Part 1 - James A. Coleman (1853-1934) (or did they call him “Jim”?)
James A. Coleman was my great-grandfather (the man in the picture above). I'm starting with him because he was a mystery for a while, and a brick wall that I successfully broke down.
It started many years ago when I found this on a website:
James A. Coleman. We know where and when he was born, but when did he die? Why was he in Medford, Oregon?
Who was Helen C.? Why don’t we know her maiden name? Why is there no other information about her?
James A. Coleman
Birth 1 Nov 1853 • Hickman, Tennessee Death 13 Feb 1934 • Medford, Jackson Co. Oregon
The 1800 Federal Census shows him at age 6 with his father, J.W. Coleman (age 33), his mother, Louisa (age 34), and sisters and brothers:
Leonidas (10)
Josephine (9)
Thomas (7)
James A. (6)
Columbus (4)
Sis (2) [Julia]
Mary (1)
Bud (1/12)
The 1870 Federal Census shows him at age 17, with his father, James Coleman (43), his mother, Louisa (45), and sisters and brothers:
Leonidas (21)
Thomas (19)
James A. (17)
Columbus (15)
Julia (12)
Robert (9)
William C (7) "Bud"
Wallen (5) ][John Walter]
With their dates, they are: James W. Coleman (1827 TN -1881 KY)
Julia Louisa Tarkington (1821 TN - 1912 TN) Leonidas Yell (1848-1936)
Josephine Louisa “Josie” (1850-1929)
Thomas C. (1853- )
James A. (1853-1934)
Mary (1859-1870)
Columbus “Lum” Washington (1856-1930)
Julia (1858-1932)
Mary (1859- )
Robert M. (1860-1933)
William C. “Bud” (1861-1942)
John Walter (1865-1945)
James A. Coleman married Hellen C. Conic or Connik on 18 Dec 1877. On the marriage license, M.D. Tarkington signed on behalf of Hellen, probably because her mother, Mary Ellen, had married into the Tarkington family in Tennessee. More on that in a bit.
The 1880 Federal Census shows James A. (26) living in Haynes and Pottsville, Graves County, Kentucky, with Hellen C. (22). (Her parents are shown as having been born in Wisconsin, which is not the same in other documents. Mary Ellen Stratton was born in New York.) My guess is that they were living on the Coleman farm.
The 1900 Federal Census shows him living with Hellen C. and their two boys, Ivey B. (age 19) (b Aug 1880) and Arnold (age 14) (b Dec 1885) in Magisterial District 7, Graves County, Kentucky.
Then we lose track of James A. and Helen C. on Kentucky census data for 1910 and 1920.
Paducah City Directories
In the 1908 Paducah City Directory, there is a listing for James A. Coleman, clerk, renting at 221 N 3rd. His wife’s name is Helen. Also listed above that is Arnold Coleman, clerk with J. H. Oehschlaeger, boarding at the same address. This means that Arnold, 24, was living with his parents in Paducah in 1910.
My grandfather, Arnold O. Coleman, married in 1915 and was living in Chaffee, Scott, Missouri, working for WW Gyles. My grandfather was a druggist, so he was probably working for Gyles in a drug store.
In the Paducah City Directory, 1912, it lists a Jas A Coleman boarding at 1919 Harrison and working as a manager at M. M. Tucker, who was a tobacco grower. There is an article in the Paducah Sun-Democrat, 6 Oct 1914 p. 4, that shows Tucker took a lot of the first prizes at the county fair. This makes me wonder if James A. Coleman farmed tobacco when he lived on the Coleman farm in Graves County, KY. I’ll need to look at the non-population schedules to find that information.
Family folklore
Coleman cousins told me that the story in the family was that James A. went out to buy a pack of cigarettes and never came back. There was also a story that someone in the family was from Ireland.
James A.’s leaving had to have been sometime after 1908 when he was listed with Helen, but before 1912 when he was listed as a boarder at 1909 Harrison, unless they just didn’t list his wife in that directory, in which case he could have left sometime after 1912.
In the 1920 Federal Census for Titus, Texas, there is a listing for a James A. Coleman from TN, 62 (my James A. was born in 1853, making him an actual age of 67). His mother and father were also born in Tennessee. It lists him as widowed and a salesman.
At this point, I don’t see a way to verify that this one in TX is our James A, but *IF* he had already left Paducah, he could have been on his way west.
On the 1930 U.S. census for Antioch Precinct 10, Jackson, Oregon, there is a listing for a Jim Coleman, 76, (b1854), born in Tennessee. His mother and father were also born in Tennessee. It lists him as single, laborer. Is this our James A. Coleman?
Mystery questions:
Where did James A. go?
And where did Helen C. come from?
Part 2 - The Coleman-Tarkington Connection(s) and James A. ends up in Oregon
Joshua Alexander Tarkington (b 1802 Williamson County, TN; d 1856 Metropolis, Massac, IL) married Julia A. Harrington (b 1806 Chatham Co. NC; d 1870 Massac, IL)
Their children:
Julia Louisa Tarkington (1821–1912; born and died in Hickman, TN)
Thomas D Tarkington (1826–1844; born and died in Hickman, TN)
Nancy Tarkington (b 1829 Hickman, TN; d 1858 Massac, IL)
Matilda Caroline Tarkington (b 1831 Hickman, TN; d 1929 Collin, TX)
Margarette C Tarkington (b 1834 Hickman, TN; d 1900 IL)
Leonidas D Tarkington (1836–1844; born and died in Hickman, TN)
John J Tarkington (b 1839 Hickman, TN; d 1881 Henry Co, TN)
William H. Tarkington (b 1841 Hickman, TN; d 1909 Henry Co, TN)
Sarah Priscilla Tarkington (b 1843 Hickman, TN; d ? Massac, IL)
Marion Taylor Tarkington (b 1847 Hickman, TN; d 1900 ?)
Marcus Marquis de Lafayette “Fate” Tarkington (b 1849 Hickman, TN; d 1910 St. Johns, FL)
Julia Louisa Tarkington married James M. Coleman (1827-1881)
As shown above, their children were:
Leonidas Yell
Josephine Louisa “Josie”
James A.
Thomas
Columbus W.
Julia
Mary
Robert M.
William C. “Bud”
John Walter
Leonidas, Josephine, James A., and Thomas were born in Tennessee. The later children were born in Graves Co, KY, so the family must have moved up the KY between 1853 and 1856.
James A. married Helen C. Connick/Conick/Comick (1858-1934) from Wisconsin. They married in 1877, and we can find them in census data for 1880 and 1900 in Graves County, KY. We know that the M.D. Tarkington who signed their marriage license was one of the Tarkington line, but I’m not sure yet which one.
Josephine Louisa Coleman, James A.’s sister, married Albert Thomas Russell (1843-1908). They had four children, one of whom was Oda Mae Russell (1888-1980). She married Daniel Oscar Lindsay (1879-1947), and they had two daughters, Alta and Lois. The Lindseys moved out to Medford, Oregon, between 1920 and 1930. My current guess is that James A. was sort of fond of his niece, Oda Mae, and / or her family, and he sort of followed the grandnieces out west. Sort of. In my correspondence with a descendent of Oda Mae, nobody knew anything about a James A. Coleman.
In 2010, I was in Oregon, visiting my mother, James A.’s granddaughter, who happened to be living in Roseburg (but knew nothing at all about her grandfather). Medford is only an hour south, so I borrowed a car and drove down there. I stopped at the local library and inquired, but they sent me to the historical society. I met some very nice folks there who helped me locate him in the newspaper in 1934:
In the Oregon Death Index, 1898-2008, there is a listing for James Coleman. Death date: 13 Feb 1934. Spouse’s name: Helen.
They also helped me find a listing for his burial:
I drove around and finally found the Eastwood/IOOF Cemetery (International Order of Odd Fellows). James A. Coleman was buried in an unmarked grave in a potter’s field. This was during the Great Depression, and people who could not afford a burial site were buried in a potter’s field.
Why do I think this is my great grandfather? Because when I got back home, I ordered his death certificate. It lists his correct birth state and year, his wife, Helen Coleman, and his mother’s name as L. (Louisa) Tarkenson (Tarkington).
James A.’s granddaughter, my mother, was living an hour north of Medford, 78 years after his death. She did not know of his whereabouts until I uncovered all of this information. Life is full of irony.
I noticed on his death certificate that it shows James A. as a widower. Had Helen already died by 1934?
No. Helen died in 1939 in Paducah, a widow. So, there was an error on James A.’s death certificate, and he was not a widower. He must have told folks in Oregon that his wife had died.
The next quandary...
Where did Helen C. come from?
Part 3 - "Helen C."'s family: Oh, Perlina!
Pellatiah White (b 1774 in RI; d 1856? prob Franklin, Sauk County, WI) and Eleanor Aldrich (b 1788 in RI; 1870 Bear Creek, Sauk, WI) were married in 1804 in Uxbridge, MA. Their children were Ruth Eunice (1805-1851), Mason (1808-1879), Sophia (1810-1860), Rosina (1812- ), Perlina (1817- abt 1870), Polly (1815-1890), Vienna (1832-1919), Diana (1835- ), and perhaps Orrin, Abel, and Betsy, though I haven’t yet found records for these last three.
There was a group of families in Chenango, NY, who, among hundreds of thousands of others, migrated away from Chenango, New York, to head west. Some of the surnames near our Whites in Chenango were: Phetteplace, Hoag, Bancroft, and Wilcox. These particular families ended up in Wisconsin, and they intermarried:
Ruth Eunice married Smith Phetteplace
Mason married Sarah Sally Phetteplace
Sophia married Daniel Hawley Hoag
Rosina married Jason Bancroft
Polly married Charles King
Perlina married George A. Stratton
Vienna married Asa Wilcox
Diana married George Butler
Some of the couples went to Wisconsin ahead of others. Jason Bancroft and Rosina are shown on the 1850 census in Bristol, Dane County, Wisconsin, with daughters Lucina and Lucy A.
Pellatiah and Eleanor White also went to Wisconsin. On the 1860 census, Eleanor, age 71, was living with George and Diana (White) Butler. On the 1870 census, Eleanor, age 83, was listed as living with daughter Rosina and her husband, Jason Bancroft. Pellatiah had appointed Jason Bancroft as executor of his will. According to an entry by an Ancestry.com user, Pellatiah died 1856 at the residence of Charles King, Polly’s husband, Franklin, Sauk County, WI, but I haven’t found a death record to confirm this.
On the 1850 census for New Berlin, Chenango, NY, we find Perlina White was born in New York in 1817. She had married George A. Stratton, and this census shows two children, Eleanor (Mary), age 12, born in NY and George (Clemens), born around June 1850, also in NY. Both George A. and Perlina moved to Wisconsin with the other families. There are two Wisconsin, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents for a George A. Stratton for September 1852 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.
Certificate No. 13805
…Register of the Land Office at Mineral Point whereby it appears that full payment has been made by the said George A. Stratton according to the provisions of the Act of Congress of the 24th of April, 1820, entitled “An act making further provision for the sale of the Public Lands,” for the North West quarter of the North West quarter of Section nine in Township nine North of Range three East in the district of lands subject to sale at Mineral Point Wisconsin, containing forty acres…
and Certificate No. 14349
…Register of the Land Office at Mineral Point whereby it appears that full payment has been made by the said George A. Stratton according to the provisions of the Act of Congress of the 24th of April, 1820, entitled “An act making further provision for the sale of the Public Lands,” for the North East quarter of the North West quarter of Section three, in Township nine, North of Range three, East, in the district of lands subject to sale at Mineral Point Wisconsin, containing forty acres…
Looking further into where George A. Stratton went, the 1855 Wisconsin, State Census, for Franklin, Sauk, shows:
George A. must have died sometime shortly before 1 June 1855 because Perlina is listed as living with 2 males and 2 females in the household of which she is the head. In 1855, Perlina was 38, Mary Ellen was 16, George C. was 5, and John had been born in 1855 (he is listed as 5 years old on the 1860 census, see below).
In the probate records in 1865, there are estate papers for a George Stratton and John Stratton, both of Bear Creek:
Petition for Letters of Administration
In Probate. – Sauk County Court.
To the Judge of said Court:
The petition of Polina M. Wilcox of Bear Creek said in said County, respectfully represents, that her sons George and John Stratton late of said town in said County, deceased, on the 10th & 13th days of April 1865 at Marathon County in the State of Wisconsin died intestate, as your petitioner believes,- no last will and testament having been found, or known to exist; that neither said deceased left no widows or children that your petitioner is the mother of said children that said deceased left and real estate to the probable amount of six hundred dollars, as your petitioner believes, that said deceased left debts due and unpaid to the probably amount of 000 dollars.
Your petitioner, being desireous, that the estate of said deceased be legally administered, would pray that administration thereof be granted unto Jason Bancroft and that appraisers be appointed pursuant to the state in such case made and provided and according to the rules and practice of this Court.
Dated May 31st, 1865
Pualina M Willcox (signature)
STATE OF WISCONSIN
Sauk County
On this 31st day of May 1965, before me personally appeared the above named Polina M Wilcox and made that she has heard read the above petition, subscribed by her and knows the contents thereof and that the same is true of her own knowledge except as to the matters, which are therein stated to be on her information or belief, and as to those matters she believe it to be true.
J. B. Quimby, County Judge
The accident (probably, as the probate records show the boys died on the land in question), occurred in 1865. George was 14 and John was 10.
There must have been some sort of accident or sudden illness that took both of their lives. Because there is an amount of real estate, it looks like George A. left it to his two sons before he died. The real estate is recorded in the probate records as (including misspellings here):
The West half of the S.E. quarter Sect. nine Town nine Rage three East
North East quarter of the North West quarter of Sect three Town nine Range three East
The North West quarter of the North West quarter of section nine Town nine Range three East
Personal property as follows in a groing
Eight and one half acres of wheets
Nineteen and one half acres of Oats
Four acres of CornTwo acres of Buckwheat
Five acres of Rye
One half acar of Potatoes
Is “Polina Willcox” the same as Perlina Stratton?
Later in the probate record it states:
It appearing to the court now here that the debts funeral expenses and expenses of administration in this matter have been fully paid and satisfied and that the said John and George Stratton were minors and that neither of them left surviving him a wife child or children or other lineal decendants and it appearing that Polina Strattion, now Polina Wilcox is the lawful mother of said John and George Stratton and as such is lawfully entitles to the seal and personal property of said John & George Stratton remaining after the payment of the debts and expenses of administration as aforesaid, and it appearing that the residue of said personal estate is one hundred and nine dollars and thirteen cents, and that the value of the real estate whereof said deceased died seized to wit: the W ½ of the SE ¼ & the NW ¼ of the NW ¼ Section Nº nine, and the NE ¼ of NW ¼ of Section Nº three of Township Nº nine 9 north of Range Nº three East is of the value of one thousand dollars, it is ordered and directed and this court by virtue and in pursuance of the statute in such case made and provided doth order adjuge and decree that said residue of said personal estate and said real estate be and the same is hereby assigned unto the said Polina Wilcox and to her heirs and assigs. And it is further ordered that E Chapin administration of said estate be and he is hereby authorized to deliver possession of said personal and real estate to said Polina Wilcox.
Dated December 12th 1865
JB Quimby
County Judge
Polina Wilcox? She remarried?
According to the Wisconsin Marriage Index on Ancestry.com, Perline Stratton married John Wilcox on 24 May 1857 in Richland, Wisconsin.
Who is John Wilcox? Was he part of the group of families that moved to Wisconsin? Quite possibly, so that may have been how Perlina knew him. Her sister, Vienna, married an Asa Wilcox, though I have yet to see the connection between him and John P. John P. Wilcox is listed in the 1850 census for Chenango, NY, where the Whites and the other related families were from. John’s father seems to have been a Job Wilcox (1782-1849; father: Job, 1743-1808; mother: Mary Gates, 1754-1832). John’s father, Job, served in the Revolutionary War.
The new Wilcox family was living together in Waupaca, WI, on the 1860 census which shows:
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1860
Event Place: Little Wolf, Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States
Event Place (Original): The Town of Little Wolf, Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 40
Race: White
Race (Original): [Blank]
Birth Year (Estimated): 1820
Birthplace: Rhode Island
Page: 172
Record Number: 4122
Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
John P Wilcox M 32 New York
Paulina Wilcox F 40 Rhode Island
Ellen Wilcox F 22 New York
Geo Wilcox M 10 New York
John Wilcox M 5 Wisconsin
Hellen Campbel F 3 Wisconsin
HELLEN CAMPBEL? Who is she? And why does she have my great-grandmother’s name? And why was she born in approximately the same year as other records for my great-grandmother? Different surname… did they adopt her?
By 1870, the Wilcoxes had moved from Wisconsin to Tennessee, probably to be near her daughter, Mary Ellen, who had married William Tarkington (b TN) in Illinois in 1869. Mary Ellen and William Tarkington had a daughter, Hattie Mae, b. 1874 in TN.
What else is in published genealogical research about Mary Ellen Stratton?
In Tarkingtons of Tennessee: Genealogy of John G. Tarkington, written and published by Armistead, Sawyer, et. al., December 2001, it states on p. 152:
9. William L.[1] Tarkington (Joshua A.6, John5, Joshua4, William3, John2, John1) was born February 28, 1838 in Hickman Co., TN, and died Bef. 1910. He married Mary Stratton White in Metropolis, IL. She was born 1840 in New York.
Notes for William L.7 Tarkington:
William L. Tarkington and Mary lived on Reelfoot Lake for many years. He ran a hotel. Both are listed on the 1900 census but only Mary on the 1910 census. William was a Civil War Veteran.
Notes for Mary Stratton White:
Mary Stratton White was a widow with two children when she married William L. Tarkington. Her first husband drowned when he fell from a raft of logs in the Mississippi River. Adelia and Helen who appear on the 1880 census of Obion County appear to be those two children.
Make a mental note of Mary Ellen’s first husband. Helen and Adelia are listed with the last name of Conic (sometimes misread as Couie). But *IF* Helen was actually Helen Campbel, that would explain why her marriage certificate shows her as Helen C. Connick.
The 1870 census for District 3, Obion, Tennessee shows:
Here, we find that Elizabeth, now 18, has married a Charles Samburg from Germany.
But is Elizabeth their daughter? Another possibility is that it’s Mary Ellen’s daughter, but for some reason, Elizabeth is living with the grandparents. Keep in mind that Delia (Perlina’s granddaughter) is living next door with the Samburgs.
On the 1880 census for Obion, TN, District 112, Adelia was also living with her mother, Mary (Ellen). The census taker made a mistake with Hattie Mae, listing her as a stepdaughter:
On the marriage license for Ida Adelia Conic to John Reeser in Obion, TN in 1883, C. Samburg signed on her behalf because her own father was not present. What happened to Conic?
I recently found that I have DNA connections to a couple of people who show up to be 4th – 6th cousins. I’ve been in contact with one of them, a great-grandson of Elizabeth Samburg. I sent a message to him, and the information he gave me raised even more questions. He confirmed that he was, indeed, part of the Samburg line. He also said that relatives at one point had typed up some notes about the family and had written:
Carmack, Elizabeth 1862 -;
Elizabeth “Lizzie”
E. Carmack
Elizabeth Conice?
b. ABT 1852 in Wisconsin
Woah! Conice????? Carmack? Close enough at this point. So MAYBE Elizabeth really was Mary Ellen’s daughter that she had with Conic in Wisconsin? Maybe she was Perlina’s granddaughter, too. After all, Ida Adella was shown as living with the Samburgs, next door to her grandmother, Perlina, on the 1880 Obion census.
The plot grows thicker.
Part 4 - Helen Campbel/Connick?
Who was this Helen “C” who married James A. Coleman?
The first mention of any Helen in the Stratton/Conic/Tarkington/Coleman records that I have found was that 1860 census for Waupaca, WI, listing a Helen Campbel.
Now, there are new and burning questions.
Helen Campbel? Our “Helen C” who is listed as Helen Conic on the marriage license when she married my great-grandfather James A. Coleman? The birth date fits, but where did she come from?
If she were the daughter of Perlina and John Wilcox, she would have been listed simply as Hellen, wouldn’t she? Ellen is still listed as Ellen Wilcox, aged 22. It could have been her daughter, but why is Helen listed in this way? Did the family adopt her? I’ve tried to find other Campbels in the nearby area, but it’s hard to narrow down as yet. If there were an accident and Helen were orphaned, I can see the Wilcoxes taking her in. Then maybe, when Ellen married Conic (still no word on him!), she took Helen with her (total speculation at this point), had Ida Adelia with Conic, then when he died (raft accident?), she got remarried to William Tarkington, and they moved to Tennessee. I’ve found further information on Adelia, who she married, family, etc. which I will add in another chapter.
But IF Helen were not a Conic after all, if she had been adopted, then all of the research on the Whites and the families that moved from NY to WI is related to families not related to me.
Hmm. ?
I know about Helen after she married my great-grandfather. What I don’t know is how she ended up as Helen Campbel on that 1860 census with the Wilcoxes - IF that is the Helen in my line.
If she had been adopted into the Wilcox/Conic family:
• That would also mean that Ida Adelia was not her sister.
• IF Elizabeth were a Conic – or even if she were a Wilcox, she would not be Helen’s sister.
• Anyone in the Conic/Stratton/White line would not be related to Helen.
These are the other records I have for Helen “C”:
1870 Census for Obion, TN, Dist. 12:
(Lafayette was William’s brother.)
On the 1880 census for Graves County, KY, Haynes and Pottsville, it shows:
Could it be that Helen didn’t know that Mary Ellen was from New York or was it really true that her parents were from Wisconsin? Or else, was it just an error written down by the census taker?
The 1900 census for District 0101, Magisterial District 07, Graves County, KY, shows James A. Coleman and Helen C (also WI WI WI) living with sons, Arnold and Ivey. The story of James A. has been dealt with in Parts 1 & 2.
We are still left with the conundrum of the origins of Helen “C”.
And, of course, the elusive Mr. Conic.
A high school buddy of mine introduced me to a genealogist, R., a few years back. She was able to fill in a lot of blanks on Mary Ellen Stratton and her mother, Perlina White, which I then investigated. She wasn’t able at the time to find any leads on the origins of Helen C. I sent her my updated research, and within 48 hours, the dam seems to have broken on the brick wall which was “Helen C”.
Google map showing Waupaca, Little Wolf, Bear Creek, and Embarrass, Wisconsin
On that 1860 census for Little Wolf, Waupaca, Wisconsin, it lists Helen Campbel, born in 1837. We surmised that Mary Ellen had been married to a Campbel, and, with further research, came upon some documents that may lend credence to that theory.
Patrick Campbel is shown on the 1860 census for Bear Creek, Waupaca County, WI, as Patrick Cambeley, age 28, b. Ireland, living with the family of Thomas Rice:
In July and August of in the Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863, for Bear Creek, Waupaca Co, WI, there is a Paterick Campbell, age 37 (b 1826 in Ireland):
On the 1870 census for Bear Creek, Waupaca, WI, there’s a Patrick Campbel, age 35, b 1835 in Ireland, living with Patrick Campbel, age 71, b 1799 in Ireland:
The 1880 census for Bear Creek, Waupaca, WI, shows Patrick Campbel, age 46, married to Bridget, age 30, with five children and Patrick’s father:
On the 1900 census for Bear Creek Dist. 0119, Waupaca, WI, Patrick Campbel immigrated into the United States in 1852. His wife, Bridget, immigrated in 1870.
The Bear Creek 1905 Wisconsin Census shows:
Okay, so now that we’ve established that this Patrick Campbel existed in the Bear Creek, Waupaca, area at the time that Helen and the Wilcoxes were in the same place.
1860 living with Thomas Rice and family.
1863 Civil War draft registration
1870 census living with father
1880 married to Bridget, living with 5 children
etc.
But is this the right Campbel?
Facts so far:
• Perlina on 1850 Chenango, NY, census with George A. Stratton, Eleanor, George
• George A. Stratton purchases land in Mineral Point, WI, 1852
• Perlina is on the 1855 Franklin, Sauk County, WI, census as head of family: 2 females and 2 males (probably Perlina, Mary Ellen, George (Jr.) and John)
• Perlina marries John P Wilcox in 1857 in Richland, WI (Note: Smith Phetteplace is buried in Lone Rock, Richland, WI, not too far from Bear Creek, and Franklin, Sauk County)
• Helen born June 1858 (according to 1900 census for Graves Co. KY) - Where? and to whom?
• Wilcox family moves to Waupaca by 1860 – census shows Helen Campbel, age 3
• Mary Ellen meets Connick in Waupaca between 1858 and 1860 (see below)
• Elizabeth born 1861 (Conic)
• Adella born 1863 (Conic)
• Perlina’s sons, George and John, die in 1865 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin
• Mary Ellen marries William Tarkington in IL in 1869 – Wilcoxes moved to Obion, TN, with Mary Ellen, Helen, Elizabeth, and Adelia
IF the Wilcoxes moved from Sauk to Waupaca before 1857, it is possible that she met Campbel in Waupaca. If they moved there after 1857, then Mary Ellen would be likely to have met this Campbel in the Sauk area. (Wondering if, at the time, in a small town, social stigma surrounding Mary Ellen would have been an impetus for the family to leave the area?)
There are two Campbels shown on the 1855 Sauk, WI, census:
Valorus Campbel 4 males 1 female
Isaac Campbel 6 males 5 females
It is possible that one of the males in one of these families could have met Mary Ellen there.
The Patrick Campbel we had as a candidate for Helen’s father above immigrated into the U.S. in 1852. It is also possible that one/both of these families immigrated to the Sauk area around that time. Maybe Patrick was one of the sons of Valorus or Isaac? I need to do more research into the Campbels in the Sauk area 1855-1859.
Questions to look into:
• When did these Campbels come into the U.S.? And into Wisconsin?
• Who were their children?
A search on Ancestry - Homestead and Cash Entry Patents reveals there were 469 Campbels who purchased land in Wisconsin in the 1800s during the mad rush of the Irish into Wisconsin… Ok, could check there as well… might turn up something. A quick glance shows Valorus buying land in 1855 in Sauk, registered at the Mineral Point Land Office (same place as Geo. A. Stratton and so many others got theirs). However, it doesn’t seem that Valorus had any sons.
I’ve been reading From the Emerald Isle to the Cream City about Irish immigrants in Milwaukee the 1800s. Great background that gives me some context into what was going on at the time all of these people were in Wisconsin.
The elusive Conic
In the same Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863, where we found Patrick Campbel - and on the same page - for Little Wolf, Waupaca Co, WI, there is a Charles Connick, age 35 (b 1828).
The following is from R:
+++++
The Conic name is shown as Conic, Connic, Connick, Coninch, Connie, Counie, and Mc Connie. Perhaps it was Scottish not Irish? Joseph Mc Connie (abt 1740-1802) was born in Newbury, Essex, MA where he married Susannah Shackford. The family migrated to Saint David, Charlotte, New Brunswick, Canada, where they died. Several generations of the family remained in New Brunswick. A couple of documents were posted to a family tree of Joseph McConnie/Connick. The first is a record of his marriage to Susanna, Jan 1867, in Newburyport, MA. That source is Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Newburyport, p 427. Another was the will of Joseph Connick who died in 1802 in New Brunswick. It did not give the source.
The family of John B Connick (1803-1859) migrated to Green Lake Co, WI, between the 1851 Census in New Brunswick and 13 Sept 1854 when their daughter, Amanda M, died there at age 27. John’s wife was Elizabeth Jane Bartlett (1806-1888). Both are buried in Green Lake Co. Note: John is also shown as John K Connick; perhaps someone couldn’t make out the B and wrote K instead.
What caught my eye was the 1870 Census for a Charles H Conic, age 35, who, with his wife, Emma (Burgess; shown elsewhere as Burgese), age 17, lived in Matteson, Waupaca Co, WI – right where Mary Ellen had been living.
The earliest record I found for Charles Connick in Wisconsin was his Declaration of Intention to be naturalized dated 29 Oct, 1858, in Green Lake Co, WI. This is an index only; the actual record is not available.
In the 1860 Census, Charles Coninch, age 32, b. New Brunswick (Canada), is shown with his family living in Berlin, Green Lake, WI. His wife, Amanda Coninch, age 24, b. New Brunswick; daughter Adell Connick, age 2, b. WI; and sister Margarett Connick, age 18, b. New Brunswick; were living with him. Charles was a carpenter.
Amanda Connick, Charles’ wife, is buried in the Oakwood Cemetery where Charles’ parents are buried. This is in Berlin, Green Lake Co, WI. Find A Grave does not give a birth/death date for her. There is a Connick tombstone with the inscription “Amanda Connick, aged 32 years. Two daughters, Names and Ages Unknown.” If Amanda’s age of 32 was correct in the 1860 Census, she probably died in 1868. One of the referenced daughters was probably the Adell shown in that census.
In July/August 1863 Charles Connick, age 35, was recorded in the Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865, at Little Wolf, Waupaca Co, WI.
Charles was living in Matteson, Waupaca, WI, during both the 1870 and 1880 censuses. In 1880, his family is shown as Chas H Connie, age 52, b. New Brunswick; both parents b. Maine. His wife is shown as Emma J, age 31, b. NY, father and mother both b. NY; and daughter, Ellen, age 4, b. WI, father b. New Brunswick, mother b. NY.
Emma (Burgess) Conic shows as age 17 in 1870 and 31 in 1880. In 1860 the family of Alonzo and Lucrecia (Lucretia Cobb) Burgess were living in Washington, Erie, PA, where Emma is shown as age 11, which matches age 31 in 1880, so she was probably born in 1849.
Charles Counie married Emma Burgess on 15 Nov 1868 at Matteson, Waupaca, WI (familysearch.org).
Charles (20 Jun 1830 - 14 Jun 1885) and Emma Connic (unk - 18 Dec 1893) are buried in the Riverside Cemetery, Embarrass, Waupaca Co, WI. A daughter, Myrtie L Connic, b. unk, d. 1881 is buried with them. Charles is shown twice in Find A Grave, the second time with his parents who had several children inscribed on their tombstone.
Ellen J (shown as Comie), daughter of Charles and Emma Connic, married John C Thede (shown as Theder) on 2 Aug 1899 at Clintonville, Waupaca, WI (familysearch.org).
On the gravestone of his parents, John K Connick (1803-1859) and Elizabeth Jane Bartlett Connick (1806-1888), in the Oakwood Cemetery, Berlin, Green Lake Co, WI, Charles is shown as Charles H Connick (20 Jun 1828-d. 14 Jun 1885). Charles’ first wife, Amanda, is also buried there; she has a separate tombstone. Caution: Do not confuse the tombstone of Charles' wife with that of his sister, Amanda M Connick, b. 15 Nov 1826, d. 13 Sep 1854.
My speculation is Charles left or was kicked out by his first wife Amanda _____, in Green Lake Co, WI. He moved to Waupaca Co, WI, where he met and married Mary Ellen (Stratton) Campbell. Their daughter Ida Adelia was born there 19 Jun 1863. In July/August 1863 Charles was registered for the Civil War Draft in Waupaca Co. They divorced prior to 15 Nov 1868 when he married Emma J Burgess at Matteson, Waupaca, WI. Mary Ellen moved on and the rest is history.
If Charles is the person who married Mary Ellen, it is interesting that his daughter with Amanda was Adell; his daughter with Ellen was Ida Adelia/Ida Adella; and his daughter with Emma was Ellen J. Maybe he couldn’t let go of ex-wives and daughters?
While there is no proof, Charles was certainly in the right place at the right time to be the Conic who married Mary Ellen.
+++++
And what about the story that Mary Ellen’s first husband fell from a raft and drowned in the Mississippi? Here’s another theory from R.:
There is an 1889 Land Plat showing two lots of land belonging to Emma Connie in Embarrass, Waupaca Co. The two lots are shown on the right side of the Embarrass plat map. This was after Charles’ death in 1885. Ancestry is the source for the land plat. Interestingly, the Embarrass river was practically in their front yard. Although the Mighty Mississippi is a more interesting story, perhaps he drowned in the Embarrass river. Also, the story in the Tarkington book of his drowning may still be true–just that it happened after they were divorced. In the 1860s it was almost a sin to be divorced so it would be easier to talk about his drowning as if it happened when they were married.
Yes, that would explain it.
In the meantime, the Campbel search continues…
I need to find some kind of marriage certificate for Mary Ellen and the Campbel person and a birth certificate for Helen.