A.A. Townsend of Shullsburg, an early southwest Wisconsin pioneer and miner was also an early gold trail hitter. With the discovery of gold in California, Mr. Townsend resolved to try his hand in the new discovery. For this purpose he fitted out a train of twelve wagons drawn by oxen with a company of men, in the springs of 1849, and taking the land route he started April 15 and arrived in California Sept. 9 following.
He returned to Wisconsin the next spring and fitted out a company of thirty-two with horses and mules, leaving Wisconsin May 23 and arriving in California on the following September. He returned to Wisconsin in 1851 and at the time of his death was said to be one of the wealthiest men in Wisconsin.
Source: The Capital Times, 8 May 1919
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Absalom married Mary Ann Ross in 1836 and they had four children; Sarah, Addison, Virginia and Susan per records in Absalom's Family Bible. Mary Ann died at 29 years of age, two weeks after giving birth to Susan who also died shortly after at 4 months of age. The oldest daughter, Sarah, was born on June 17, 1837 per their Family Bible. She is in the 1850 Shullsburg Census at 12 years of age.
After Mary Ann's death, Absalom later married Julia "Almira" Wells and they had three children, Edwin, Ellen and Walter. Almira died in 1877 at the age of 50. He married Charlotte Warne in Jo Daviess County, IL in 1880. They had no children. She died about a year after him in Mitchell County, Iowa, in March 1889, at the age of 78.
Absalom was elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1855. He was also appointed Justice of the Peace by the Governor in the 1840s. He owned roughly 1000 acres of land a mile west and southwest of Shullsburg which he used to raise livestock (mainly cattle and horses) and also had substantial mineral finds (lead and zinc).
He was born in Sussex County, NJ. In the fall of 1826, at the age of 15, he departed Steuben County, NY with his father Samuel and older brother, George. They bought or built a flat bottom boat in Olean, NY and floated down the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers to just west of Cincinnati, OH where they departed the river and traveled across the prairies to Fort Clark (now Peoria, IL), arriving on New Years Day 1827. After spending six weeks at Fort Clark they departed and headed north up the Boles Trail to Galena, IL and eventually prospected near Gratiot's Grove (just south of present day Shullsburg, WI.). He lived in or near Shullsburg the rest of his life other than several trips to California and Montana for the gold rushes.
------------------
See additional information on Absalom at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Townsend
He returned to Wisconsin the next spring and fitted out a company of thirty-two with horses and mules, leaving Wisconsin May 23 and arriving in California on the following September. He returned to Wisconsin in 1851 and at the time of his death was said to be one of the wealthiest men in Wisconsin.
Source: The Capital Times, 8 May 1919
-----------------
Absalom married Mary Ann Ross in 1836 and they had four children; Sarah, Addison, Virginia and Susan per records in Absalom's Family Bible. Mary Ann died at 29 years of age, two weeks after giving birth to Susan who also died shortly after at 4 months of age. The oldest daughter, Sarah, was born on June 17, 1837 per their Family Bible. She is in the 1850 Shullsburg Census at 12 years of age.
After Mary Ann's death, Absalom later married Julia "Almira" Wells and they had three children, Edwin, Ellen and Walter. Almira died in 1877 at the age of 50. He married Charlotte Warne in Jo Daviess County, IL in 1880. They had no children. She died about a year after him in Mitchell County, Iowa, in March 1889, at the age of 78.
Absalom was elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1855. He was also appointed Justice of the Peace by the Governor in the 1840s. He owned roughly 1000 acres of land a mile west and southwest of Shullsburg which he used to raise livestock (mainly cattle and horses) and also had substantial mineral finds (lead and zinc).
He was born in Sussex County, NJ. In the fall of 1826, at the age of 15, he departed Steuben County, NY with his father Samuel and older brother, George. They bought or built a flat bottom boat in Olean, NY and floated down the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers to just west of Cincinnati, OH where they departed the river and traveled across the prairies to Fort Clark (now Peoria, IL), arriving on New Years Day 1827. After spending six weeks at Fort Clark they departed and headed north up the Boles Trail to Galena, IL and eventually prospected near Gratiot's Grove (just south of present day Shullsburg, WI.). He lived in or near Shullsburg the rest of his life other than several trips to California and Montana for the gold rushes.
------------------
See additional information on Absalom at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Townsend
A.A. Townsend of Shullsburg, an early southwest Wisconsin pioneer and miner was also an early gold trail hitter. With the discovery of gold in California, Mr. Townsend resolved to try his hand in the new discovery. For this purpose he fitted out a train of twelve wagons drawn by oxen with a company of men, in the springs of 1849, and taking the land route he started April 15 and arrived in California Sept. 9 following.
He returned to Wisconsin the next spring and fitted out a company of thirty-two with horses and mules, leaving Wisconsin May 23 and arriving in California on the following September. He returned to Wisconsin in 1851 and at the time of his death was said to be one of the wealthiest men in Wisconsin.
Source: The Capital Times, 8 May 1919
-----------------
Absalom married Mary Ann Ross in 1836 and they had four children; Sarah, Addison, Virginia and Susan per records in Absalom's Family Bible. Mary Ann died at 29 years of age, two weeks after giving birth to Susan who also died shortly after at 4 months of age. The oldest daughter, Sarah, was born on June 17, 1837 per their Family Bible. She is in the 1850 Shullsburg Census at 12 years of age.
After Mary Ann's death, Absalom later married Julia "Almira" Wells and they had three children, Edwin, Ellen and Walter. Almira died in 1877 at the age of 50. He married Charlotte Warne in Jo Daviess County, IL in 1880. They had no children. She died about a year after him in Mitchell County, Iowa, in March 1889, at the age of 78.
Absalom was elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1855. He was also appointed Justice of the Peace by the Governor in the 1840s. He owned roughly 1000 acres of land a mile west and southwest of Shullsburg which he used to raise livestock (mainly cattle and horses) and also had substantial mineral finds (lead and zinc).
He was born in Sussex County, NJ. In the fall of 1826, at the age of 15, he departed Steuben County, NY with his father Samuel and older brother, George. They bought or built a flat bottom boat in Olean, NY and floated down the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers to just west of Cincinnati, OH where they departed the river and traveled across the prairies to Fort Clark (now Peoria, IL), arriving on New Years Day 1827. After spending six weeks at Fort Clark they departed and headed north up the Boles Trail to Galena, IL and eventually prospected near Gratiot's Grove (just south of present day Shullsburg, WI.). He lived in or near Shullsburg the rest of his life other than several trips to California and Montana for the gold rushes.
------------------
See additional information on Absalom at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Townsend
He returned to Wisconsin the next spring and fitted out a company of thirty-two with horses and mules, leaving Wisconsin May 23 and arriving in California on the following September. He returned to Wisconsin in 1851 and at the time of his death was said to be one of the wealthiest men in Wisconsin.
Source: The Capital Times, 8 May 1919
-----------------
Absalom married Mary Ann Ross in 1836 and they had four children; Sarah, Addison, Virginia and Susan per records in Absalom's Family Bible. Mary Ann died at 29 years of age, two weeks after giving birth to Susan who also died shortly after at 4 months of age. The oldest daughter, Sarah, was born on June 17, 1837 per their Family Bible. She is in the 1850 Shullsburg Census at 12 years of age.
After Mary Ann's death, Absalom later married Julia "Almira" Wells and they had three children, Edwin, Ellen and Walter. Almira died in 1877 at the age of 50. He married Charlotte Warne in Jo Daviess County, IL in 1880. They had no children. She died about a year after him in Mitchell County, Iowa, in March 1889, at the age of 78.
Absalom was elected to the Wisconsin State Legislature in 1855. He was also appointed Justice of the Peace by the Governor in the 1840s. He owned roughly 1000 acres of land a mile west and southwest of Shullsburg which he used to raise livestock (mainly cattle and horses) and also had substantial mineral finds (lead and zinc).
He was born in Sussex County, NJ. In the fall of 1826, at the age of 15, he departed Steuben County, NY with his father Samuel and older brother, George. They bought or built a flat bottom boat in Olean, NY and floated down the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers to just west of Cincinnati, OH where they departed the river and traveled across the prairies to Fort Clark (now Peoria, IL), arriving on New Years Day 1827. After spending six weeks at Fort Clark they departed and headed north up the Boles Trail to Galena, IL and eventually prospected near Gratiot's Grove (just south of present day Shullsburg, WI.). He lived in or near Shullsburg the rest of his life other than several trips to California and Montana for the gold rushes.
------------------
See additional information on Absalom at …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._A._Townsend
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