Brazel
The first settlement, within the limits now comprising the town of Jordan, was made by William Brazel. In 1836,
he raised the first corn and in 1837 raised the first crop of wheat in the township. Others to follow him were: John and George Shelton from Virginia in 1836, Lars Larson Bothan from Norway in 1843, brothers Ole Iverson from Vik, Norway in 1843 and Axel Iverson from Voss, Norway in 1844, Curtis Hard and Henry Crary in 1845. At the junction of Jordan Creek and the Pecatonica River, the early settlers believed there would some day be a city. Steamboats came up the river to that point in 1845.
At that time the country was not only a wilderness, but the people were poor, had no money and no tools to farm with properly. Dressed hogs sold at $1.50 per hundred and were fed with acorns rooted for in the woods. But in spite of the deprivations the people were happy and contented. He told the writer that in that day the people were not money mad and had time to hunt and fish. There was an abundance of game and in one season his father William Brasel killed 50 deer with an old flintlock gun.
There was no habitation on the present site of Argyle and the nearest residence was on the old Biggs place where John Conway Sr, now lives, and to the southwest the nearest house is on the old Burritt place now owned by J. S. Larson and rented by F. D. Goodrich. This was a brick house and stands there today in a good state of preservation. The Pecatonica River had no bridges and had certain seasons traveling was very difficult.
BRAZEL (12 individuals)
Conway Genealogy
Genealogy (from Greek: γενεαλογία genealogia from γενεά genea, “generation” and λόγος logos, “knowledge”), also known as family history, is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history.