. and Mrs. Kundert and family are members of the Lutheran Church.  In politics he is an independent.
     W.F. Hintzman settled in Juda, in the town of Jefferson, in the spring of 1868.  He engaged in farming two years, then followed mercantile life for nine years, in Juda and Brodhead, selling dry goods.

To be continued