Winchel Bacon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
W. D. Bacon
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Portrait from Portrait and Biographical Record of Waukesha County, Wisconsin (1894)
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| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Waukesha 4th district |
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| In office January 3, 1853 – January 2, 1854 |
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| Preceded by | Publius V. Monroe |
| Succeeded by | Jesse Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 21, 1816 Stillwater, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 20, 1894 (aged 77) Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Prairie Home Cemetery, Waukesha, Wisconsin |
| Political party |
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| Spouse |
Delia Blackwell
(m. 1838; died 1880) |
| Children |
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| Occupation | Farmer |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
Winchel Dailey Bacon (born August 21, 1816 – died March 20, 1894) was an American farmer and a strong supporter of ending slavery. He was a pioneer in Wisconsin and a respected leader in the Baptist church in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He also served one term representing Waukesha in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Contents
Early Life and Moving West
Winchel Dailey Bacon was born on August 21, 1816, in Stillwater, New York. His parents were Samuel and Lydia Barber Dailey Bacon. When he was young, he worked as a clerk in Troy, New York.
A Lifelong Baptist
In 1836, Winchel was baptized in the Unadilla River. He remained a devoted member of the Baptist church throughout his entire life.
Moving to Wisconsin
In 1837, Winchel joined his parents when they moved to Butternuts, New York. On July 4, 1838, he married Delia Blackwell. They farmed in Butternuts for four years, and Winchel also taught school during the winters.
On September 2, 1841, the couple began a big journey west. They traveled by canal from Utica to Buffalo, New York. From Buffalo, they took a steamboat across the Great Lakes to Milwaukee in the Wisconsin Territory. Finally, they traveled west to a place then called "Prairieville," which is now Waukesha, Wisconsin. This is where they decided to live for the rest of their lives.
Life in Wisconsin
Once in Wisconsin, Winchel Bacon continued to farm, which he did for most of his life. He also taught school, mainly in the winter, until 1844.
Starting Businesses
From 1843, he worked in the business of making wagons and doing blacksmithing. He partnered with his brother-in-law, Charles Blackwell, or with Edmund Clinton. Around 1850, he traded his shop in Waukesha for a sawmill that ran on steam power in Brookfield.
Public Service and Politics
Winchel Bacon was very involved in politics and public service. He started out with the Whig Party. Later, he helped create the Liberty Party and then the Free Soil Party in Wisconsin. These parties were important because they were against slavery.
Serving in the Assembly
In 1852, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly for one term as a member of the Free Soil Party. He was part of a group that chose a location for a special school for young people who needed guidance. Because of his efforts, this school, which became the Wisconsin Industrial School for Boys, was built in Waukesha County. He even helped supervise the building of its first parts.
Helping Others
For many years, he was a trustee (a person who manages money or property for others) for the Wisconsin Hospital for the Insane. He was also appointed a trustee for the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, which helped people who were deaf or could not speak.
He also held many local jobs, like being a member of the school board and the president of the village board.
Fighting Against Slavery
Bacon was a strong abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery. He was active in the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. In 1854, a man named Joshua Glover, who had escaped slavery, was hidden at Bacon's home after being helped out of jail in Milwaukee.
After the Republican Party was formed in Wisconsin, Bacon became very active in it. In 1856, he published a newspaper called the Waukesha Republican for three months. This newspaper helped the Republican Party gain enough support to elect John F. Potter to Congress.
During the Civil War
In June 1861, when the American Civil War began, Bacon was already leading the county's "Central War Committee," which organized war efforts. Governor Randall asked him to buy military supplies for Wisconsin in New York. Bacon completed this important task on time and under budget.
On February 26, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Bacon as a paymaster for the United States Army, with the rank of major. He served for a while in St. Louis, Missouri, but he resigned because his businesses in Wisconsin needed his attention. He often felt he couldn't be away from his businesses for long.
Community and Business Life
Winchel Bacon strongly supported the temperance movement, which encouraged people to avoid alcohol.
Religious and Educational Work
He was very active in the Baptist church and served as a trustee for several Baptist organizations. These included the University of Chicago and Wayland Academy. He also taught at Carroll College for three terms. He was a long-time supporter of the famous evangelist Dwight L. Moody. He was also an active member of the Masons, a fraternal organization.
Farming and Banking
From the time he first arrived in Prairieville until he became ill, Bacon always worked as a farmer. In 1853, he won awards at the Wisconsin State Fair for his farming tools. Between 1861 and 1871, he was elected President of the Waukesha County Agricultural Society several times. He had helped write the rules for this society in 1856.
He also owned shares in the Waukesha County Bank. From 1865 to 1868, he was the president of the Farmers' National Bank in Waukesha, where he was the main owner. This bank was closed in 1868, not because it wasn't successful, but because Bacon needed the money for other projects.
Family and Later Years
Winchel and Delia Bacon had five children, but only three lived to adulthood. Delia died on February 12, 1880. On September 15, 1883, he married Clara Campbell from Muncy, Pennsylvania.
Winchel Dailey Bacon died on March 20, 1894, at his home in Waukesha. He had been sick for more than three years. He was buried in the city that had grown up around him.
A Discovery
In 1956, Bacon's old house in downtown Waukesha was torn down to build a parking lot. Workers found the gravestones of two of his children who had died as babies, Samuel and Winchel Jr.
Images for kids
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Winchel Bacon's signature
