1873. 1877. $26111.97 $30182.67 $28023.12 109.25 10248.52 14638.41 15776.04 $36360.49$44821 08/$43908.41

From the second Tuesday in October, 1880, to the second Tuesday of October, 1881, certificates were issued as follows:

Number receiving professional,.
Number receiving first-class..

Number receiving second-class,
Number receiving third-class,.
Total number of certificates,.

The county possesses but one private school (aside from the sisters schools at Lansing) of importance, the Waukon Seminary, J. Laughran, principal, for many years a prominent educator of this county. Its report for 1881, was two teachers and forty pupils.

According to the State census of 1875 (the latest available) there were in the county but 271 persons over sixteen years of age who could not read, out of a population of 17,868.

RELIGIOUS.

Among the early settlers of the county were Christian men and women, who brought their religion with them into the wilderness, and were not willing to abandon the public ordinances of the gospel, but in the humble cabin, or the groves-"God's first temples" -they gathered at the summons carried from house to house that "a preacher is coming," and raised the simple hymns of praise, the devout prayers, and listened to the earnest exhortations of the devoted pioneer ministers, who traveled through heat and cold, rain and shine, from settlement to settlement, preaching the gospel, bringing news of the outer world, ministering consolation in the days of trial, burying the dead, and marrying the sons and daughters. The ministers were given a hearty welcome in every home; and in the homes of many settlers, whose rough speech and rugged ways would not indicate that they were of Puritan stock, the missionary found a cordial hospitality that made them indeed oases to him.

The earliest religious services of which we have any knowledge, were held by Rev. Lowrey, a Presbyterian, at the Old Mission in 1835. but there were no settlers in the county then to participate in them.

In 1840, the old Mission was made an appoinament by the Methodists, and was filled at stated times by the Rev. Sidney Wood, whose Circuit was Clayton County, and in 1841, Quarterly Meeting was held there and presided over by the Rev. Alfred Brunson, who came over from Prairie du Chien to do so. These were the first Methodist appointments ever made in the county. Mr. Brunson died at Prairie du Chien, August 3, 1882, where he had resided since 1866. He was born in Danbury, Fairfield County, Connecticut, February 9, 1793. He first came to Prairie du Chien as a missionary to the Indians in a buggy from Meadville, Pennsylvania, to Galena, and from there in the saddle, and in the pioneer days traveled through the country from the Galena River to Lake Superior, and from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi, on horse back in all kinds of weather, preaching the gospel to the settlers and natives.

The first Catholic missionary was Father Thomas Hare, who came in 1851 and established the first permanent church in the county, in Lafayette Township. Further of this influential missionary will be found under the head of Wexford, in the chapter on villages.

Of the other early ministers, we find mention of the following among the remnants of early county records that are still in existence.

On the 27th day of March, 1850, A. M. Eastman produced to the Clerk of the Court his license as a minister of the gospel, of the Congregationsl Church, obtained and bearing the seal of the Court of the County of Des Moines, and received authority to solemnize marriages.

August 24, 1850, "a certificate was issued to Eldridge Howard, M. G.," authorizing him to solemnize marriages, he presenting a similar certificate from the Clerk of Jackson County, with credentials of the M. E. Church.

Rev. Howard held services in the Post settlement as early as 1848.

July 9, 1851, a similar certificate was granted to Joel Baker, who presented his credentials as an ordained minister of the Baptist church.

In the fall of 1851, D. W. Lyons was a Presbyterian minister in the southern portion of the county; and Alfred Bishop, a preacher of the M. E. Church, performed marriage ceremonies on Yellow River.

Nov. 10, 1851, Ole Peter Peterson presented his certificate as a regular local preacher of the M. E. Church, and was given authority to solemnize marriages.

July 15, 1852, Niels Oleson Brandt presented his certificate of ordination as minister of the gospel of the Lutheran denomination, from Bishop J. L. Arup, of Norway; also certificates of O. L. Clausen, Supt. of Norwegian Lutheran Church of Wisconsin, and the Clerk of Jefferson County, Wis.

Rev. Francis Walsh had charge of the Catholic Church of Lansing and vicinity from about 1852 until the summer of 1863. He is at present at Keewick, Iowa.

In 1852, Rev. E. Howard, before mentioned, preached in Center township, using his own dwelling house for a church. It was a low shanty of only one room, 16x16 feet, and stood on the farm now owned by O. Deremo.

The Methodists organized a class at Postville in December, 1850.

The Rossville Baptist Church was organized Aug. 27, 1853, and J. S. Mitchell was its first Clerk. The first pastor was Rev. J. S. Shofield, since whom the following have ministered unto that charge, viz: Eder Moreland, J. A. Poole, Newell, C. D. Farnsworth, Starr, Frink, Dye, Cooley, and J. M. Wedgwood, the latter until the summer of 1882. The church has no pastor at present, but maintain the prayer meeting, covenant meeting, and Sunday School. The present church membership is sixty-five. They have a good church building, erected in 1861; and had a parsonage until quite recently they disposed of it. N. E. Brace is Deacon at present, and N. Mitchell, Clerk.

The Lansing Congregational Church was organized in April,

1854.

The Waukon Baptist Church was organized June 17, 1854, on Makee Ridge.

The Waukon M. E. Church was organized the same year, 1854. The Waukon Catholic Church was established, northwest of that town, about the year 1855.

The German Presbyterian Church of Waukon (now of Ludlow,) organized Aug. 11, 1856.

The Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Waukon, in 1857.

The Mount Hope Presbyterian Church, of Union City Township, was organized by Rev. Jo-eph Adams and J. W. Crawford, in June, 1858. It was supplied in its earlier years by Dr. A. H. Houghton, of Lansing; and by Rev. Frothingham (then of Caledonia, Minnesota, we believe), and Rev. Herndon.

The German Zion Evangelical Church of Columbus Ridge, is a flourishing organization. In July, 1873, they dedicated a fine new frame church, costing $1,000, and all paid for. Rev. L. Schuerer was pastor of the church at that time.

There are four Norwegian Lutheran Churches in the county, of which two are in Paint Creek, one in Lansing, and one at Fagrie Prairie. In 1877, the latest statistics we have at hand, they

comprised a total membership of 998, of which cast Paint Creek church had 423, west Paint Creek church 433, Lansing 61, and Fagrie Prairie 81.

The Lycurgus Catholic Church, on Lansing Ridge, is also a large and flourishing body, under the charge of Father Slattery. They have possessed a large stone church for many years, which was greatly enlarged by an addition erected, we believe, in 1879, or 1880.

STATISTICS OF POPULATION, ETC.

The population of Allamakee County at different periods since its organization has been as follows: