"Old" Village of Clarence
Clarence was located in Spring Grove Township.
The village plat was located on land on section 2, which was first settled by William SHERRY, in the spring of 1841. In the fall of that year he was joined by his wife and her father, Dr. Peter SPRINGSTED, with his family, consisting of his wife and eight children; also James SHERRY, a single man, brother of William. Two years later Dr. SPRINGSTED moved to section 4 and improved a farm, which is now occupied by Mrs. Mary DOUGLAS. The doctor and his family moved from this town to Decatur several years later and died there. None of the family are in this town at this time. William SHERRY built a house and blacksmith shop. Both families lived in this house. SHERRY in 1845 sold to A. D. TENNY and settled on the place where Aug. GIESE now lives. He left the town about 1855.
Soon after, A. D .TENNEY, who came form New Hampshire, bought out SHERRY. He sold an interest in the property to B. J. TENNEY, who came form Beloit (they were not of kin). Some time after this A. D. TENNEY platted a part of the land and sold lots. B. J. TENNEY opened a small store. The place was known in those day as TENNEYVILLE, and was later, in honor of Squire DERRICK, called Clarence, the name of a town in which he had resided in the state of New York. H. C. GREEN was the next to open business. He built a bedstead and chair factory, with steam power, and operated until 1856. When he went to Monroe the business stopped.
Caleb KNOWLES and several sons came from Winnebago Co., IL. in 1853. Mr. KNOWLES was the father-in-law of A. D. TENNY by his second marriage. His first wife died soon after he came here. Two of the sons, Horatio and C. C. KNOWLES went to Kansas in 1859. C. C. KNOWLES formerly owned the AUSTIN farm. After the war the father and the rest of the family went to Kansas. A. D. TENNEY and his family joined a spiritualist community at Harmony Springs, Arkansas in 1859. He later died in Kansas.
John B SAWYER came from Decatur in 1853 and bought produce. He now lives in Brodhead. Mr. SAWYER, A. D. TENNEY and Horatio KNOWLES succeeded to the trade formerly carried on by B. J. TENNEY and owned the hotel, blacksmith shop and store. Morris DERRICK, a brother of Squire DERRICK, at one time kept a small stock of groceries and liquors. Myron HALSTEAD in 1854 bought out SAWYER, TENNEY and KNOWLES. He was the last merchant of Clarence. Upon the building of the railroad, he moved his stock to Brodhead. Dr. TOWNE, now of Brodhead, came to Clarence as his clerk. C. A .WARNER bought the blacksmith shop in 1854, and worked there one year. He now lives on section 1. He sold to Storrs SMITH, who now follows the same business in Albany. Mr. GREGORY bought out SMITH and closed the shop about 1859. In 1855 Thomas MARTIN opened a harness shop and worked two years. The old hotel building and barn have been destroyed by fire. The post office was discontinued in 1857.
Extracted from the "History of Green County, Wisconsin" published by Union Publishing Company, Springfield, Ill. 1884; page 1056
Soon after, A. D .TENNEY, who came form New Hampshire, bought out SHERRY. He sold an interest in the property to B. J. TENNEY, who came form Beloit (they were not of kin). Some time after this A. D. TENNEY platted a part of the land and sold lots. B. J. TENNEY opened a small store. The place was known in those day as TENNEYVILLE, and was later, in honor of Squire DERRICK, called Clarence, the name of a town in which he had resided in the state of New York. H. C. GREEN was the next to open business. He built a bedstead and chair factory, with steam power, and operated until 1856. When he went to Monroe the business stopped.
Caleb KNOWLES and several sons came from Winnebago Co., IL. in 1853. Mr. KNOWLES was the father-in-law of A. D. TENNY by his second marriage. His first wife died soon after he came here. Two of the sons, Horatio and C. C. KNOWLES went to Kansas in 1859. C. C. KNOWLES formerly owned the AUSTIN farm. After the war the father and the rest of the family went to Kansas. A. D. TENNEY and his family joined a spiritualist community at Harmony Springs, Arkansas in 1859. He later died in Kansas.
John B SAWYER came from Decatur in 1853 and bought produce. He now lives in Brodhead. Mr. SAWYER, A. D. TENNEY and Horatio KNOWLES succeeded to the trade formerly carried on by B. J. TENNEY and owned the hotel, blacksmith shop and store. Morris DERRICK, a brother of Squire DERRICK, at one time kept a small stock of groceries and liquors. Myron HALSTEAD in 1854 bought out SAWYER, TENNEY and KNOWLES. He was the last merchant of Clarence. Upon the building of the railroad, he moved his stock to Brodhead. Dr. TOWNE, now of Brodhead, came to Clarence as his clerk. C. A .WARNER bought the blacksmith shop in 1854, and worked there one year. He now lives on section 1. He sold to Storrs SMITH, who now follows the same business in Albany. Mr. GREGORY bought out SMITH and closed the shop about 1859. In 1855 Thomas MARTIN opened a harness shop and worked two years. The old hotel building and barn have been destroyed by fire. The post office was discontinued in 1857.
Extracted from the "History of Green County, Wisconsin" published by Union Publishing Company, Springfield, Ill. 1884; page 1056
There was formerly a good store and tavern at Clarence, a little village on Sand Prairie, near the northeast corner of the township. Around the Sugar River crossing on the Beloit road, there had been for a number of years a settlement of Canadians, sometimes called Derrick's settlement, as the settlement of the immigrants from the Wabash around Spring Grove was called Kline's settlement. Prominent in Derrick's settlement were the families of BOSLOW and Dr. P. B. SPRINGSTEAD. Dr. SPRINGSTEAD'S son and son-in-law, Chancellor SPRINGSTEAD and Wm. SHERRY, built in I84I the first house on Sand Prairie. Clarence was the child of this settlement. The first house was built in '45 by Wm. SHERRY. For a number of years the village grew, and then, when Brodhead and Juda began to grow, it wasted away as an apple tree withers, and yellows, and dies, when a walnut begins to grow by its side, and by the time the railroad was completed the life of Clarence was gone. Like Decatur, the other village that died that Brodhead might be, Clarence had for some time borne a bad reputation. Counterfeiters had given it a notoriety that must have gone far to reconcile its best friends to its decline.
Bingham, Helen M. (Helen Maria) / History of Green County, Wisconsin (1877), page 199-200