History, Winnebago County, Wisconsin: Its cities, towns, resources, people

              TOWNSHIP   HISTOEY. 293
smithy at Neenah and Winneconne and with whom his parents lived from 1834 to the time of their death. He was married, and his wife died last fall in Green Bay. He was killed in the writing- paper mill fire, described under the history of the city of Menasha. They had no children. Mr. Louis T. Jourdain, now residing with his family on Nicolet avenue, Neenah, engaged in insurance and real estate, is an adopted son, having lived nearly his whole boy¬ hood days in the family and given their name.
Mr. Wells E. Blair located on the place so long occupied by him in 1850. At first he moved with his family into one of the better Government block houses near the Blair Springs. This was one of the better and larger houses built for the teachers. It w^as, as Mrs. Blair says, ^^ excellent and substantial, well framed and fin¬ ished, made of hewn or square logs. Near this was one of the log houses built for the Indians, w^hich we used for a barn. Later in 1861 we built a stone house (still standing) and moved into it." Mrs. Blair is living in Madison with her daughter. Miss E. Helen Blair.
Mr. Michael Kerwin was one of the earliest pioneers in the town and county. He carved his splendid domain out of the primeval forest of hardwoods and made his wdde acres into a thrifty, fruit¬ ful farm. The Kerwin family has been celebrated in Ireland and America, many of its members being highly educated and display¬ ing, great intelligence as priests and lawyers. Many of them came to America and attained considerable prominence in religious and civic life as well as military affairs. Gen. Michael Kerwin, of New York, was one of them. This biography is mostly of some of the descendents of James Kerwin. James Kerwin, of County Tip- perary, Ireland, where he was born and died, married Mary Quin¬ tan, of the same place, who was born there in 1790 and died in Wisconsin in 1877 at the age of 86 years. Their son, Michael Kerwin, was born in Tipperary county, Ireland, in 1815. He mar¬ ried Mary Buckley in Ireland, daughter of W^alter Buckley, of Ireland, where he was born in 1790 and died in 1830. His wife was Mary Clary, who died when her daughter, Mary Buckley, was an infant. Mary was born in 1821 in Ireland in County Tip¬ perary. Michael Kerwin went to Canada from Ireland in 1844 and remained there until 1848, when he returned to Ireland and married Mary Buckley. They came to America, settling on a large farm in the town of Menasha, W^innebago county^ W^iscon- sin, in 1848, and lived there until his death in 1902, his wife, Mary Kerwin, having died in 1873.   He was one of the first settlers in