Robert C. Hoard (c. 1787 – May 10, 1867) was an American smelter, attorney, and politician from Mineral Point, Wisconsin Territory who served in the legislature of the Territory and held other local offices, including that of militia captain during the Black Hawk War.
In Wisconsin Hoard settled in Mineral Point in 1828 (he would live there the rest of his life),"Died. Hoard". Mineral Point Tribune May 15, 1867 and with his partner John Long was the first to build a smelting furnace in the area, two miles east of "the Point."Crawford, George and Crawford, Robert M. Memoirs of Iowa County, Wisconsin From the Earliest Historical Times Down to the Present Northwestern Historical Association, 1913; p. 59 In 1831, Hoard built a smelting furnace in Kendall.History of Green County, Wisconsin. Together with Sketches of Its Towns and Villages, Educational... etc. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing Company, 1884; p. 148
Black Hawk War During the Black Hawk War, Hoard was the Iowa County militia commander of the stockade Fort Defiance, about five miles southeast of Mineral Point.footnote to: Letter, Robert C. Hoard to John S. Horner, in Historical Collections and Researches Made by the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society Vol. 37. Lansing: Wynkoop, Hallenbeck, Crawford Co., 1909-1910; p. 374 Hoard and the 65 militiamen under him were called into service May 21, 1832, and mustered out August 20, 1832."Muster Roll of Captain Robert C. Hoard Company, of Iowa Militia..." Turning Points in Wisconsin History > Wisconsin Muster Rolls from the Black Hawk War, 1832 Wisconsin Historical Society website; accessed November 28, 2021
Public office In April 1831, Hoard was a member of the first organized Iowa County county board meeting, representing the Pecatonica electoral precinct.Memoirs of Iowa County... p. 59
In 1835, those parts of Michigan Territory who were not set to become part of the new State of Michigan were invited to elect members to a seventh and last Michigan Territorial Council (the so-called "Rump Council"). Hoard was elected from Iowa County, but resigned almost as quickly as his election was certified (elected October 5, resigned October 9), and thus was one of the four (out of thirteen) who did not attend the "Rump Council" when it met (briefly) in January of 1836.Letter, Robert C. Hoard to John S. Horner, in Historical Collections and Researches Made by the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society Vol. 37. Lansing: Wynkoop, Hallenbeck, Crawford Co., 1909-1910; p. 374
In 1837 and 1838, Hoard was appointed twice as a commissioner to lay out territorial highways which were to pass through Mineral Point.Memoirs of Iowa County... p. 68
In April of 1838, after the creation of Wisconsin Territory and the separation of other areas into new counties, the remainder of Iowa County held its first county board meeting, and Hoard was one of the three members of what was now called the county's board of commissioners.Memoirs of Iowa County... p. 47 In 1840-1841, he was serving as attorney for Iowa County.History of Green County, Wisconsin. Together with Sketches of Its Towns and Villages, Educational... etc. Springfield, Illinois: Union Publishing Company, 1884; pp. 455, 456
Death Hoard died May 10, 1867, at his home in Mineral Point, "aged about 80 years" and was buried in the Old City Cemetery."Died. Hoard". Mineral Point Tribune May 15, 1867
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