Clarno Township

The town of Clarno is in the southern tier of towns; bounded on the south by Illinois on the west by the town of Cadiz, on the north by Monroe and on the east by Jefferson. It embraces township 1 north, range 7, east.

The territory was first explored in 1827 by Andrew CLARNO from IL. He came back to settle in 1832 . Other early settlers were: O. H. P. CLARNO, Hugh WALLACE, Joseph PAINE, Josiah R. BLACKMORE, Stephen and Nicholas HALE, James HAWTHORNE, John W. DENISTON, James CAMPBELL, and Cutler WILKINS.

The first birth was a girl born to Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas HALE.

The first marriage in the town, as well as Green county, was that of Josiah R. BLACKMORE to Nancy WALLACE in June of 1834.

The first death was Jacob STAIR in the spring of 1836 of consumption.

The first known religion was Methodist with services being held as early a 1835. There was also a Reform Church, which afterward united with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Salem English Evangelical Lutheran Church of Shueyville, town of Clarno, was organized in 1868.

Extracted from the "History of Green County, Wisconsin" published by Union Publishing Company, Springfield, Ill. 1884; page 766

Hawthorne Burglary

The part of Clarno's history most widely known is that which relates to the Hawthorne burglary. The burglars entered Mr. Hawthorne's bedroom between midnight and daylight, July 25, 1857, moved a cradle which stood near the bed and in which was a sick child, drew from under the bed a trunk containing $15OO, and carried the trunk to the barn, where they took out the money. It was evident the theft was committed by some one acquainted with the house, and two men, Samuel Jackson, who had worked for Mr. Hawthorne, and his friend Win. Garrington, were arrested the next morning.

The money was not found in their possession, and, as they proved by the clerk of the Monroe House that they were in their room at I o'clock that night and came down to breakfast at the usual time the next morning, they were discharged. But several circumstances indicated their guilt. The track made by the thieves from the barn to the house showed that the thieves had only socks on their feet; and wet and dirty socks, which a washerwoman identified as Garrington's, were found near the barn. Moreover, a peculiar boot-track from the barn towards town was like a track which one of the men had been seen to make at the hotel.

A detective policeman was employed. He introduced himself to Garrington and Jackson as a counterfeiter, and so far gained their confidence that they entered into partnership with him. Davis, so the officer called himself, then went away to engage a woman to assist them. In his absence, and by his direction, the suspected men were re-arrested, Monday, August 10, and put under bonds so heavy that bondsmen could not be found. Davis returned, and passed a counterfeit bill, for which he was arrested Friday, August 14, and put into Garrington's cell. Davis then wrote a letter to a friend, asking to be bailed out. This letter he read to Garrington.

The next morning Davis' friend, a second detective officer, appeared and granted his request. Later in the day, in accordance with a promise which Davis had made Garrington the day before, the friend visited Garrington in jail. Garrington's bail was $2,000. His visitor told him that he had $1,500 good money; that he would add to it $500 in counterfeit bills, deposit it all in the bank, and, with the certificate of deposit, procure Garringron's release, if Garrington would, as soon as he was out, go with him to the place where Mr. Hawthorne's money was concealed, and get him $5oo in gold, with which he could redeem the counterfeit bills before their real nature was discovered. Garrington gladly agreed to this plan, and was released just at dark. The greater part of the money was buried near Smith's millpond.

That night Garrington went with the policemen and dug it up, and, while thus engaged, told his new friends that he had a short time before killed a man in Ohio. As they were returning to town, merry as larks, a number of men sprang from the brush on either side of the road, and took Garrington prisoner.

On the 28th of August, Win. Morgan, alias Win. Jones, Win. Marcy, and Win. Garrington, was given up to an officer who, came with a requisition from the governor of Ohio. He left behind him a complete set of burglar's tools and a knife, which Mr. Hawthorne, believing it was meant for him, cherishes with peculiar care. Garrington was sent to the Ohio prison for life, since which he has attempted to kill one of the wardens. He is regarded as one of the worst men in the prison. Jackson was sentenced on the 8th of September to nine years in the penitentiary, but two days later he made his escape from jail, and he has never been retaken.

Bingham, Helen M. (Helen Maria) / History of Green County, Wisconsin (1877), pages 146-148

1860 Mortality Schedule (extracted from 1860 Federal Census for Green County, Wisconsin)

Names in the 1860 Mortality Schedule Download the file for more information

Peter J Albright

Henry Davis

Spencer Moreton

John M Trickle

Mary Bryant

Elisabeth DeHaven

Amos Raymer

Sarah E Trickle

E F Burns

Margaret J Fitzgerald

Adam Starr

Martha J Campbell

Harriet Jackson

Sarah Staver

William Caton

Sylvester Kepler

Frederick Striefeller

1860 Mortality Schedule - Clarno.pdf
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Photo Gallery

Hunting near Clarno ca 1900 - 1920