The first settlement upon the territory now included in this town was made by Patrick Hickey in the year 1845, when Sauk County belonged to Dane County, and had less than 300 inhabitants within its borders. Mr. Hickey was followed by Peter Haskin, Patrick Mulligan, James Slaven, John Timlin and S.J. Seymour.
In 1847 occurred the first birth in the town, that of Bridget Slaven, and the 14th of February, 1850; 1850 witnessed the tying of the first hymeneal knot. Patrick Hickey was the happy bride groom. Michael Hickey's is believed to have been the first death of a white person in the town. This sad event occurred on the 4th of June following the first marriage.
JOHN SLAVEN, farmer, stock dealer and stock-raiser, Sec. 32; he has 240 acres in his home
and 80 acres in Secs. 11 and 20; he was born in Greenfield, Dane Co., Wis., May 27, 1845,
and came to Sauk Co. with his parents in 1846; his father, James Slaven, located at that
time in the Town of Dellona, where the subject of this sketch has always lived; he has
served as member of the Town Board five terms, and has held some office in the school
interests nearly all the time since he was of age. He was married, Feb. 6, 1877, to Miss
Sarah Timlin; she was born in the town of Dellona, Sank Co., Wis.; they have two children--
James and Eva. Both he and his wife are members of the Catholic Church. In politics,
Mr. Slaven is Independent.
History of Sauk County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company, Chicago, 1880.