William and Mary Meissner
William Meissner and Mary Frank were married in 1853. They settled here in Palatine Township. In 1861, they emigrated to Minnesota in an oxcart. Their daughter, Matilda, was born there. Unfortunately, there was trouble with the Indians there and settlers homes were being attacked and families killed. William himself was wounded twice and his property burned down. The Meissners returned to Palatine in 1862. They settled on a farm at Quentin and Baldwin Roads (Baldwin is now Northwest Hwy). William donated a piece of his land for a rural one-room school, originally called the Meissner School. The Meissners had seven children. Mary died in 1917 and William in 1921. — Connie Rawa