Aaron c. wilkinson

Aaron C. Wilkinson was born between 1815-1818 in New Hampshire. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, "French trapper Joseph Thiebault came to the area to trade with the Ho-Chunk in the 1820s, the first white man to settle in the area. New Englander Caleb Blodgett purchased Thiebault's land in 1836 and is credited as Beloit's first permanent settler. 

The New England Immigrating Company, led by Dr. Horace White, arrived in 1836 and began buying land from Blodgett. Soon friends and family were moving to the area. Churches and schools were planned, mills were running using water from the Rock River, businesses took root in the village, and the cornerstone of Beloit College was laid in 1846." 

Presumably, Wilkinson emigrated to Beloit somewhere in the late 1830s or 1840s, and by 1850 he is listed on the Beloit Census. If not for an article in the "Milwaukee Journal" from April 22, 1923, Wilkinson may have faded into history. Lucky for us, the article provides a wealth of information. 

According to the article, A.C. Wilkson was widely known as "Old Wilk."  He was a house painter by trade, but when the Civil War broke out, he turned his talents to drum making. The article states, "Marvelous drums they were that 'Old Wilk' made in his shop, from the skins of 'leetle calves not morn 2 das old,' as his sign advertised. And marvelously he played one of his own deep, barrel-shaped instruments on public occasions." 

The picture to the right is of a young Wisconsin drummer. As you can see, the counter hoops, even though roped differently, look to have the same number of holes drilled.