ISAAC MELLOR was born March 30, 1807 in Quanford, Staffordshire,, England , and died September 12, 1889 in Lindina Township, Juneau County, Wisconsin. He was the son of MATTHEW MELLOR and REBECCA [UNK], his mothers surname is unknown . Little is known of ISACC's early life except he was a sailor. Quarnford is about 40 miles east of the seaport Liverpool, England. It is very possible that ISAAC MELLOR had siblings. There were three Mellor males born in Quarnford in the same time frame as ISAAC MELLOR, they were Joseph Mellor born 4 Nov 1804, Joshua Mellor born 18 Jul 1802, and Matthew Mellor born about 1793. It is believed these three Mellor males are the same who appear on the 1850 Federal Census for Salem Twp., Kenosha, Wisconsin. More is covered on this subject in later pages.

ISAAC married JANE NADEN December 30, 1828 in Alstonfield, Staffordshire, England. JANE NADEN was born 1 May 1808 in Quarnford, Staffordshire, England. She is the daughter of THOMAS NADEN and JANE SL ACK of Staffordshire County, England. ISAAC MELLOR and JANE NADEN had four children:

1-William W. Mellor, born Sept. 19, 1830 in Quarnford, Stafford, England

2-Mary Ann Mellor, born March 28, 1833 in Quarnford, Stafford, England

3-Hannah Mellor, christened Jan. 31, 1837 in Ancoats, Methodist Chapel, Manchaster,Lancashire, England

4-JANE MELLOR, born Nov. 10, 1838 in Ancoats, Manchaster, Lancashire, England

ISAAC MELLOR's spouse, JANE NADEN died 30 December 1838 in England.

ISAAC never remarried.

As a widower, ISAAC MELLOR was left with four children , William, Mary Ann, Hannah and JANE. Most likely he left his daughters, Mary Ann, Hannah and JANE with relatives as he and William come to America . Hannah married a local man, George Clayton, and appears they stayed in England.

ISAAC MELLOR and his son William, sailed from Liverpool, England to the port of New Orleans November 1842 on the Ship 'Mattahaset'. The ship was captained by Benjamin Taylor. The manifest was mainly cargo and a small group of passengers.

ISAAC was about 35 years old and William was about 12 years old at the time. It is stated ISAAC worked for a planter after arriving in New Orleans.

ISAAC settled near Kenosha in Racine County, Wisconsin in 1844. On march 29, 1848 in Racine County, Territory of Wisconsin, he declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States. ISAAC brought his first property in Salem Township, Kenosha Co., Wi., in 1848. ISAAC and his son William, than age 20, went to Gold Rush in El Dorado County,California in1850 where he accumulated enough Gold to make himself and his family comfortable and returned home several years later.

ISAAC's daughters, Mary Ann and Jane, joined their father's family in Salem, Kenosha County, Wisconsin about 1849. It is most likely the daughters being 16 and 11 years old respectively, came the to United States with other members of the Mellor family.

The 1850 Fed. Census for Salem Twp. ,Kenosha Co., Wi., showed three [3] Mellor families living next door to each other. They were, Joseph, Joshua, and Matthew and it is most certain they were related to ISAAC MELLOR, possibly brothers, half-brothers, or cousins . It is most likley that one of the three Mellor families in the 1850 Salem Census were living in the home of ISAAC MELLOR.

The editor of the Mauston Star reported on page 1, May 13, that " Mr. ISAAC MELLOR of Summit, has added to our cabinet a fine collection of Quartz and black sand, rich with gold. he took them from the mines in Eldorado County, California, in 1850, He being among the early miners of that region. He has our thanks for the same. "While Isaac Mellor was in California for the Gold Rush his daughter Mary Ann ,age 20, whom was living with the Matthew Mellor family #176 in the Salem 1850 Fed Census, married Thomas Finn, age 25, about 1851, he was the young fellow living with the Dudley Cap family, dwelling # 173, several farms away as per the 1850 Census for Salem Township.

On Jan. 27, 1855 ISAAC’s daughter JANE MELLOR, whom was living with the Matthew Mellor family #176 in the Salem Fed.1850 census, married JOHN F. MURPHY. This may be the same John Murphy who was living with the John Quigley family , dwelling # 164 on the 1850 Fed. census for Salem Township, a close neighbor to the JANE MELLOR of Salem.

JOHN F. MURPHY was to have been sent by his parents From Ireland to America alone. The birth year of JOHN was 1823. This JOHN MURPHY of Salem, Kenosha Co., WI was listed as age 14 ?? [ Possibly listed wrongly by the census taker ?] in 1850 living with the JohnQuigley family in dwelling #164 . It was a pratice for immigrants to America state their age lower then18 years to allow them automatic citizenship.

JANE MELLOR was 17 years old at this time.

ISAAC MELLOR and son William came back from the California Gold Fields prior to 1854. In 1854 ISAAC and his son-in-law Thomas Finn left Salem and made a trip to Adam County, Wisconsin, which later became Juneau County, to look for some farm land to purchase and settle upon. The following was published in a Juneau county local newspaper, and coppied from clippings at the Juneau County Historical Society-Boorman House Mauston newspaper reports: “ Isaac Mellor and his son- in-law Thomas Finn came up to Steward’s Settlement in 1854 and after looking around sometime bought some land on the bluff, Mellor buying what is now the property of Peter Walters in Summit and Finn buying near him, they then returned for the family of Finn and moved to Stewarts in the Spring of 1855 and lived with him until their home was ready to live in.”

Returning for the family of Thomas Finn would mean going back to the families in Salem Twp. Kenosha, WI.

ISAAC MELLOR was in Juneau County, Wisconsin in October 1854. At that time Juneau County was still part of Adams County. Lemonweir was the first township organized in 1854 and Summit Township followed in 1855. Juneau County was formally organized on January 1, 1857.

ISAAC's daughter, Mary Ann, married a Thomas Finn before 1851, and his other daughter JANE married a John F. Murphy Jan. 27, 1855 in Salem Twp. Kenosha Co., Wi.

The following is a excerpt from articles received from Rose Clark, Historiographer, Juneau County Historical Society.

" ISAAC MALLOR and his son-in-law Thomas Finn came up to Steward's Settlement in 1854 and after looking around some time brough some land on the bluff. Mallor buying what is now the property of Peter Walters in Summit, an Finn buying near him. They than returned for the family of Finn and moved to Stewards in the spring of 1855 and lived with him until their house was ready to live in. "

ISAAC MELLOR made at least eight (8) land purchases in Juneau County, Wisconsin during the 1850's. The following are descriptions of these properties:

November 10,1855 -- Doc# 20996 The NE1/4 of section 9, T-14-N, R-3-E, in Summit Township,Juneau Co., Wi., containing 160 acres. ISAAC was of Kenosha County at time of signing.

November 10,1855-- Doc# 21382 The lots numbered Three (3) and Ten (10) of section 3, T-14-N, R-3-E, in Lindina Township, Juneau Co., Wi., containing 80 acres.

November 10,1855-- Doc# 21384 The NE1/4 of the SW1/4 of section 3, T-14-N, R-3-E, containing 40 acres.

November 10,1855-- Doc# 20997 The lot number Two (2) of section 3, T-14-N, R-3-E, containing 62.74 acres.

November 10, 1855 --Doc# 21383 The NW1/4 of Section 9 in T-14-N, R-3-E, containing 160 acres.

Dcember 15,1855 -- Doc.# 3399 The NE1/4 of the W1/2 of section 34, T-15-N, R-3-E, containing 120 acres.

June 1, 1858 -- Doc# 31702 The lot number Two (2) of section 4, T-14-N, R-3-E, containing 60.777 acres.

June 1, 1858 -- Doc# 27237 The lot number One (1) of section 4, T-14-N, R-3-E. containing 61.57 Acres.

William Mellor, son of ISAAC MELLOR purchased the following land in Juneau County:

June 1, 1858 -- Doc # 29803 The E1/2 of the SE1/4 of section 9, T-14-N. R-3-E, Containing 80 acres.

It appears by the mid 1850's the families of ISAAC MELLOR, JOHN MURPHY and Thomas Finn were all established in the Townships of Summit and Lindina, Juneau Co., Wi.

The 1860 Lindina Township census listed the JOHN MURPHY family in dwelling # 148 [ see JOHN J. MURPHY Notes ] and the Thomas Finn Family in dwelling # 147.

Thomas Finn married Isaac Mellor's daughter Mary Ann Mellor, ( see the Thomas Finn notes)

This Obituary appeared in the Mauston-Star Newspaper Sept 19, 1889

ANOTHER OLD SETTLER GONE

ISAAC MELLOR was born at Staffordshire, England, March 32, 1807. Of his early life we have little information except that he was a sailor, was married to JANE NADEN, that they had four children, and that his wife died about the year 1838 in England. In 1842 he came to America, landing in New Orleans and there worked for a planter. Settled in Wisconsin near Kenosha in 1844, moved to Salem Twp., Kenosha Co., Wis prior to about 1848 , went to California Gold Rush in 1850, and there accumulated enough to make himself and family comfortable, returned home in 1854, he moved to Juneau County in October of that year, settling on the farm now owned by Peter Walters and became one of the early pioneers. He soon became a member of the Wesleyan Methodist Church and was a constant attendant of the service at the Stewart School House. In 1860 he went to the Pike's Peak Gold rush, returning in 1864 to Wisconsin where he has sence, resided, having sold his first farm and settled a little further south on the bluffs of Summit.

A description of ISAAC MELLOR, with pen or pencil would be a difficult undertaking. In statue he was a little below the medium height, strong, square, solid, heavy build, in his younger days a man of extraordinary strenght and commanded the respect of those who otherwise might have wanted to bully over him, and in his older days he was strong and hearty and on the day of his death, worked at gathering his crops as usual and feeling well up to within three hours of his death . In disposition he was kind, and gentle, and a firm friend to those who he considered true to him and their country and its laws. An iron will and a determination that none could change when once he considered himself in the right, his enemies ever feared him. Honorable in all his dealings with others, he wanted all others to be honorable.

Last year he joined the Juneau County Old Settler's Association, remarking as he did so that he would undoubtedly never be able to meet with them again and " perhaps would be on the other shore" before another meeting.

On Thursday, Sept. 12, 1889, he helped at gathering the farm crops until at about 5 p.m. when he went to the house and shortly afterwards his son came in and noticing that he looked unwell asked what he could do for him and he requested him to assist him to the bed where he passed quietly away at about 8p.m. The funeral was on Sept. 14 at 10 a,m., services at Union Chapel, Stewart's Settlement, conducted by Rev. R. H. Fogle, and the body laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery. He leaves to mourn his loss is son Wm. Mellor, of Summit, and a daughter, Mrs. Thomas. Finn of Mauston

Contributed by R. Thompson ([email protected])