Family:William Sivyer and Lucy Durrant (1)

There arrived at Chicago, June 14, 1835, the high-pressure steamboat Daniel Webster...among the passengers were William Sivyer (my father) and Henry and Samuel Sivyer (my father's two brothers). Of the three Sivyer brothers, my father, William was then the only one married, my mother and my brother George, then an infant, being with my father. My father, who had come to this country as much for pleasure as business, thinking to return to England in a couple of years, remained with his family and brothers in Chicago, and as his services as a tradesman were just then greatly in demand, my father engaged in contracting and building, which pursuit he had followed in England. There was plenty of work, but he and his brothers soon had to quit and get out of that boghole, as it was then called. the place being low and marshy, and chills and fever prevalent, they could not or would not endure the hardships and sufferings. Coming north they arrived at Milwaukee on October 27, 1835. The little sloop in which they came, being of light draught, passed through the mouth of the Milwaukee River, and hauled through the weeds and cat-tails as nearly as possible to the bank of the river where the Pabst building now stands, and in the rear of solomon Juneau's log store. Mr, Juneau was anticipating their arrival, as he had written to my father at Chicago, to come to Milwaukee and engage in the building business. My mother has told me that the wild, rough, ungainly appearance of this place, when she arrived, discouraged her very much. A few ugly log houses, a few rough-looking white men, and numerous still rougher blanket Indians, and not a white woman in sight. My mother returned to the boat and begged the captain to take her away, anywhere, and my father could come for her later. She knew not how she could endure remaining and waiting in such an uninviting and comfortless place. Father and Mr. Juneau pacified her and they went to Mr. Juneau's house where they remained about 6 weeks...but they spent the winter of 1835-36 at Oak Creek in more comfortable quarters with English friends they had met on the steamship Daniel Webster. Early in the spring of 1836, returning to Milwaukee, my father bought a small frame house...near the river bank on east Water street, opposite the Kirby house. There on the 4th of May, 1836, my mother gave birth to your humble servant. A few days later the village folks headed by Solomon Juneau, requested my parents to name me Milwaukee Sivyer, as the first-born white boy. My parents had concluded to name me Charles, but in compliance with the request settled upon Charles Milwaukee. (The booklet (12 pages) goes on to recount some of C.M. Sivyer's recollections of the early days of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.)