HISTORY OF GREEN COUNTY. 
 
first two years we had to cross the entire 
county every time we went to mill, either to 
Winslow, on the Pecatonica, or Curtis's mill,on 
the Richland creek. I well remember the first 
thing I saw on landing in old Exeter, on the 
21st day of September, 1842. Three men were 
assisting a fourth man to the polls. It was Ter- 
ritorial election day. There was a man under 
each arm  and another pushing in the rear, 
whilst froth and curses were pouring out of his 
mouth. Young as I was, (I was only fourteen) 
the thought struck me that possibly his vote 
might not be a very intelligent one. The very 
early settlers of Green county will remember 
old John Armstrong, sometimes called Devil 
John. I saw him in Exeter the first day we 
came there. He directed us to his.house in the 
north part of the town, near where Mr. Lysaght 
used to live. As he had a good deal of whisky 
down, he felt very rich, and generously pro- 
posed to keep us a day, week or month, as the 
case might be, free of charge. We staid at his 
house all night. Mrs. Armstrong and children 
retired to the corn crib, surrendering us the use 
of the house; in fact, the early pioneers, with 
but few exceptions, were a whole-souled and 
generous class of people. Uncle John Arm- 
strong had lived in the vicinity of Galena as a 
miner, a number of years before he came to 
Green county. He was quite wealthy at one 
time. When he was digging mineral at Galena, 
I remember hearing one of his adventures at 
that place. He had a good many hands at work 
for him, and the thought struck him to give 
them a first class meal at the hotel. The land- 
lord wished him to wait a while, as he had 
some of the elite or upper ten at table that day. 
Uncle John swore that himself and hands were 
as good as his upper crust, and mounting his 
horse, he rode him into the dining room, made 
him leap with his fore-feet on the table, crush- 
ing it down, breaking the dishes and smashing 
things generally; then cooly asking what were 
the damages, he paid them and went his way 
rejoicing. I suppose the damages were the 
 
snug little sum of $300. Uncle John used to 
spree it some times for a week at a stretch, and 
there was one peculiarity about him, he would 
never stagger, and I believe he was more active 
when drunk, than when sober. I think he came 
to Exeter some time about 1840. He sold his 
claim and improvements to William Lysaght's 
father in 1844, and with Joe Hendrick, (his 
wife's son-in-law) went into northern Wisconsin. 
They were both pioneers and required a great 
deal of elbow room. 
"Leonard Ross, commonly called Capt. Ross, 
came to Exeter about the same time and settled 
one mile south of Armstrong. He was quite a 
prominent man in an early day. He died in 
1856. His widow still lives on the old place 
and still looks hale and hearty. Long may she 
be spared to us. 
"I remember another character who lived at 
Exeter when we came. I think his name was 
Joseph Wall, but he was better known by the 
name of Dad Joe. He was a Kentuckian by 
birth, and was as proud of it as any of the F. 
F. V., of old Virginia. He had a great aver- 
sion to eastern people; he designated them all 
as damned Yankees. Late in the autumn of 
1842, my two brothers, Russell and William, 
started for Oneco, below Monroe seven or eight 
miles, for lumber,getting a late start, they were 
benighted at the Kemp & Collins place, where 
Uncle John Porter then lived. As no one in 
that day thought of turning a traveler away,'he 
kindly took them in. Shortly after their ar- 
rival Dad Joe came in, somewhat elevated; by 
some means he found out they were York 
State people. He insisted on Uncle John turn- 
ing them two d-d Yankees out. He said the 
straw pile was good enough for Yankees to 
sleep in. Failing to get Mr. Porter to turn 
them out, he declared he would not stay in the 
same house with them, and started for the vil- 
lage of Exeter. Mr. Porter going out about 
half an hour afterwards, found Dad Joe fast 
asleep, about ten or twelve rods from the house. 
 
846.