John Shaw (colonel)
John Shaw | |
|---|---|
 Original July 22, 1836 advertisement for 100 lots in Hamburg where John is listed as the proprietor. | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1783 Montgomery County, New York, United States |
| Died | August 31, 1871 Princeton, Wisconsin, United States |
| Resting place | La Cote Sainte Marie Cemetery, Princeton, Wisconsin |
John Shaw (January 1, 1783 – August 31, 1871) was a 19th-century businessman, soldier, and settler of the Midwestern United States.
Biography
John was born on New Year's Day in 1783 to his father Comfort Shaw and mother Mary Hollinbeck in Montgomery County, New York. Very little is known of his early years, but it is said that he had seven brothers prior to his father's death in 1799 aged only 40.
John was a private security contractor during the War of 1812 and possibly served briefly as a private for the Missouri Rangers in the dying days of the war. Including the Battle of the Sink Hole in 1815.[1][2] This is likely where John acquired the title of colonel, despite it possibly only being honorary. By 1816 it is known that John was a locally known trader with business ties in St. Louis.[3] Throughout John's travels he came into contact with various native figures including Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk and Chief Red Bird of the Ho-Chunk among others.[4] Some interactions would ultimately result in legal problems.
In 1818 John was responsible for the first flour mill in the "northwest" being built in the city of Prairie du Chien.[5] In 1836 John purchased 100 plots of land in the small village of Hamburg, Illinois. This would include what would later be called the John Shaw Cabin, built c. 1822.[6] This land is located roughly 30 miles south of El Dara. The village is home to the Shaw Cemetery where two of John's brothers are buried, Daniel and Comfort Shaw, as well as their relatives.
John would later move to Princeton, Wisconsin in 1845 and in 1851 filled a plat for the town of St. Marie where he would subsequently become the founder. By the 1850s John was in worsening health and was legally blind by 1854.[7]
John would pass away on August 31, 1871 age 88 in his town of Princeton. He was buried on what is now private property in the small La Cote Sainte Marie Cemetery.
References
- ^ Roger Bartel (June 21, 2021). "FACT CHECK: COL. SHAW". Bartel's History of Princeton. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ John Shaw (1888). "Indian chiefs and pioneers of the Northwest". Wisconsin Historical Society. State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ Turner, Jennie McMullin (1929). "Wisconsin pioneers : some lessons on Wisconsin". University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries. Appleton, Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Magazine and C. C. Nelson Pub. Co. p. 7. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ John Shaw (1815–1848). "Indian chiefs and pioneers of the Northwest". Digital Public Library of America. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ "First flour mill in Northwest was erected near Prairie du Chien by John Shaw in 1818". Wisconsin Historical Society. La Crosse Tribune. February 3, 1929. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ "100 Lots in the town of Hamburg". nebula. July 22, 1836. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ Roger Bartel (April 29, 2022). "In Search of St. Marie, the History". Bartel's History of Princeton. Retrieved August 3, 2025.