In the GARNAVILLO, IOWA--Gem of the Prairie History, page 253, William
Williams' Diary makes reference to Urian Wilsy. It is a diary that
relates the day-by-day work required to establish a farming enterprise.
It gives a good idea of how much time and effort was needed to provide
for the farm fencing. Nearly every day during the entire winter was
given to the cutting and splitting of rails and stakes. The entry for
Monday, February 21, 1848, states:
"Clear and warm. Wind SW. Luke (Gallup) and Shoemaker (Henry
Schumacher) and the Kragle (Henry and John) boys come back to the cabin
this morning about ten o'clock. Dudley (Williams) got home from
Dubuque Sunday. I cut timber for 250 rails. Hired a man by the name
of Urian Wilsy, to make a thousand rails for me at 7 bits a 100."
This is the only reference in the book for a Wilsy. There are some
references for Henry A. and Phillip WILTSE. Henry A. Wiltse owned land
in Section 26-93-3, Ganavillo Twp., title given in 1852, and in Section
9-93-3, Garnavillo Twp., title given in 1852. (Pages 50 and 51)
Also references to Phillip Wiltse on pages 411 and 415:
Philip Wiltse, one of a group of Garnavillo men who went to Kansas
Territory (Colorado) in the late 1850s, was the recipient of a sick
call while in the gold fields. It was one of 50 sick-call entries
beginning August 3, 1860. The entry in page 415 lists about 43 men who
led the Garnavillo area for the gold fields. The list is probably
incomplete, but those names available were picked up throughout museum
records in Clayton County. (Possibly 100,000 men flocked to
northwestern Colorado as a result of the boom.)
The book, 1984 HISTORY OF CLAYTON COUNTY, has stories of Clayton County
families. There are 11 entries for "Wiltse" and one for "Wiltze."
On Mar 28, 2005, at 2:02 PM, Eroch25(a)aol.com wrote:
I am still looking for the death and burial place of my great
grandparents,
Lydia (TAYLOR) and Jabez WILSEY. They were born in Falls, Wyoming
Co., PA in
1830 and 1826 and moved to Glen Haven, WI in 1850. They had two
children B in
PA, and 6 more in WI.
They moved to Guttenberg, Clayton Co., in the 1860's, and were listed
in the
1870 and 1880 census. I have a tin tpe of her that says, her name and
1830-1880 scratched on the back. Since she was listed in the 1880
census, she must
have died after the July date the census was taken in 1880. The last
time my
mother remembered seeing him was in Jan 1889 at the funeral of her
older
sister. He is listed in the 1885 state census. There is no will, no
probate (they
were very poor), no record of them being buried in either the City
Cemetery in
Guttenberg or in Glen Haven where they had 7 plots at one time. (At
least
the cemeteries don't have any record of them being buried there or in
my
grandparents plot in Guttenberg.
There are no church records that I can find. There are no records
in Des
MOines or Elkader, Madison or Lancaster. No newpaper obits for either
one.
No land records as they didn't own any land. Jabez lived in a house
by the
button factory in 1885 where he worked.
I even checked out the poor farm in the county and looked through
all
their death records and they are not there, either.
Any help or suggestions that anyone can offer would be most
gratefully
appreciated. Thank you. Earlene Hutsell eroch25(a)aol.com
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