Wisconsin Roots Too; 110; Greens

[countdown] [music] Like Chicken George many slaves tasted the fruits of freedom prior to the Civil War. For some it was granted. Others took it. John Green tried the latter not stopping until he reached southern Wisconsin. Consequently his son fought for the Union Army. Tonight descendants Mildred Green and son James recall the growth of that community of ex-slaves near [unclear] Wisconsin. Jim could you explain the situation that brought the Greens from St. Charles County Missouri to Wisconsin. They were slaves of a slave owner named Dan Griffith and from what I understand about Mr. Griffith even though he wasn't particularly cruel I think he he was kind of the sly and devious in some ways. But John Green managed after several attempts as I understand there were at least two to find his way north. The first time they tried it was

so quite cumbersome trying to get all the children and I think he brought at least four children with him and a wife and they were traveling on foot and they weren't too successful. They got caught and they were taken back into slavery. The second time they tried it they certainly gained a lot of experience. John Green was a driver and he had sold apples up to some of the St. Louis territory and near the freedom trails so he had gained a lot of experience in that area and he was the second attempt. They were more fortunate they went mostly by night and they stuck to the already cultivated and planted fields. My understanding they went through a lot of cornfields doing that. Was this at all on the Underground Railroad? Was there a connection? No there's not a connection with as I understand it not with John Green's passage. Some of the earlier families did

come up to the underground railroad. I think particularly the Grimes family and Nancy Grimes and her six children came up on the railroad. And one of the depots I was fortunate enough to see it in Milton Wisconsin. There was an old building there that was part of the Underground Railroad. But John Green did not come to that passage as I understand it. And they ended up in Wisconsin but what about the trip from Missouri to Wisconsin? What were stops along the way. Well as I understand it some of the stops were St. Louis I think it was one. And the other one that I think of primarily is Dubuque Iowa which had another name I think of the time or at least they call it another name. And the point that I remember there was very hard but they had a lot of hardships and it was cold and they lost all their clothing at that point in Dubuque Iowa

somebody had stolen their clothing out of the trunks and they got that far. One of the reasons they came to Lancaster was that the land was very cheap and John Green had some money. And around $700 as I recall and one thing was that they could buy land relatively cheap in the Pleasant Ridge community. Another thing is that I think some of the other slaves came from that same area. Missouri area I think it was the shepherds and probably there was some communication of some kind telling them about the beautiful Pleasant Ridge community you know where a lot of other ex-slaves there so there was a community thriving. They had over I know there were over 700 acres of land that they had and they could be rest assured that he probably wouldn't be recaptured into slavery. Was the community pretty integrated? Yes in terms of what I've been able to read and from talking some to some of the people on the farms around there that it was a very integrated

society at that time. It was a lot of a lot of work to be done like clearing the land. A lot of brute work. It was very difficult very cold and they had to hang together to survive more or less. It was very isolated and very pioneering [unclear] and they work together like they had barn raising bees. They had built a home raising bees they would call all the people the community together to build one home for a settler and try to get it done before winter so everybody had to chip in because you didn't know you know who was going to be next to have to have something help done. That's how they did it so they built their church and they built their own schools they built everything else the barns, their cabins, their homes. Stuff like that together. The Mcclains were one of the family. I mean their farm joined ours. I went to school with all of his children and that we still visit there once and while.

I do and the Joyces and the one I remember mostly was this brother and sister who were directly from Germany and they lived in the log cabin with the chickens and the cats and everything right in the house. Chickens would set up on the stove and cats and everything. But that spiritual unity was disrupted although the entire community was affected by the fatal shooting of a white man the tragedy was especially close to the Green family. [unclear] was the one that that caused some problems around. Well she didn't really cause them but there were some problems around the Lancaster Grant County community of her. I think my mother knew more about that. She is still living in Detroit. Understand she's in a nursing home now. Her health is failing because the shot went by and deafened her in the ear. Alright, why don't you tell us a little bit about that. The

situation said that... The father had warned this man not to go with her but he insisted on going so one night when he brought her home why he just went out and shot him. [unclear] mention that he was a white man and a black woman. And it resulted in quite a famous trial I understand around that Grant County area in the late the early 1900s I think it was either 1917 or 1918. It was quite highlighted and I understand there were quite a few blacks that came up from Chicago. The attorney to defend John Green as I have in my records who shot a Mr. Drew I don't know the Drew family at all that was the famous trial and there was a lawyer that came up from Chicago. And there were groups of blacks that would come up to the trial too from Madison and from Chicago Milwaukee because it was at that time I guess it was quite a

newsworthy incident. And I also think that the blacks were very aware what probably could happen in the rural community in Wisconsin. Did it stir up race relations stir up problems? Yes, I think it did somewhat because I was in school with his daughter. His daughter was in my class or behind me. Whose daughter? Mr Drew and it was mentioned and talked discussed in school. I also understand that though the judge who seemed to be sympathetic to the problem delayed the case for some time to let the tempers the angers die down which I think was a wise move. And in the end John Green got acquitted for murder. Thank you both for joining us Mildred and James Green.