From "History of Northern Wisconsin" - The Western Historical Company, A. T. Andreas, Proprietor 1881
Transcribed and submitted to the Waupaca County
Website http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwaupac/index.htm by Paula Vaughan

LITTLE WOLF

The first settlement in town-the town of Little Wolf-was made by William Goldsburg, in 1848. George and J. P. Moore moved in during 1849. The first schoolhouse was built in 1857, the pioneer school teacher being Miss Fortner, who taught in 1853 at the house of P. Meiklejohn. Although the first sermon was preached by Mr. Baxter in the same house three years before (1850), the first church was not built by the Catholics until 1877, at Manawa. The town was organized in 1851, being one of the three first set off from the original county and town of Waupaca. It was fist known as Centerville.

 

From Wisconsin County Histories, Waupaca County Edited by John M. Ware 1917

Transcribed and submitted to the Waupaca County
 Website http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwaupac/index.htm by Paula Vaughan January 2002

 

TOWN OF LITTLE WOLF

 

The Town of Little Wolf was erected by the county board in 1854, and then comprised the town by that name, as well as Union and Dupont, and the northern half of Royalton. Royalton was set off from Little Wolf in 1853, Union in 1857, and Dupont in 1864.

 

Little Wolf was one of the towns which was allied with the Mukwa and Weyauwega factions, or Eastern Waupaca County; to be more accurate, it was split between those who held to Mukwa as the legal county seat and those who championed the Village of Waupaca. In the November meetings of 1855, held by the rival county boards, the town sent a representative to each-A. P. Jones to Waupaca, and J. F. Sterns, to Mukwa. The session at Waupaca Falls seems to have been the more lively of the two, the Western County Board appointing a committee "to obtain the assessment of property, or the assessment rolls, from the towns •of Mukwa, Weyauwega, Royalton, Lebanon, Caledonia and Little Wolf, :said towns not having returned said assessment rolls for said year of 1855."

 

Of course, said towns had returned the roll to the county board -which they recognized-that sitting at Mukwa. A. P. Jones,-of Little Wolf, was appointed as such committee to see what could be done with the rebellious towns.

 

PIONEER SETTLERS AND EVENTS

 

The first settlement of the town, as we know it, was made by William Goldberg in 1848; in 1849, George E. and J. P. More located, and in the

following year James and Peter Meiklejohn and A. P. Jones. Mr. Jones was a hardy Maine man, drilled both in mill and farm, who had spent two years in Illinois before settling in Little Wolf Township. At that time he was hut twenty-two, and for a number of years worked for the Mores and Meiklejohns. During that period he pre-empted 160 acres of land, partially improved it, and afterward also engaged in business. He was for many years town clerk, as well as chairman of the board, and was always esteemed one of the solid men of the county. Although the Government survey of the Town of Little Wolf was made by Samuel Perrin in 1852, the work was not completed in detail until Edwin C. Scott laid it out in metes and bounds in 1857. The first school was taught by Amanda Sprague in 1859 on section 36, in the southeast corner of the township, and soon after Sophia C. Johnson started a class on section 12, in the northeast. In the spring of 1859 a schoolhouse was built on both sections. At present, Union has a school population of 362, with five rural schools and one graded institution to accommodate the pupils.

 

The first sermon in town was preached in 1861 by Rev. Joseph Hammond, of Northport. In the following year a postoffice was established; J. K. Townsend, postmaster. It was on the direct route from Waupaca to Clintonville, about half way. The mail was carried on foot by Lewis Bleinkopf.

 

The first apple tree was planted in 1858, near the center of section 12, northeast corner of the town, by Benjamin Dean. The Town of Union did its share in the work of sending Union soldiers to the front. At the town meeting held in the spring of 1865 only eight votes were cast.

 

The. first marriage performed in the town was that of Joel A. Taylor to Mary Jane Johnson, the ceremony being performed by W. Dresser, justice of the peace from Royalton.

 

Even before the '90s there was quite a hamlet, known as the Village of Symco in section 31 on a branch of the Little Wolf River. It contained a sawmill, hotel, several general stores, a school, and churches. Union, further east on the main stream, is also a small center of

 

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