Page 248

Histoly oJ Green County. 
,search began. They traveled over Illinois and a large 
part of Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Their aim was 
to find a place with a healthful climate, convenient mar- 
kets, good soil and water, and plenty of timber. They 
-selected the township named by them New Glarus, and 
,on the 25th of July they purchased twelve hundred 
,acres in sections fourteen, fifteen, twenty-two, twenty- 
three, and twenty-seven of that township. The pur- 
(chase was made at Mineral Point, where Mr. Streiff 
took the first step towards becoming a citizen of the 
United States. Not being sufficiently acquainted with 
the language to take the usual oath, the ceremony, so 
far as he understood it, consisted in kissing the bible. 
The first work of the commissioners was to lay out 
,a road fiom Green's Prairie to the prospective village, 
after which, on the 6th of August, Mr. Frey left them 
to return home. Meanwhile, Messrs. Duerst and Streiff 
had hastily erected a few shanties for the colonists who 
were daily expected. The society had not wished to 
send the colony so soon, but the emigrants became so 
impatient that it was impossible to restrain them, and 
they were permitted to start the 16th of April. Some 
-communities paid the traveling expenses of those of their 
'emigrants who could not pay for themselves, and during 
the night of the i5th and 16th of April, charitably dis- 
posed persons raised the money to pay for the passage 
,of a number of families that wished to come but for 
whom no provision had been made. The colonists went 
to St. Louis and thence to New Glarus, where they 
arrived August 12. Their progress had been delayed 
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