MINER S. PERKINS STORY
(Probable Brother of Hugh Perkins)
Miner S. Perkins was listed on the Federal 1880 Census living in Sherwood Township, Clark County, WI, not far from Hugh Perkins. His wife was named Lottie and they had two sons, Guy – 2 years, and James – 7 months. Miner S. is believed to be a younger brother of Hugh Perkins. (Miner’s middle initial “S” possibly stood for “Sedate”, a younger sibling of Hugh on the 1850 Census mentioned earlier in Hugh’s account.) It appeared to be a common practice for the family to interchange first and middle names.
In December of 1887, Miner Perkins was employed with one of the J. W. Knapp logging camps as a camp cook. This particular camp was located about six miles west of Pittsville, WI, near the Rocky Run Creek. This would be about five miles east of Sherwood Township, Clark County.
On December 19. 1887, Miner shot and killed his wife, Lottie, with his 34 caliber revolver. The incident occurred during a jealous rage at their residence in the logging camp, prompted by the discovery of a letter Mr. Perkins’ wife had written to a male friend. Immediately after the incident, Minor told the logging crew he worked with that his wife had committed suicide. Deluged with conflicting stories and mistrust by others, Miner was arrested, and later confessed to the murder. He feared lynching by a mob while awaiting his trial, so made a full confession to the murder before the Wood County Circuit Judge C. M. Webb. Minor was given a life term in the Waupun, WI, State Prison. Lottie (Lamb) Perkins was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Pittsville, WI, area.
Mr. Perkins was released from the state prison, on parole, thirty-two years later. He would have been about 64 years old at the time of his release.
One son, Guy Perkins, survived his mother. He was about nine years old at the time of the murder. J. W. Cochran, a Wood County resident, was appointed as Guy’s legal guardian and the administrator of Mrs. Perkins’ estate. No more information has been found concerning Guy Perkins upbringing or his father’s
eventual release from prison. Lottie (Lamb) Perkins had friends and perhaps family in the Plainfield, WI, area.
This concludes the Perkins family saga.
(When researching past events, I have found that a story is never quite complete. There is often new information that may surface later, corrections and additions that will need to be made. At some point one must halt the quest and take time to record the facts in hopes of preserving what has been uncovered as accurately as possible with the purpose of sharing it with those precious few that have an interest. Any corrections or additions would be much appreciated.)
Wisconsin State Census – 1875
Federal Census – 1850,1860,1870,1880
Sherwood Township, Clark County, WI – 1880, 1893, 1906 Plat Maps
Sherwood Township Town Records
Newspapers – Republican and Press, Neillsville; Badger State Banner, Black River Falls, WI;
St. Cloud Tribune, St. Cloud, Florida; Marshfield Times, Marshfield, WI; Centralia
Enterprise, Centralia, WI;
History of Wood County, WI - Frank Stahl Biography
Voter Registration Records, St. Cloud, Osceola County, FL – 1922-25, 1930, 1944
1939-40 Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Florida Directory
Hugh Perkins Death Certificate
Civil War Regimental Histories – Internet website
Written and completed September 16, 1998, by Kay Scholtz, W755 Todd Road, Granton, WI 54436,
Revised Oct. 10, 1998
MILK CHOCOLATE
I don’t care what the latest fashions are.
I don’t worry about the length of my hair,
Or the color of my cheeks,
Or how dainty my shoes look.
I don’t think about fingernail polish.
I don’t listen when others tell me
How to wear my hair or my clothes.
And just because they tell me to eat dark chocolate,
I’m not going to, I’ll eat milk chocolate.
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