Ebenezer Childs (April 3, 1797 – December 15, 1864) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

pioneer, builder and legislator. Childs was born in

Barre, Massachusetts Barre ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,530 at the 2020 census. History Located on the ancestral homeland of the Nipmuc, the area was first settled by Europeans in 1720 and referred to as th ...

, on April 3, 1797, and was orphaned as a child. He left Massachusetts in 1816 for New York in order to avoid taxes, and then made his way to Ohio and then Michigan, where he made a profit smuggling whiskey into the military garrison. In 1820, Childs settled in Green Bay,

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

, where he built homes and sawmills. Eventually he opened a store and was a fur trapper. In 1825, he built the first frame house in Wisconsin for

James Duane Doty James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865) was an American land speculator, politician, and pioneer. He served as the 2nd Governor of Wisconsin, governor (1841–1844) of the Wisconsin Territory and 5th Governor of Utah, governor ...

. In 1829, he was appointed sheriff of Brown County, Michigan Territory, a post he held until 1836. He was in the Wisconsin Territorial House of Representatives from 1836 to 1840 and was appointed sergeant at arms for the Wisconsin Territorial Council from 1842 to 1843. In 1838, he was named commissary general for Wisconsin Territory and was named a colonel. Childs went to

Copper Harbor, Michigan Copper Harbor is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Keweenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located within Grant Township. The population of the CDP was 136 as of the 2020 census. The communit ...

, in 1845, where he built the first sawmill in the Upper Peninsula. He moved to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, in 1852 and to

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

, where he had property. He died in La Crosse on December 15, 1864.Collections of the State Historical Society, ''Recollections of General Albert G. Ellis'', vol 7, pg. 257-258
- ''Triennel Catalogues of the Portrait Gallery of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin'', Democratic Printing Company: 1889, pg. 59
- Moses McCure Strong, ''History of the Territory of Wisconsin, From 1863 to 1848'', Heritage Books: 1885, pg. 83-84

Notes

Sources

Recollections of Colonel Ebenezer Childs, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 1858

External links

* 1797 births 1864 deaths People from Barre, Massachusetts Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin Michigan Territory officials Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Writers from Massachusetts Writers from Green Bay, Wisconsin Writers from La Crosse, Wisconsin People from Michigan Territory {{Wisconsin-politician-stub