Alonzo Horton

Alonzo Horton: the Man

Taken from New London Buyers' Guide/Hortonville Centennial, August 16, 1994. Posted with permission from the Press-Star, New London/Hortonville, Wisconsin.)

By Denise Morack

The village of Hortonville dates its origin from the earliest settlement of the Township of Hortonia.

alonzo.jpgBoth were named for the same man, Alonzo E. Horton. Not all the facts concerning Horton's early life are known, but what is known establishes him as one of the bold and adventurous breed that developed the West in the Mid 1880's.

Had he been ruthless and grasping he might have gained more fame and certainly more wealth. Ruthless and grasping he was not. He died a poor man, but with the love and respect of his fellow citizens. And with that he was content.

History of Hortonville

"The Village of Hortonville was founded by Alonzo E. Horton in 1848 when he purchased land from the Governor of Wisconsin, which is now the Township of Hortonia and the Village of Hortonville. The land cost him seventy cents an acre! Later, in 1855, he traveled to California and there founded the City of San Diego. In his old age, Mr. Horton returned to Hortonville for a visit and was surprised to see how the Village had prospered. Alonzo Horton was born in 1813 and died at the age of 96 years." (Village Directory and Commemorative History June 1976)

"Always an opportunist, Alonzo Eratus Horton saw the challenge of gaining riches in land speculation. He was born in Connecticut in 1813 and came to Milwaukee in May, 1836, later purchasing a home in Jefferson County about 1840 or 1841. His first wife, Sally Wright, whom he married in 1841, died five years later. He did not marry again until 1861, by which time he had left the area.

Alonzo Horton: Census Information

1850 Grand Chute, Brown County, WI
Alonzo E. Horton, 36, male, Merchant, personal worth $2000, b CT
Matilda N. Horton, 21, female, b PA
Benjamin Needham, 15 male, clerk, b PA, in school

1870 San Diego, CA
Horton, Alonzo, 45, b CT, bank president, property worth $500,000, personal wealth $5000
Sarah, 51, wife, property worth $10,000, personal worth $3000, b New York, parents foreign born

1880 District 68, San Diego, CA
A. E. Horton, age 67, b NY, parents b CT
Sarah, 63, wife, b NY, father b England, mother b Ireland
Mary Horton, 20, niece, b WIS, father b NY, mother b WI
Annie Brown, 26, niece, b KY, father's birthplace blank, mother b MA
[note: error regarding place of Alonzo's birth]

1900 2nd Ward, San Diego, CA
Alonzo E. Horton, b Oct 1813, age 86, married 10 years, born CT, parents born CT
Lydia M., b August 1843, 56, married 10 years, 2 children/2 living, b MA, parents b MA

-------------------------
1820 New Haven, Otswego, NY
Erastus Horton

1830 Scriba, Otswego, NY
Erastus Horton

1850 Oakland, Jefferson Co, WI
Erastus Horton

Wireless at the Library

Wireless-Network2.png

Wireless Internet is available at the Hortonville Public Library during regular library hours.

Local Links

Web Sites & Resources