When I read in The Anti-Rent War on Blenheim Hill that a number of Schoharie County residents relocated to Wisconsin during that same time period, I wanted to know more. I was fortunate to find a page about it in the Efner file of the Bouton Papers:
In 1915 Hector P. Taylor of Jefferson, N. Y. who was visiting at Ripon, Wisconsin, met Alonzo A. Loper from whom he received the following:Most of these surnames were familiar to me after reading Mayham's book, and a few are also found in the Efner family tree.
About 80 years ago one Oscar Loper of South Gilboa, N. Y. came as a land prospector and struck the then new country of what afterward became Ripon township, Fon du Lac County, Wisconsin, and found land to be for sale in one-fourth and one-half sections at the regular fixed price of $1.25 per acre. Seeing great possibilities in this section he went back to South Gilboa, N. Y., and organized a colony of its members. The party represented such names as Loper, Whiting, Brown, Sage, Pierce, Fink, McArthur, Wood, Effner.
About the year 1886, by special count there was found to be 70 persons living in the town of Ripon who had come from Blenheim Hill, Gilboa, Jefferson and vicinity, including Henry Mattice and family, Martha McArthur, etc. During this period of time the land has passed through the hands of the third generation, and many times out of the family. The land today finds quick sale at $150 per acre.
Mr. Taylor's sister, Fanny Taylor of Jefferson, N. Y., was the wife of Winfield S. Mattice of Ripon.
Mayham, Albert Champlin. The Anti-Rent War on Blenheim Hill: An Episode of the 40's : a History of the Struggle between Landlord and Tenant Growing Out of the Patroon System in the Eastern Part of New York. Jefferson, N.Y.: F.L. Frazee, 1906.
Davis, Lewis Jay. Our Kinsmen: A Family History. Portland, Oregon: [The Metropolitan press], 1936.
Lawson, Publius V. History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin Its Cities, Towns, Resources, People. Chicago: C.F. Cooper and Co, 1908.
2 comments:
It's very exciting to come across this. I've been researching my wife's family tree--she's a descendant of Amos Loper (father of Alonzo A. Loper). Do you know if there are any other mentions of the Loper family in the Bouton Papers? Also, I found your link to the page that lists all surnames mentioned in the papers, but Loper wasn't listed. Strange, since your past clearly has it several times :)
Hi Greg, thanks for your comments. I'm delighted to know you found something interesting at Before My Time.
I'm not related to the Loper family myself so I have nothing more to offer. I think I've posted everything from the Efner file of the Bouton papers, at least everything that pertained to the Lopers. (I'm not at home right now so I don't have access to the papers, but there were only a few pages, and of course they were mostly about the Efners.)
I saw that the Bouton papers don't have a Loper file, so unless there's mention of them in some of the other surname files...?
Have you tried doing a search at Google Books? You might find something that way.
Good luck in your searching!
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