Painter, William 1821 – 1902

PAINTER, EARLE

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 1/16/2020 at 11:50:56

Source: Decorah Republican Aug. 7, 1902 Page 2 Col 5

DEATH OF WlLLlAM PAINTER.
One of the Founders of the Town of Decorah—Owned and Platted the West one-half of it.
Died at Dexter. So. Dak., last week at a Ripe old Age—His Oldest Son a Resident of Decorah.
Who that lived in Decorah during the ‘50s and on up to near 1880 can forget William Painter? He had passed out of thoughts of most old settlers, for it is almost a quarter-century ago that he went down into the timber near to Brainard, in Fayette county, built a saw-mill and lived an uneventful life for a number of years, after which he removed to Coddington County, S. D. A note from Hesper gives us information, secured from Mr. Painter’s sister, Mrs. Rebecca Earle, that he had been an invalid for more than ten years and, at the last he lay in a stupor for three days and passed away without a struggle. His death took place July 26th, in his 82d year.
It is claimed that Mr. Painter was really the first settler in Decorah, but the weight of evidence has been that as the actual settlers, the Day family came first. The latter squatted on what became, when surveyed, the east half of south-east quarter of section 16. 98-8. Mr. Painter located on the west side of the line. When the the{sic} town of Decorah was laid out two deeds of dedication, and plats had to be made and recorded. Cyrus Snyder united in the Painter dedication. The line between the two properties runs through the centre of the hall in the Court House. Turning to the files of this paper after Thanksgiving time, in 1867, we find the matter of priority in coming apparently settled by Rev. Ephraim Adams in his memorable address on "The First Things of Decorah." Mr. Adams came here in 1857 and had the best of opportunity to get at the exact facts. After narrating the coming of the Day family in June, 1849, bespeaks of the arrival of the Painter family. In this way in the same season of 1849 there came a man with his family, who, the year previous, on an exploring tour through this region, had seen such visions or mill-wheels, mill-stones, of saw-mills, turning lathes, possibly of woolen mills even, in connection with the curves of our river, and the adjacent springs, that he had already made his claim and put up his cabin to the square—a man who endowed by nature with more than ordinary mechanical skill, has been following up his visions ever since; one who is still frequently upon our streets, the fruits of whose labor all of us are reaping more or less- one of those by whom the world is more benefited than is by the world acknowledged. This man, as of course, many of you know, was William Painter, a native of Green county, Ohio.
His cabin was built upon the property known as the Butler propertv, nearly opposite the present machine shop (Ammon & Co.’s), where, as the fruits of his labor, may now be seen the first well dug in town for his family was the first birth—his son George Patten, born in the fall of 1849—in honor of which, and also because he took the names of two sons of the Day family— George and Patten—he afterwards had the present of a town lot.
In his milling propensities Mr. Painter commenced immediately in 1849 on what is known as the Spring, or Dunning’s Mill. He brought a small pair of buhrs{?} from from{sic} Cincinnati and set them running by the simplest machinery possible, in a log mill about sixteen feet square. The Heivly power was in his claim, but he did not think it best to commence the improvement of this till his means should be more ample and the the{sic} country better settled,
In 1851 Mr. Philip Morse bought of Mr. Painter a portion of the Heivly water power and commenced the saw¬mill now upon it, he and Mr. Painter building the dam and race together. Mr. Painter built about the same time, a grist mill, the frame of which still stand, within the walls enclosing the present building—(then known as the Heivly mill and now the property of A. Bernatz and Sons).

This sketch indicates the character of Mr. Painter. He was unselfish, but constructive and industrious. Others gleaned wealth after his sowing, and he lived and died poor in this world’s goods. His impulses were generous. His habits correct, and in spite of a lack of educational advantages he showed himself the possessor of intelligence and talent in the departments of work and study to which he gave his attention, Mr. Painter was the father of five children, the eldest of whom, is spoken of above as George Patten, is a resident of this city, living on Main street, just east of the bridge. A sister, Mrs. Rebecca Earle, living in Hesper, survives him.

Transcriber’s Note: Find a Grave shows that he is buried in the Dexter Cemetery in Dexter, SD and was born April 28, 1821 and died July 26, 1902.