“The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin”, published: Chicago:  
Western Historical Company.   1880.

Township:  Shields  

JAMES McCAIG,  farmer, Sec. 34;  P.O. Richwood; born in County 
Antrim, Ireland, Aug. 15, 1838, son of A. McCaig, who came from 
Ireland to America in 1839, living two years in New York State, then 
removing to Canada, where he lived until 1845, when he came to Shields 
with his family, buying heavily timbered Government land, which is 
now the McCaig homestead; one of the pioneer families; they lived in a 
log house, cleared up the farm and made a good home; James McCaig 
remained with his parents until 1859, when he went via New York and 
the Isthmus to California; was two years in the mines, returning by the 
same route to Wisconsin, where he resided till 1865, with the exception 
of a summer in Buffalo, N.Y.; in 1865, he again made the sea voyage to 
San Francisco, going direct to the mines of Montana, via the Sound and 
Columbia River; Mr. McCaig saw many exciting times among the wild, 
savage men of that barbarous region; he relates that he once bought a 
horse of the famous Chief Joseph, leader of the late Oregon outbreak; 
Mr. McCaig returned down the Missouri in 1868.  Married Miss 
Margaret A. McPhillips, of Milford, in April, 1869, by whom he has five 
children - John H., Mary A., Daniel, James T. and William A.  Archibald 
McCaig and wife live at a hale old age on their first purchase from the 
United States.  The family are Catholic, and Mr. McC. is Independent in 
politics.  He has 120 acres as a homestead, and forty acres in Milford; 
makes a specialty of Poland-China hogs.


Submitted by:  Linda Pingel  (LPingel@worldnet.att.net)