When James Finley Carns was born on 17 November 1811, in Knox, Knox, Ohio, United States, his father, Abraham Sr. Carns, was 41 and his mother, Elizabeth Thompson Litton Letton, was 32. He married Mary Ann Litton on 23 November 1854, in Grant, Wisconsin, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 3 daughters. He lived in Smelser, Grant, Wisconsin, United States in 1880. He died on 7 May 1884, in Georgetown, Grant, Wisconsin, United States, at the age of 72, and was buried in Bigpatch, Grant, Wisconsin, United States.
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War of 1812. U.S. declares war on Britain over British interference with American maritime shipping and westward expansion.
American settlers began mining the Wisconsin Territory in the early 1800's. The lead ore in the territory had largely been mined previously by American Indians. By 1829, nearly 4,000 miners had moved to Wisconsin Territory. The miners became known as badgers as they burrowed into hillsides for shelter. The name eventually represented the state and Wisconsin is now known as the Badger State. (Wisconsin Historical Society: Lead Mining in Southwestern Wisconsin)
Convinced that a group of Native American tribes were hostile, The United States formed a frontier militia to stop them in their tracks. Even though Black Hawk was hoping to avoid bloodshed while trying to resettle on tribal land, U.S. officials opened fire on the Native Americans. Black Hawk then responded to this confrontation by successfully attacking the militia at the Battle of Stillman's Run and then left northward. After a few months the militia caught up with Black Hawk and his men and defeated them at the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. While being weakened by hunger, injuries and desertion, Black Hawk and the rest of the many native survivors retreated towards the Mississippi. Unfortunately, Black Hawk and other leaders were later captured when they surrendered to the US forces and were then imprisoned for a year.
Scottish: variant of Cairns .
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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