Town of DarienTownship MapsTownship Cemeteries Darien was at first included in the town of Delavan from which it was
detached in 1840. It was named Darien for the town of Darien, Genesee County,
New York. Elijah BELDING and Christopher C. CHESBROUGH came in 1837 and
made claims in sections 11 and 14 respectively.
Baptist and Methodist churches are the only religious organizations. Civil War soldiers numbered about 138. The townhall burned and some records went with the fire. Many have been reconstructed. From History of Walworth County Wisconsin, Vol. 1, by Albert Clayton Beckwith, publ. 1912.
Page 386-387 Elijah BELDING, also named among settlers of Darien, married, April 18, 1839, Mary, daughter of Thomas JAMES and Dorcas PERRY. Perkins Silver CHILDS (1811-1848) left widow Lydia A. (1818-1874). David CHRISTIE (1812-1893) married Jane STEWART (1822-1896). Joseph COMPTON (1808-1895) married Lucina (1806-1868), a sister of Kinner HOLLISTER. Charles CLAXTON (1817-1902), son of John CLAXTON and Mary TURNER married in 1837 at London, Mary Ann (1813-1884), daughter of Benjamin and Martha QUINTON. They came in 1845 to section 9. He left a widow named Laura A. He had two daughters: Mary Ann, wife of Robert KNILANS, and Martha M., wife of Josephus BORST. Warren CONGDON (1820__) came from Rhode Island to section 26. He married, August 20, 1845, Mary Ann KENYON. In 1860 they were of Delavan village. Christopher J. DOCKSTADER (1810-1901) married Eliza Ann NELSON (1814__). Lewis John HIGBY was in 1837 for a short time a partner with the Rockwells in the settlement of Elkhorn. He bought land in section 5, Richmond, but he may never have left Milwaukee. Kinner HOLLISTER (1783-1850) was son of Isaac HOLLISTER and Catharine NEWCOMB. In 1805 he married Mary, daughter of Lemuel WINCHELL. Two sons, Cyrenus Newcomb and Lemuel, came to Darien. James Gorham HUMPHREY (1806-1869) married Adeline BARBER. He was grandson of Ebenezer HUMPHREY and Lucy ROBBINS, and son of Joseph (1782-1864) and wife Hannah ENOS. Joseph died at Whitewater. Alvah Beecher JOHNSON and Lyman JONES were settlers in Darien. Benjamin, Jonathan and Stephen, with Samuel LOOMER of Lagrange, were brothers. Joseph Henry LOOMER was son of Benjamin and Eunice. Leonard LOOMER married his uncle Jonathan's daughter Asenath. He was a son of Stephen. All these were born in Nova Scotia, and came early to Wisconsin. John RAND (1819-1898) was son of Benjamin and Sarah. He married Sarah S., daughter of Benjamin and Eunice LOOMER. Isaac SPICER (1815-1888) married, August 3, 1846, Mary Alice, daughter of Samuel LOOMER. Rial H. THOMAS (1821-1904) married Mary (1823-1898), daughter of Josiah JACKSON and Anna CASE. He afterward bought a farm in section 8, Sugar Creek, near Millard. Silas J. WEAVER (1807-1864) and wife Sarah JACKSON (1809-1865) came to section 24. He left sons, themselves now old citizens. A Methodist society was formed at Utter's Corner in 1852, of which little is now known. Another society was formed at Richmond centre about 1854. Its church was built in 1872. About that time, or earlier, its pastor was Ira S. ELDREDGE, after whom, with some omissions, perhaps, were Charles E. GOLDTHORP in 1875; Thomas POTTER, 1878; David O. SANBORN, 1883; William Thomas MILLAR, 1884; Robert DAVIDSON, 1890; Thomas H. GARVIN, 1891; Alfred POMFRET, 1892; John Carson LANG, 1895; William DAWSON, 1898; Isaac JOHNSON, 1899; John Milton JUDY, 1901. It is not unlikely that the pastors at Heart Prairie supplied some of the vacancies. Page 393-394 Pliny ALLEN (1788-1868), one of five brothers who founded Allen Grove, was not nearer than cousin, if related at all, to William P. ALLEN, who was son of John ALLEN, of Jefferson county, New York. James Earle BELL married Chloe Electa VAN NOSTRAND, June 6, 1841. Dearborn BLAKE married Esther VAN OSTROM, January 8, 1843. James COX married, December 11, 1858, Minerva, daughter of Albred VILES and Thankful NORTON. Ira DAVIS (1805-1893) married Elizabeth A. STEVENS (1820-1896). Henry DENNIS (1813-1897) married Margaret SMITH (1820-1898). Cyrus FARNSWORTH (1807-1895) was burned in his son's, Joseph M. FARNSWORTH's house in Darien. Thomas FEATHERSTONE (1816-1863) married Catherine PRAMER, November 3, 1844, and lived in Walworth, where he died. Walter P. FLANSBURG (1816-1887) had wife Catharine (1819-1896). William FRANCE (1808-1882) came in 1843 to South Grove with his wife, Elizabeth KENT. James HERRON (1792-1876) married Hannah WHITNEY (1791-1874). Both were of Washington county, New York. Manning R. HOARD (1818-1897), son of Manning and Prudentia, came from Allegany county, New York, in 1843 with David E., his brother. Manning R. married, November 30, 1845, Lydia Ann (1826-1898), daughter of Philip BURTON and Nancy QUACKENBUSH. Peter KOLB (1809-1857) married Margaret (1822-1897), daughter of Friederich and Marie BAUER. Albin MATTESON (born 1813) married, first, Philena STOCKWELL; second, on Christmas day, 1845, Sarah, widow of Warren MATTESON. John READER (1803-1878) came in 1824 to the States from Headcorn, Kent, England, with his wife Elizabeth FEATHERSTONE (1803-1868); late in 1836 to section 27, Sharon; a year later to section 18, Walworth; in 1864 to Delavan. He was a member of the Baptist society of Walworth and was known by his title of deacon. James W. SUIDTER (1824-1872) was born at Middlebrook, New Jersey. His parents, Franz Xavier (1783-1867) and Antoinette (1785-1866), were born in Bavaria. his wife was Teresa CONDER (1827-1911). George TREAT (1818-1882) was son of Oren TREAT and Nancy THOMPSON. His older ancestors were Thomas6, Timothy5, Richard4, Thomas3, Richard2, 1. He married Sarah C., daughter of Thomas and Lucinda FOSTER. His brothers, Julius Allen and Thomas Nelson, and their cousin, Dr. Charles Ralph TREAT, were also long of Sharon and, excepting T. Nelson, were buried there. Martin VAN ALSTYNE (1809-1884) and Rebecca KLINE (1811-1879) were apparently among the last who were buried at the old cemetery, within the village. Michael WEISS died August 12, 1880; George WINTERS, September 7, 1881; Adam ZIMPAUGH, May 27, 1867. Michael VAN WINTERS began business at Sharon Corners, in section 13, 14. J. JONES built a tavern and in 1843 Isaac CASE became postmaster. The office was afterward named Elton, and was at last merged in the rural delivery system - its mail supplied from Sharon. South Grove, too, at sections 17, 20, for a time aimed at commercial supremacy, without definite limit to its ambition. David J. BEST built a store and began service as postmaster in 1845. A church was built and a cemetery was laid out. When the line of railway from Chicago was determined through sections 34, 33, 32, 29, 30 the growth of these rival cities was checked by the foundation of a new village at the station in section 33. Page 395-400 Pliny and Sidney ALLEN came from Rochester, New York, in 1844, and having reached the western border of the county in their search for a favorable site on which to build a village of their own, they bought more than one thousand acres of land, mostly in sections 1 of Clinton, 6 of Sharon, and 31 of Darien on the high ground west of the south branch of Turtle creek. In May 1845, they came again with their brothers, Harvey and Philip, Jr., bringing also their families and three or four more, unrelated mechanics, sixty-five in all. They lodged at Darien the aged father and their sister and others not hardened to the work of chopping and building, quickly made ready their cabins, and Allen's Grove at once became a village. In July Philip ALLEN, Sr., died. In August a religious society was formed. The next year brought the eldest brother, Asa Keyes ALLEN, his son, Dr. Joseph C. ALLEN, and son-in-law, Ezra P. TEALE, all from Ypsilanti. These two younger men built a store and stocked it with general goods to the amount of six thousand dollars. In that year Preston H. ALLEN was born, but it is not told who were his parents, whether he was a son or a grandson of one of the brothers; and in that year Preston W. SMITH married Frances SCHOFIELD. Mary WILLINGFORD taught the rudiments in a room over the store. In 1847 a public school house was built. Samuel B. MORSE with the help of Charles W. MORSE, his father, of Kennebec county, Maine, built a steam sawmill at an early date and sold it in 1856 to Pier J. ANDERSON, who built a dam and equipped the mill for grinding. After some years of local usefulness it passed to successive owners, the records of whose several transfers fill considerable space. The mill's business, the mill itself, and the dam disappeared in turn. A few of the colonists met at Pliny ALLEN's house in 1845 and formed a Congregational society. Rev. Samuel Hopkins THOMPSON preached occasionally - out of doors in warm, dry weather. He came again as pastor in 1864-5. A church was built in 1852. As nearly as learned of the pastors, the first was Calvin WATERBURY in 1849. The few later ones named were Benjamin FOLTS, 1853-4; Cornelius WHITE, 1859; Ebenezer Putney SALMON, 1860-4; Albert M. CASE, 1876; Luther CLAPP, 1878-81. No later record is shown by the Year Book of the denomination. The church was probably supplied at times from Sharon and other places. The building was sold some years ago to the Modern woodmen and was finally pulled down. Rev. Hiram H. HERSEY (1812-1884) ministered for a few years to the then small groups of Methodists, and in 1858 organized them as a society. Their church was built in 1859, in which year Alexander HALL was their pastor, after whom were Thomas WHITE in 1860; William AVERILL, 1862; Cyrus SCAMMON, 1863; Rodman W. BOSWORTH, 1864; David Oliver JONES, 1868; Joseph Hayden JENNE, 1869; Asahel MOORE, 1871; William H. WINDOW (1814-1886) 1873; Thomas C. WILSON, 1875; William Darwin AMES, 1878; Thomas POTTER, 1881; Edward H. LUGG, 1882; William R. MELLOTT, 1885; John W. OLMSTEAD, 1886; Benjamin T. WHITE, 1891; Frederick B. SHERWIN, 1895; George W. PRATT, 1897; Isaac JOHNSON, 1898; Richard H. JONES, 1899; Thomas SHARPE, 1902; Samuel LUGG, 1904; Henry H. KAFER, 1905; William Evans COFFMAN, 1906; Charles J. R. BULLEY, 190_; Robert H. SIMPSON, 1911. Jerome F. TUBBS was assigned in 1882, but did not come. Mr. LUGG stayed but a half year. Mr. WINDOW was buried at Allen Grove. Local recollections as to dates vary slightly from each other and from conference reports. Memory, no doubt, has sometimes confused a temporary supply with a regular assignment.
Township Map circa 1900 Township Map circa 1923 Copyright 2013 Walworth County Genealogical Society
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