People
I start with introducing the people I discovered so many hidden truths, even I was surprised by stories of people left out of history because of where they came from and how it impacted ancestors in my family tree much later in time than I first imagined possible. Although we all heard stories and even learned history how nationality could impact people, you seem to never correlate this to someone in your ancestry. Through genealogy I’ve found reality, my ancestors were both Bohemian and Irish. Nationalities that faced harsh treatment just because of where they were born.
You can not find this without digging deeper into family histories. Digging out their story, you know the one they wanted to share with us, however, we were too involved in our own lives and spent too much time thinking they are old and we would rather be doing something else.
William Bentley
William Bentley was easy to trace throughout the years. His father was Albert Bentley, married to Mariette Perkins in 1850 in New York. Albert and his wife were in Granger, Alleghany County, New York on the 1855 census. In 1860 they were in Waupaca, Waupaca County, Wisconsin with two children, Francis (Frank) and Sidney. Sidney died on 5 Nov 1861. One other child was born to them there, William, the subject of hidden treasures. Mariette died on 28 Aug 1867.
Albert then remarried on 19 Jul 1868 to Caroline Clark. To this union were born Fred and Winnie. Fred is currently best guess on his mother being Caroline but there is possibility Mariette was. I need to confirm his birth date.
Rough times came on 28 Apr 1883 when Albert Bentley passed away and then a short time after on 16 Jul 1883 the family lost Winnie.
In an upcoming post I will discuss some of the questions I have surrounding their lives after the loss of their father and sister. I received some documentation including the a daughter from Caroline’s previous marriage outright rejected the Bentley family even claiming herself as sole heir to her mother’s holdings when she passed. The will referenced no other family members.
Documentation and stories are here on William it is no doubt his roots started in Waupaca, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. Since he marries Anna Lynn sometime in 1887 there is a strong possibility he stayed in the area before they decided to go to Deerbrook, Langlade County, Wisconsin.
Anna Lynn
Anna Lynn is much more difficult to trace through the years. Being 100% Irish, I discovered doesn’t help in finding documented events of any type. Currently all but a 70% reliable location from a letter written on an unknown date from her brother Patrick Lynn asking for assistance in obtaining his baptismal record. Patrick believed he was baptized in Junction City, Portage County, Wisconsin around 1886.
However, some unreliable documents include a 1870 census listing Anna and her parents; John Lynn and Ellen McWilliams in New Jersey. Although information found in her death announcement indicated she was born in New York.
Whereby the family all moved back to Ireland at some point. Anna Lynn was the only one who did not return to Ireland, I can assume it was because she was married when the family went back.
Other than John Lynn being found in a birth registration (New Jersey, not New York), matching Anna Lynn’s to the date and parents; John is never mentioned again and has to date not been located in any census.
The 1880 census for Mineral Point, Iowa County, Wisconsin seems to list this family, however, not enough information to take it as conclusive. It is also a long way away from Portage County.
The Destination
Destination, Deerbrook, Langlade County, Wisconsin.
The 1880 census places William in Farmington, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. Since a census is 10 years the next places this family in the Town of Neva, Langlade County, Wisconsin; whereby all three children are born. Ethel in 1889, Erwin in 1891 and Ralph in 1893.
I have surety in them being there in 1891 as Erwin is born on 4 Feb 1891 in Deerbrook. The source is a delayed birth registration on 23 Oct 1954. Therefore, several years after his birth event a formal registration of birth was created with supporting documents.
Men are easier to follow through history, not due to lacking information or details; however name changes when a woman married changes greatly how to search and find records you seek.
Deerbrook has a rather storied and confusing history that doesn’t help research. Help from the Town of Neva government in my request has been lackluster at best. Directly stated they post archived records but when I requested archived records they refused to cooperate or simply stated by the Chairman “we don’t have historical archives”.
My guess, someone is hiding something. A bold claim, but I have volumes of historical documents supporting this conclusion, compounding building their story more. Information I obtained is the first hidden treasure. I never expected to discover what I had. Things such as Francis Deleglise refusal to sell land to certain nationalities because he wanted another nationality there. This information was revealed in a biography obtained from the Corners School Museum. In the biography Deleglise was convinced to sell the land in the end although not without effort.
Below is an image of an newspaper article from The Appleton Post Crescent, Page 3, dated 12 Nov 1881.
Clearly the article is announcing the L. S. & W. R. R., Lake Shore and Western Railroad was completed to both Deerbrook and Kempster for both freight and passengers.
With this article existing in many newspapers in the area and across the state of Wisconsin then why do we see things like the map below showing the plat of The Village of Neva in 1887?
Or in the 1895 Polk directory we see:
Deerbrook, formerly known as Reeve… What, really? These two locations aren’t the same piece of land. Separated by a hill with two distinct and separate names; yet it was formerly know as a location that wasn’t platted until 1886; five years after Deerbrook has both passenger and rail service.
How about the 1913, Deerbrook – Reeve plats below, clearly they are NOT one of the same, however, everyone keeps referring to Deerbrook formerly known as Reeve. In 1895 that was written in the Polk Directory, yet in 1913 we still have both Deerbrook and Reeve plats.
The Village of Neva was platted right over Deerbrook six years after Deerbrook has the railroad? Impossible and clearly someone was lying in legal documents, or Deerbrook is actually yet someplace yet to be found?
This truly is a hidden treasure, however, remember not all treasures you find will be good. Something is here in Deerbrook and Langlade County. As I have been trying to write a history of Deerbrook for about 8 years now, I will vet this out and write the history. If I cannot vet the story out, I will write a history and let facts speak for themselves. Facts spoken as they are found can get ugly and lead to ghosts from the past.