Campbell Family History

By James S. Campbell

When I ended Volumes I through III in 1996, I received a commitment from my spectacular daughters
that they would each write a chapter about their families as a starting point for the next edition. Their
four volumes highlight this edition with a historic first chapter from George Campbell’s studies of the
early history of the clan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 20, 2008
• ISBN: 9781984587756

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Copyright © 2008 by James S. Campbell. 47135-CAMP

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ISBN:   Softcover         978-1-4363-2710-7

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Rev. date: 06/30/2020

COVER.PSD

CAMPBELL

FAMILY

HISTORY

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Volumes IV-IX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Nancy, Barbara, Cindy and Patti for providing Volumes V through VIII. Thanks to George Campbell, Jr. for the early history of the Campbell Family. It is my hope that the girls will accept the challenge to keep the Campbell Family History ongoing. The family has left a phenomenal record of achievement and influence on this earth and it would be valuable to leave this history for future generations to enjoy.

It has been twelve years since the first volumes were completed. These have been eventful years with both happy times and sorrow. Life continues with opportunity and vistas not yet imagined as the world moves frantically forward. The next hundred years will undoubtedly far surpass anything we could visualize today.

INTRODUCTION

When I ended Volumes I through III in 1996, I received a commitment from my spectacular daughters that they would each write a chapter about their families as a starting point for the next edition. Their four volumes highlight this edition with a historic first chapter from George Campbell’s studies of the early history of the clan.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VOLUME IV

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE IOWA

COUNTY CAMPBELL CLAN

VOLUME V

THE LYONS FAMILY

VOLUME VI

THE COSTER FAMILY

VOLUME VII

THE CAMPBELL FAMILY

VOLUME VIII

THE RICHMAN FAMILY

VOLUME IX

JAMES CAMPBELL WRAP UP

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE

IOWA COUNTY CAMPBELL CLAN

By George Campbell, Jr.

INTRODUCTION

I have fond memories of my childhood vacations to Barneveld each summer. Usually, my

cousin, Don Petersen and I would spend a week together at Grandma and Grandpa Campbell’s house. Much later, my grandmother, Violet, took me around so I could take pictures of all the places that my dad lived in Iowa County. I also remember looking at the extensive work that Aunt Marie (Stenseth) Wenzlaff did researching that side of the family. Maybe these were the seeds that started my interest in early Campbell family. When did they first come and from where?

I consider this to be a work-in-progress and hope to add information as I get it. However, I’ve reached a point where I want to share a summary of what information I have. In addition, I have photos, background documents and archival material that I’ve not included here. This is, I’m sure, just a small piece of our history.

I have visited many interesting places in Iowa County and have met some wonderful and interesting people, Ester Mae and Eleanor Campbell, the late Virgil Jabs, Alice Campbell and her 103 year old mother, Gladys, George Kier Campbell and his family from the Campbell home in PEI, Marilyn Schriber, Claire Campbell, Nancy McKenzie McMahon, and others.

Searching web sites has been fruitful to some extent, but it can also be frustrating and time consuming. The Wisconsin Historical Society is a wonderful place to find interesting information.

I was fortunate to visit Prince Edward Island in 2005 with my brother David, and sister Corinthia. We did some research at the Historical Museum and visited with George Keir Campbell, the proprietor of Silver Bush, the old Campbell homestead. George and his family were very generous and we enjoyed our visit with them. I know that archives and documents in Scotland would also add a tremendous amount of information on our heritage. I just may have to make a visit to see

for myself – bringing golf clubs of course.

Feel free to share this information with your families as you see fit. Not everyone has the need or interest and that is understandable. My motivation is selfish – I have found it an enjoyable pastime.

I have no reason to doubt any of the information; however, I offer no guarantees to its authenticity.

There are many web sites and books that tell the story of the Campbell’s of Breadalbane. I will try to summarize a portion of it here. I was able to find a family tree on the descendents of Alexander Campbell and Mary Cameron, parents of Lt. James Campbell and this was a great place to start.

CAMPBELLS OF BREADALBANE

We are descended from the Breadalbane Campbell’s. After the House of Argyll, the Breadalbane Campbell’s are the leading family. The origin of the name is the Gaelic Caimbeul, from cam (wry) and beul (mouth). Sir Colin Campbell (Black Colin of Glenorchy) received the lands of Glenorchy from his father, Sir Duncan of Lochow. Through his marriage to the daughter of Lord Lorn, (one of his four marriages) Colin also received a third part of the lands of Lorn. He built the castle of Kilchurn in Glenorchy in the mid 1400’s, and in recognition of his bravery in the Crusades, he was made a Knight of Rhodes.

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Kilchurn Castle

The Breadalbane Campbell’s were a powerful Clan with a burning desire to expand their lands, indeed the ambition of the 16th century Black Duncan Campbell of the cowl, was to be able to travel on his own lands from the east to the west coast of Scotland. It was an ambition he achieved to the cost of many of his neighbors. He was a prolific castle builder and was knighted by James I in 1590. The Campbell’s acquired their lands mainly through guile and legal process, largely with the support of some of Scotland’s kings. It was the Campbell’s who hounded the MacGregors, the McEwans, McNabs and many other unfortunate clans to the verge of extinction.

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Sir John Campbell (1635-1717), the direct descendant of Colin, was given the title of 1st Earl of Breadalbane for his loyalty to Charles II. He built Taymouth Castle located near Kenmore Scotland (Kenmore is on the NE side of Loch Tay and Killin is on the SW side). Sir John was indirectly responsible for the famous Glencoe massacre of 1692. He persuaded William III to sign off on the order because his enemies, the MacDonald’s, were late in signing an oath to William. However, it was the Argyll regiments of the Campbell’s that carried out the order (although only 38 of about 150 MacDonald’s camped at Glencoe were killed).

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Taymouth Castle

TO PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (Lt. James Campbell)

Alexander Campbell, my 5-great grandfather, is descended from the Breadalbane Campbell’s. He was from Killin on Loch Tay, and married Mary Cameron about 1723. Mary was from the Cameron clan of Locheil. Their youngest of seven children, James, was born in Killin, Scotland around 1743.

In the year 1770, James traveled to Prince Edward Island with the newly appointed first governor of St. John, Captain Walter Patterson (PEI was call St. John until 1799). He was a Lieutenant in His Majesty’s Company of Saint John’s Volunteers, and private secretary to Patterson. They returned to London, England in 1773 where he made arrangements to act as an agent for the firm of Clark and Campbell, who had jointly bought Lot 21 on the north coast of St. John. In 1775, Lt. Campbell returned to St. John on the ship, Elizabeth.

There is a great diary written by Thomas Curtis of the crossing and first year on the island. Also on the ship were James Townsend, his wife and 2 sons and 3 daughters from Berkshire, England. One of his daughters was Eliza Ann (nicknamed Lucy), about 18 at the time.

As the Elizabeth approached the island in November of 1775, it was wrecked against a sand bar while trying to find a suitable place to anchor. The Curtis diary describes how James Campbell volunteered to take a life boat into shore. He was swamped and under water several times before landing and became very sick. However, everyone eventually made it to shore and survived. They were supposed to dock on the south of the island, but instead, wrecked in an uninhabitable spot on the north.

The Curtis diary goes on to describe a terrible winter of hunger, cold and survival. It also refers often to Mr. Campbell as he appeared to take a leadership role with the survivors. A quote from his diary follows:

Mr. Campbell took on himself on ordering of the whole affair both for the merchant and insurers by whose good management we were preserved from much confusion. He frequently would encourage those that were industrious and check those that were idol or other ways disorderly.

Not only were most of the supplies of the Elizabeth lost, but a second ship with winter supplies was plundered by American privateers. In 1775, the entire island population was estimated at 1,300 widely dispersed people. The winter of 1775-1776 was one of the darkest in the island’s history.

Lt. James Campbell and Eliza Ann Townsend were married on the island the following year. In 1784, James was given 500 acres of land near New London on the north shore of the island as a reward for his service to the Officers of His Majesty’s Company of St. John’s Volunteers. James Townsend and his family also established a permanent residence in the same area from a grant from King George III. He named the area Park Corner after his English home.

On the original Campbell property is this plaque.

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HERE SETTLED JAMES CAMPBELL

BORN IN PERTHSHIRE, SCOTLAND IN 1743 IMMIGRATED FROM LONDON IN 1775 ON THE SHIP ELIZABETH WHICH WAS SHIPWRECKED OFF LOT 11. MARRIED ELIZA TOWNSEND FROM WHICH MARRIAGE EIGHT CHILDREN WERE BORN. SERVED AS AGENT TO CLARK & CAMPBELL. SECRETARY TO GOVERNOR PATTERSON. MEMBER OF SAINT JOHN’S VOLUNTEERS AND A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY FROM 1776 TO 1796.

THIS MEMORIAL WAS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE CLAN CAMPBELL OF NEW LONDON. PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. ON JULY 17TH 1976.

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND CAMPBELL’S

The area around Lot’s 20 and 21 is where the Campbell’s settled. If you notice the births, marriages and deaths of the Campbell’s during the following generations, Park Corner is most often mentioned.

Today, Park Corner is nothing more than a crossroads surrounded by potato fields. However, the original Campbell property is still in the hands of our Campbell relatives of PEI. John Keir Campbell runs quite a successful museum and gift shop at the Campbell farm (known as Silver Bush) based on the popularity of Lucy Maud Montgomery on PEI. John and Annie Campbell were Lucy’s aunt and uncle and owned the homestead at that time. John Campbell was a brother of Archibald. The stories written by Lucy Maud Montgomery describe life in Park Corner and at her aunt and uncle’s farm. Her book, Ann of Green Gables, is extremely popular with younger readers and apparently is required reading in Japan (I guess this is why so many Japanese couples contact George so they can have there weddings at the farm). Lucy Maud Montgomery was married at the Campbell farm.

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Silver Bush

The current home (or museum), was built in 1872 by John and Annie. I believe the ruins of the original Campbell home are across the highway.

John and Annie lived in the Campbell home next to the Lake of Shining Waters as described in Ann of Green Gables. We are related to Lucy Maud Montgomery in a couple of different ways. A daughter of John and Annie Campbell was named Fredericka Elmenstine Campbell. I speculate that she was named after the wife of Archibald, Fredericka Helmenstine. Since they were married in Wisconsin, it must have been a letter sent back to PEI that shared the news and maybe the H somehow got dropped off. Fredericka (or Frede) later became best friends of Lucy Maud Montgomery. Lucy called Frede her beloved cousin.

James and Lucy Campbell had eight children. The seventh, James Townsend Campbell was born about 1790. He married Elizabeth Montgomery and had two sons, Alexander and James. Elizabeth died shortly after the birth of her second son and James married her cousin, also named Elizabeth. They had 13 children. The youngest five children all died during a cholera epidemic in 1846. The second child was Archibald Campbell, born in 1828. It was shortly after the epidemic that Archibald journeyed to Wisconsin. He may have traveled via Boston as another brother, Donald, had moved there.

Many Campbell descendents are still in Prince Edward Island.

TO WISCONSIN (Archibald Campbell)

Sometime in the early 1850’s, Alexander Campbell, oldest son of James Townsend Campbell, left PEI and came to settle in the area of Middlebury, Wisconsin (south of Barneveld) with his wife, Jane McKenzie (the aunt of Minerva McKenzie, my great grandmother). Many Scots from PEI came and settled in this area, including the McKenzie’s and Theobald’s. In 1860, Alexander was named the first Postmaster of the Middlebury Post Office. They were later followed to Wisconsin by his brother James, and half-brother Archibald. Alexander and his family later moved to Ridgefield Iowa where he was a prominent lawyer and district judge. His son, John Charles Fremont Campbell, received a law degree from the University of Wisconsin and later moved to Tacoma Washington where he became very active in local and state politics.

The plat map of 1870 shows adjoining farms of Archibald and James. James married the sister of Fredericka Helmenstine, wife of Archibald. At some point, James left Wisconsin and moved to Geddes, North Dakota (although his daughter Eliza, married George Theobald and remained in the Iowa Co. area). The obituary of James states, Mr. Campbell was one of our oldest settlers and helped to build this community out of a wilderness. He knew the meaning of privations which helped make him a good husband, father and citizen.

When Archibald (he was known as Archie) first arrived, he worked as a school teacher in the townships of Blue Mounds and Vermont in Dane County. He also worked for Ebenezer Brigham at his inn at Pokerville (named after a certain card game played quite often in town). This community, just west of Blue Mounds, became a ghost town in later years. But it was here that the Helmenstine family from Germany lived and where Archibald met his bride, Fredericka. They married in 1853 and had seven children. From 1854 to 1864, they managed the Brigham Hotel. The township of Brigham was named by Archibald after his first boss when the Ridgeway Township (not to be confused with the village of the same name) was split in 1885.

There is a biography of Archibald Campbell in the 1879 Wisconsin Blue Book and another in the Commemorative Biographies of Iowa County. In addition to serving as a State Senator, he was appointed by the Governor Fairchild, and later elected, as County Commissioner. He also served as chairman of Ridgeway Township for many years.

He fought to have the railroad built through Middlebury in 1881, but lost out to David Simpson who owned a farm just west of Blue Mounds. The community that sprang up was first known as Simpsonville, but later changed to Barneveld by a railroad surveyor, a Mr. Orbison, after a town in Holland. In addition, Archibald was a stanch believer in temperance. In 1887, he led the fight of the drys over the wets in the Township of Ridgeway. On Dec. 16 of that year, it was reported that:

Hon. Arch Campbell, of Ridgeway, was in town last Friday and Saturday to vindicate the law of his town as town chairman against selling liquor without a license. He was successful in the prosecution. Mr. Campbell never fails to do his duty as a public officer.

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Looking West from Water Tower - 1908

Archibald also served in the Civil War with the 49th Wisconsin Infantry, Company A. He was a 1st Sergeant. They saw little or no action as their company left Wisconsin in March of 1865 for St. Louis. There, they were assigned to guard, escort and garrison duties. Archibald mustered