From History of Walworth County Wisconsin by Albert Clayton Beckwith, Vol. II, 
publ. 1912, Page 1414-1416
 
SILAS INGALLS.  For over sixty years Silas INGALLS was a prominent figure in 
the history of Walworth county and aided materially in its development.  By a 
life of uprightness, industry and square dealing, a life devoted to the 
support of whatever was good and true, he won the admiration and genuine 
regard of a large circle of acquaintances, who sincerely mourned his loss, 
when, a few years ago, he was called upon to lay aside the burdens, joys and 
sorrows, which had fallen to his share as to all, in the journey of life.
 
The birth of the late Silas INGALLS occurred at Norton Hill, Green county, New 
York, April 12 1823.  He was the son of Enoch and Nancy (BISHOP) INGALLS.  His 
paternal grandparents were Jacob and Susannah (GOFF) INGALLS.  Enoch INGALLS 
was born at Norton Hill, New York, June 9, 1794, and on November 11, 1819, he 
married Nancy BISHOP, daughter of James BISHOP and wife.  She was born at 
Hemlock, New York, June 8, 1798, and her death occurred in Walworth county, 
Wisconsin, October 27, 1889.  He moved to Wisconsin in 1850 and died here 
April 25, 1872.  His family consisted of seven children, of whom Silas, of 
this sketch, was the second in order of birth.
 
Jacob INGALLS, mentioned above, was the son of Joseph and Roby (NORTON) 
INGALLS, and he was born at Rehoboth, Massachusetts, June 27, 1764, and he and 
Susannah GOFF were married on October 9, 1793; she was born July 29, 1766, and 
her death occurred on September 23, 1839.  Jacob INGALLS was a soldier in the 
American Revolution.  He arrived in Springfield, Massachusetts, July 10, 1779, 
and served in several campaigns up to March 15, 1781.  In 1793 he moved to 
Westerlo, Greene county, New York, and bought a farm, working four days out of 
each week for the former owner in an effort to pay for it.  He cleared his 
land, built a cabin and then married.  In 1818 he won a prize of one hundred 
and fifty dollars at the Albany Agrilicultural Society for the best farm.  His 
death occurred at the town of Westerlo in 1841.  Jacob's father, Joseph 
INGALLS, was the son of Joseph and Cordellay A. (BULLOCK) INGALLS.  He was 
born in 1744 at Rehoboth, Massachusetts, and upon reaching manhood married 
Roby NORTON.  He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war from Massachusetts, in 
Capt. Samuel Bliss's company in 1775, in Capt. William North's company in 1777 
to 1779 and was in several other companies up to 1780.  In 1791 he left the 
town of Rehoboth and settled at Norton Hill, Greene county, New York.  
Joseph's father, who also was named Joseph, was a son of Edmund and Eunice 
(LUDDIN) INGALLS.  He was born at Rehoboth in 1718, and he married Cordellay 
Ann BULLOCK.  He probably moved to Otsego county, New York, about 1790.  This 
Joseph was the son of Edmund INGALLS, and the latter was the son of John and 
Elizabeth (BARRETT) INGALLS, and he was probably born at Bristol or 
Cumberland, Rhode Island.  In 1705 he was united in marriage with Eunice 
LUDDIN, daughter of Benjamin LUDDIN, of Braintree.  Edmund was the son of John 
INGALLS, the latter being the son of Edmund and Ann INGALLS, and he was born 
at Skirbeck, England, in 1625, and in 1667 he was united in marriage with 
Elizabeth BARRETT of Salem.  He left Lynn before 1687 and settled at Rehoboth, 
Massachusetts, and it is recorded "Old John INGALLS died December 31, 1721."  
John was the son of Edmund INGALLS who was the son of Robert and the grandson 
of Henry INGALLS, and he was born at Skirbeck, Lincolnshire, England, about 
1598, and he emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts, with Governor Endicott's 
company in 1628, and with his brother Francis and four others began the 
settlement of Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1629, and he became a prominent citizen 
there.  The name is found much earlier in English history and is believed to 
be of Scandinavian origin and meant "by the power of Thor."  The Ingalls 
family is now a large one in the United States and wherever they have 
dispersed have been influential in their communities.
 
Silas INGALLS, the immediate subject of this memoir, grew to manhood in his 
native state and about 1845 emigrated to Walworth county, Wisconsin, locating 
in the northeast quarter of section 19, Linn township, entering land from the 
government.  He told his children in after years that the only house between 
his land and Racine at that time was Seymour HATCH's residence.  The country 
was little improved and wild game was in abundance.  He started out breaking 
raw land all over the community and plowed with eight or ten yoke of oxen at a 
time.  He had received a good education for those days and he taught the first 
school on Big Foot prairie, in a log house.  He also ran the first threshing 
machine in that part of the country.
 
Here Mr. INGALLS was married to Helen SNELL, daughter of John P. and Mary Ann 
(SCONTON) SNELL.  She was born September 26, 1836, and died September 14, 
1887.  Her father, John P. SNELL, was from Herkimer county, New York, and 
before coming here was a member of the New York Legislature.  He settled in 
Linn township among the pioneers, and he was the first chairman of the county 
board of supervisors of Walworth county, and for many years he was chairman of 
the board of supervisors of Linn township.  He had a son, Amos J. SNELL, who 
lived in Chicago and became a millionaire, and who was mysteriously murdered 
by a man named TASCOTT, the case attracting world-wide attention.
 
After his marriage, Silas INGALLS continued to reside on his farm where he had 
first settled, and it is said that there were few if any in the county of 
those who entered their land from the government who  lived so long a time on 
the same land.  He became one of the leading farmers and substantial citizens 
of the county.
 
Seven children were born to Silas INGALLS and wife, namely: Jerome, who lives 
on the southern shore of Lake Geneva, engaged in the boat business; Wallace 
was a lawyer and was district attorney of Walworth county three terms and in 
1888 went to Racine, where he has practiced law ever since, and from which 
place he served as assemblyman in the state Legislature; John P. is practicing 
law in Elkhorn; Henry A. is a lawyer at Bakersfield, California, having been 
graduated from the Northwestern University Law School; Frank is farming near 
Walworth; Hiram is engaged in farming in Illinois, just across the line from 
Wisconsin between Harvard and Big Foot; Amos still resides on the old 
homestead, in which he has an interest and he also owns an adjoining farm.
 
The death of Silas INGALLS occurred on August 26, 1907.  He was a life-long 
farmer and took a great pride in keeping up his farm in a neat and attractive 
manner, and he aided in any way he could in making Lake Geneva the beautiful 
resort that it is today, spending much of his time along the lakeside.  In 
later life he traveled a great deal, spending one winter in New York and two 
years in California.  He enjoyed life thoroughly, and contributed to the 
enjoyment of others whenever possible, being a  man of kindly nature, 
obliging, hospitable.  He was a good supporter of the church at Fontana 
although not a member and his influence was always for good citizenship.

Submitted by Carol