Box 1, Folder 1: Autobiographies

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14

In December 1869 I sent to the Hon Halbert E. Paine, member of Congress from Milwaukee a memorial representing the duty & necessity of some effort to prevent the loss of life & property on the Great Lakes; the possibility of predicting the occurrence of great storms; show it could be done. The memorial was accompanied by a long list of disasters that had occurred by a long list of disasters that had occurred upon the lakes in that year, and was the means of securing the adoption of measures for weather predicitions which have grown to be of so muc importance, not only to the commerce of the lakes and the ocean, but in many other ways. I spent most of the winter of 1870-71 in Chicago assisting in the organization of the original service, and in making up the results of observations upon which the first 'storm predictions' or 'probabilities' were based. How much every sailor, ship owner, and others engaged in the commerce of our great lakes, every other person who daily looks at the weather probabilities as a guide for his action - are indebted to me for thus securing them the advantages - is for others to determine.

18

In 1873 I was appointed State Geologist and organized & conducted the survey for two years, during which much valuable work was accomplished & the results reported to the Governor. Ever since my first landing in Wisconsin I have given more or less attention to its geology, improving every opportunity to examine the stone-quarries, rock cliffs, &c.; and have furnished several papers upon the subject. In 1855 and again in 1869, I published Geological Maps of the State.

Observations made and published by me relating to the physical features, geology, mineralogy, botany, antiquities, natural history &c., of Wisconsin have been extensively quoted by authors both in this country and in Europe, and have thus materially aided in making the state known among intelligent people everywhere.

1.

Question 1: My name is Increase Allen Lapham - Increase Allen being the name of my grandfather on my mother's side.

Question 2: I was born according to the family records in Palmyra, Ontario (now Wayne) county in the state of New York on the 7th day of March 1811.

Question 3: My father was Seneca Lapham, who married Rachel Allen. He was engaged in the construction of the Grand Erie Canal, cirumstance which led lead to my engagement in the Engineer Service at Lockport at the time when the great work was nearly completed. In 1818 the famly moved to Pennsylvania where my father had a contract from Schuylkill Navigation Company; but soon after returned to Galen in Wayne County N.Y. where he had employment in the contruction of the locks of the Erie Canal. In 1822 the family moved to Rochester while I remained to work upon a farm. One of the arches in the first aqueduct at Rochester was built by my father on a sub-contract. In 1824 I moved to Lockport where my father had charge of the construction of the woodwork of the combined and double ocks at that place & where I earned some money by cutting stone to be used in the the locks. Soon after this I was employed in the Engineer Service as above stated in the capacity of...

2

...Rodman for my brother Darius Lapham who had already attained to the position of Assistant Engineer. I was present at Lockport when LaFayette passed through that place on his 'tour of welcome' and when the completion (October, 1825) of the canal was celebrated by a telegraphic dispatch sent from Buffalo to New York City; the line consisting of a series of cannon placed at convenient intervals. In June and July 1826 I was employed for a short time on the Welland Canal in Canada. While at Lockport I made and sold a number of plans of the locks which were wanted by strangers travelling in search of information.

Question 5: The beautiful mineral specimens I found in the deep rock cut at Lockport gave me my first ideas of mineralogy and initiated a habit of observation that has continued through all my life. I found amusement and pastime in the study of nature leading to long walks in the country; and as I found no others of similar tastes these rambles were usually without companions.

3

In August 1826 I left the Welland Canal to go to Ohio where my father had secured a place for me as Rodman on the Miami Canal. Went in a packet boat from Lockport to Buffalo and thence on the steamer Enterprise to Sandusky, landing at Cleveland and other places. My father a few years before made a similar voyage in the steamboat 'Walk in the Water' which had so little strength of engine that oxen were employed to pull the boat up the then existing rapids from Black Rock to Buffalo. From Sandusky the only conveyance was by stage via Columbus to Middleton where I commenced work under Byron Kilbourn, Assistant Engineer. Continued on the Miami Canal only until December of the same year. When I went to Louisville Ky to secure a better position on the canal then being constructed around the 'Falls' at that place. My engagement here continued from February 1827 to October 14 1829; having previously attended the school of Mr. Mann Butler on Jefferson street. Mr. Butler afterwords wrote a history of Kentucky.