OCONTO COUNTY
Wisconsin
FAMILIES and BIOGRAPHIES

FIFIELD

1 . Jeremiah FIFIELD was born Concord, N.H. 20 Mar 1779.
He married Lucy LONGLEY (ARNOLD?) Gardner, Kennebec Co., ME, 19 June 1803. Gardner, ME. VR.

Jeremiah FIFIELD and Lucy LONGLEY (ARNOLD?) had the following children:

    i. Lucy L. FIFIELD was born in Maine 10 Oct. 1805. Lucy died 11 Feb. 1887 in Oconto, WI., at 81 years of age. Oconto VR 2, pg 91. Cause of death old age. Buried Feb. !2, 1887 Evergreen Cemetery. Birth date & father's name from death certificate. She married Thomas LINDSEY.

            Thomas was born in Massachusetts 1805.

            Place of birth & year based on 1850 census. Thomas was the son of John LINDSAY and Abigail WILLIAMS.

            Thomas died 11 Apr. 1852 in Oconto County, Wisconsin, at 46 years of age. Cause of death drowning according to some history articles. The only gravestone at the site says "Lindsey, Thomas - died April 11, 1852."  It appears Thomas body has been moved to the Stiles cemetery.

            The Lindsay name is found spelled Lindsey and Lindsay on different records for all members of the family during the 1800's; plus a few other variations on census records. Thomas Lindsey, SR. has a Penobscot river basin, Maine connection.

            The 1830 U.S. census, Ingensol Twp., Penobscot Co., Maine has Thomas Lindsey listed with 1 male between age 20-30, 2 females under 5 and 1 female 20-30. The family is living the second house down from that of Jerimiah Fifield. Lucy's father.

            They are listed in the 1840 Unknown Twp.. Two Bureau Co., IL dated 1 3 October 1840 with 1 male 30-40, 1 under 5, and I age 5 to to 10; the females are 1 under age 5; 1, 5 to 10, 2 between 10 and 15 and 1 female 30-40. The family is supposedly listed on 1846 territorial census according to Peter Stark, which I have not seen.

            Thomas Lindsay who arrived in Oconto June 16, 1846 with his family when there were only two or three houses. He came into the area under contract to the Jones mill, to put in logs for the company. Some of his children are found on the 1850 Green Bay, Brown County census on a sheet dated Aug. 3, 1850. They are Lavina, age 20, born ME. Lev! age 17, born ME; and Adaline, age 8, born IL. They are all attending school and living with Jacob Richards age 29, born Germany; and wife Caroline, age 24, born ME. Thomas and Lucy Lindsy (sic) are found on a sheet dated Aug. 23 in Marinette District, Brown Co., WI at the bottom of the last sheet, dwelling 30. They are listed as follows: Thomas Lindee, age 45, occupation farmer, born MA; Lucy age 45, born ME; children: Lovenia age 19 born ME; Levi S age 17, occupation farmer, born ME.; Almeda, age 16, occupation farmer, born ME. and T. Jefferson, age 13, born ME. The four youngest children are at the top of a sheet with no dwelling or house number change in Sewanica (Suamico) District 1, Brown Co, WI. Listed are Eliza B. age 11, born ILL.; Adaline, age 8 born ELL.; Ann (Annaville) Lindsey, age 6, born ILL.; and O.E. age 2, born WI. 'This sheet appears to be for the Oconto River area. Evidently the census taker was trying to conserve forms. Used the last of the Marinette sheet for parents, and then started the next district with the young children of the same family.

            Thomas Lindsey drowned in 1852 according to Farnsworth Library sources, while working on a river dam. Other stories say he died of small pox. Thomas Lindsey, SR. was buried in "Lindsey Field" in the natural meadow near the mouth of the Oconto River where they pitched there tent and lived in it for 10 days upon first arriving. It also now appears by Stiles cemetery records, Thomas is buried in the Stiles cemetery, which shows the correct date of death. An attempt to locate the original Lindsey cemetery in summer of 2003 was not successful. It is now located within a nature preserve and impossible to determine where the site may be. The area should be located beyond or in the current Oconto Sportsmen's Club property.
 
            The 1852 Property Assessment Roll signed 1 Oct. 1852 by Edwin Hart as assessor has Thomas Lindsey, est. (estate), listed as being taxed for Lot 1 & 2 T28N Rl 7 E in Section 14 and Lot 2 and 3 T28N, R17E Section 2. Land Patent Records of U.S. government shows these lands being recorded to him on 2 August 1852.

            Also found in land patent records and deed books of Oconto County, Lots 2 and 7, Sec. 34, T28NR20 E which were both deed to Thomas Lindsey on 10 August, 1850. He, along with his wife Lucy, in turn deed them in Sept. 1850 to Merrick Murphy, of Milwaukee, for $2000.00. These properties by 1853 were owned entirely by Anson Eldred, of Milwaukee.

            Lucy is found living in the east ward of Oconto in the 1860 U.S. census, sheet 254, Wisconsin, Oconto County. She is running a hotel, Lucy Lindsey 53, born 1806 Maine, residing with her at the hotel are daughters, Adeline Lindsey, age 18, born 1842 Illinois; Annaville Lindsey age 16, born 1844 Illinois and Olive E Lindsey age 12, born 1847 Wisconsin. Residing next to her were Thomas J Lindsey 24, born 1835 Maine and his wife Susan Lindsey 21, born 1839 New York expecting their first child.

            By the time of 1870 U.S. census she is living with her daughter Lovina married to Thomas Milledge along with her 2 grandchildren Abby and Thomas Milledge. A domestic servant and a clerk for the store make up the balance of the household.

            By 1876 Mrs. Lindsey (no first name given) was widowed and living with a daughter and son-in-law in city of Oconto. Children supposedly living at the time were sons Levi and Thomas Jefferson Lindsey, who went by the name of "Jeff'. Daughters: Mrs. Thomas Millidge, Mrs. Pendleton, and Mrs. Charles Hall where she was living. This obviously included only those children living in the Oconto area.

Oconto County Reporter,
May 12, 1877.

Also on the same evening, about 11 o'clock the vacant building of Mrs. Lindsey in the South Ward, on the old Lindsey place, was burned.

We regret to announce that Mrs. Lindsey the old lady is quite sick, with but slight hope of her recovery.

            The 1880 census, shows her living with her daughter Olive Elizabeth and Charles Hall.
 ii.   Olive Sawyer FIFIELD was born Sebec, Piscataquis, ME. 16 Nov. 1809. She married Benjamin Hurley CRANDLEMIRE 5 July 1829.
 iii.   Dorothy L. FIFIELD was born Lee, Penobscot Co., Maine 13 Sept. 1811. VR of Lee. She married Alvin TIBITS Lee, Penobscot Co., Maine, 8 July 1832. VR of Lee.

            Alvin was born in New Hampshire 1800. Alvin was the son of (?) TIBBITTS.

            Alvin is on the 1850 census, for Suamico District of Brown Co., WT. The places of birth and birth dates are from that census.

            On 1850 Brown Co. Census, listed at Suamico. Alvin born N.H. age 49, Dorthy age 36, born ME.; all children born Maine, Eliza Ann, age 17;, Adeline age 15; Sally, age 12, Franklin age 10; Vie, age 7; Hanable age 6, and William age 4.
 iv.   Abraham L. FIFIELD was born Sebec, Piscataquis, ME. 26 June 1813.
 v.   William W. FIFIELD was born Lee, Penobscot Co., Maine 6 May 1815.                .-;.;
 vi.   Jeremiah FIFIELD was born Orno, Penobscot, ME. 13 Aug. 1818.
vii.   Betsey FIFIELD was born Lee, Penobscot Co., Maine 18 Feb. 1821.
 
 
 

BACK TO THE OCONTO COUNTY HOME PAGE