Lake Geneva

Early settlers as of 1837 in section 36 were: R. Wells Warren, Greenleaf S. Warren, Dr. Philip Maxwell, Col. James Maxwell, Lewis B. Goodsell, Andrew Ferguson, and George L. Campbell.

Other early families included: BAKER, CARTER, CASPORUS, CHAPIN, CLARK, COLTON, COOK, ESTABROOK, GILL, GRIFFIN, HILL, HOVEY, McKAIG, McNISH, MALLORY, NOYES, OATMAN, POND, ROSS, SHELDON, SPAFARD, STARKEY, TIFFANY, PHILANDER, VAN VELZER, WARD, WARREN, WRIGHT.

The village was chartered in 1844.

The first Geneva Hotel was built in 1837 by a Mr. Warren. There was also a Lake House at Main and Broad streets.

Several churches were built in the area. Baptist society was organized in 1840. St. Francis de Sales in 1847, Presbyterians and Congregationalists were formed in 1839. 1850 brought the Episcopalian parish, 1879 Evangelical Lutheran society, also Methodist Episcopal society in 1839

Several newspapers sprung up. In July 1848, David M. Keller, published the first number of the Wisconsin Standard and discontinued it one year later. Edgar J. Farnum began the Geneva Express in 1854. In 1858 Henry L. Deveraux published the Genevan for eighteen months. Among others were the Geneva Lake Mirror, Geneva Independent, and the Lake Geneva Herald.

The old burying ground was placed well westward from the village plat, but in time was overtaken and enclosed by the growth of the city. It was between Maxwell and Warren streets with Dodge street southward, and falls a few rods short of Park Row.. More room was needed as of 1880 and 40 acres were chosen on a high knoll north of the city .

The original store ledger is now at the archives of the UW-Whitewater Area Research Center (ARC). It was presented to them by Robert Reek, who also compiled the following index. He has given WCGS permission to use this material on this site. Our thanks go out to him. I include a few of his notes:

There were interesting entries as to how the bill was paid, including “Cash”; “Note”; “Mdse”; “Cheese”; and other items that farmers could have bartered for coffee, sugar, cloth, and other things that they could not raise. A Mr. W. O. HOLBROOKE paid his bill several times by trading grain cradles by the dozen. (A dozen grain cradles was valued at $48.00) Perhaps he was a blacksmith and made them himself. There are names of people who were paid for services such as “carting “ and “hauling”, etc.

Bob goes on to say that he hopes that someone may be able to identify the proprietor as it was in 1844. [In the 1882 History of Walworth County, it states that a Mr. L. B. Goodsell, Andrew Ferguson, and George L. Campbell had a general store early on, about 1835-1840. - webmaster’s note]

The information below is self explanatory. If you would like to see the original pages, you can contact Karen Weston, curator at the ARC.

*** Notes 2: These accounts are carried to New (following) Ledger (NL)
Compiled by R. J. Reek: reekco@Northlink.com 2 Aug 99    ( )=calculated
 

Doct. Clarkson Miller
Doct.Clarkson Miller as noted in general store ledger above. Born: 1820, Potsdam, N.Y. Died 1864, Geneva, WI.

Wife: Maria B. Mann

Married: 1845 in La Porte, Indiana.

Served as surgeon in the 36th Wisconsin Infantry, taken prisoner at Reams Mill. Died at home in Geneva, Wisconsin of an illness contracted in Confederate prison. His brother, Alanson, who is my gg grandfather, also served in the 36th Wisconsin as a hospital attendant.

He had two daughters, Helen and Harriett (Hattie). His wife and daughters continued to live in Lake Geneva for many years. Maria B. Miller, Helen (Miller) Sherman (widow with 3 children), and Hattie all show up in the 1880 Census. I believe that Helen Sherman continued to live in Lake Geneva until her death in the 1900s.

His father, Frederick Miller, moved to Kane County, Illinois in about 1837. These Millers can be traced back to W.Springfield, Massachusetts, and to English colonists from about 1640.

His daughter Helen was born in 1847, and I believe that his residence in Geneva dates from 1845-1847. He and his wife show up in both the 1850 and 1860 census. However, the entry in the General Store ledger is one of the few pieces of documentary evidence from Clarkson's life that I have. He and his wife married in La Porte in 1845, but her father Jacob J. Mann had moved from New York to Indiana in 1837.

His sister Elvira (Miller) Burbank lived in Illinois and in Wisconsin. Elvira's son Dr. Charles H. Burbank lived in Elkhorn.

Information provided courtesy of: Richard Miller

LAKE GENEVA SCHOOL DISTRICT #1
Attendance Record May 8, 1871 to Aug. 25, 1871; Jennie Lawson, Teacher

Ella Kelsey, age 17 Louisa Knobbe, age 13 Kate Knobbe, age 11 Bridget Conley, age 10 Annie Flinn, age 12 Jennie O'Brian, age 10 Mary O'Brian, age 12 Mary Barrett, age 6 Mary Nohelty, age 6 Mary Lucy, age 7 Mary Thompson, age 10 Mary McDonald, age 9 Mary Lee, age 9 Katie Watson, age 11 Ella Croton, age 14 Ella Nohelty, age 7

Ella Haley, age 8 Sarah Haley, age 10 Sarah Nohelty, age 7 Libbie Carbry, age 6 James Nohelty, age 7 James Hare, age 11 James Barrette, age 8 John M. Nohelty, age 10 John Tulley, age 7 John Lee, age 7 John Nobbe, age 4 James Ash, age 9 Willie Knobbe, age 8 Willie Nohelty, age 8 Henry Barrett, age 10

Attendance Record Sept. 11, 1871 to Dec. 01, 1871; W.J. Fuller, Teacher

Thos. Ash, age 16 James Ash, age 9 Michael Ash, age 6 Richard Barrett, age 9 James Barrett, age 8 Mary Barrett, age 6 Joseph Barrett, age 5 Lawrence Crodan, age 9 Pierre Dagnan, age 14 Jane Knobbe, age 8 John Lee, age 8 Mary McDonald, age 9 Ella McDonald, age 6 Mary Nohelty, age 6 Sarah Nohelty, age 4 John Tulley, age 7 Mary Thompson, age 11 Ella Crodan, age 15 Mary O'Brien, age 12 Mary Lee, age 10 Ellen Nohelty, age 7 Charles Knobbe, age 5 James Nohelty, age 7 Bridget Conley, age 11 Wm. Nohelty, age 8 Mary Lucy, age 7

John Nohelty, age 10 Henry Barrett, age 10 John Ash, age 13 John Nohelty, age 10 Mary Carbory, age 13 Kate Watson, age 12 Peter Nohelty, age 5 Jeremiah Cronan, age 8 Jane Cronan, age 10 Jennie O'Brien, age 10 Louisa Knobbe, age 14 Kate Knobbe, age 11 Willie Knobbe, age 9 John Flynn, age 10 Sarah Haley, age 10 Miles Barrett, age 5 Honor McManus, age 10 Ellen Haley, age 10 John Haley, age 7 Annie Flynn, age 13 Wm. Haley, age 12 Maggie Hare, age 14 Julia Reddy, age 14 Maggie Dagnan, age 12 Willie Conway, age 13 James Hare, age 11

Attendance Record Dec. 11, 1871 to March 15, 1872; W.J. Fuller, Teacher

Thos. Ashe James Ashe Michael Ashe James Barrett Wm. Conway Lawrence Crodan Jerry Cronan Tim Edward Pierre Dagnan Nicholas Flynn John Flynn James Hare Daniel Kehlor Wm. Knobbe Chas. Knobbe Patrick Lee

Edward Lee Martin Lee John Lee John Lucy John McDonald John Nohelty James Nohelty Wm. Nohelty Peter Nohelty Dennis Lucy John Ashe Henry Barrett Richard Barrett Michael Crodan Wm. Bridge

Attendance Record Dec. 11, 1871 to March 15, 1872; W.J. Fuller, Teacher

Mary Carbory Ella Crodan Bridget Conley Jane Cronan Maggie Dagnan Lizzie Foley Annie Flynn Maggie Hare Sarah Haley Louisa Knobbe Kate Knobbe Jane Knobbe Mary Lee Mary Lucy Ella McDonald

Ella Nohelty Mary Nohelty Sarah Nohelty Sarah O'Brien Jenny O'Brien Julia Reddy Mary McDonald Mary Hare Mary Barrett Kate Dagnan Mary Thompson Nellie Halland Mary Reddy Mary Hanagin Julia Watson Celia McManus

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Copyright August 1999, Walworth County Genealogical Society, Inc.

Updated: March 2003