Family History

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Brouette family oral history says that Mary Ann Weinhart Brouette, (Mrs. Louis C. BROUETTE) survived the horrific Peshtigo Fire October,8 1871, as did her husband. Mary Ann Weinhart married Charles Brouette in early 1871 at Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin (now Marinette County). With a first child on the way, she and her husband faced the great Peshtigo Fire of October 8, 1871, and just survived that night of tornadic, blast furnace winds and frigid river water. She gave birth to their first child "Willie" in December 1871 just 72 days after their escape, making him also a fire survivor.

Other relatives were said not to be as fortunate, including her mother, father, older married sister along with her infant child and several of her husband's large, extended, Canadian Brouette/ BRUETTE family all of whom lived in town of Peshtigo at the time of the fire. Oral family history also tells the loss of two more of Mary Ann's sisters, and three brothers but the number of people, their names and circumstances of these family members are not known.

By 1870, 16 months before the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, the family had moved to town of Peshtigo, Oconto County (now in Marinette County), Wisconsin. Christopher is said to have moved there in the early 1860’s (about 1863) and wrote back to the family that the land and work was good there with many new residents and a fast growing city of Peshtigo. He worked in the logging/lumbering mills and invested his money in property, which his father, Phillip, also did upon moving there. Farming was the family business. In the year 1870 the household consisted of Phillip Weinhart, his wife Elizabeth, their oldest son Christopher, age 25 and single (also part owner of the farm) and Francis, age 16.

Known children missing from the household in 1870 were Margaret/Margrette, who would have been age 23 and was married; Augustus who would have been age 21; Mary Ann age 19 (married Louis Brouette May 11, 1871 in Peshtigo, 5 months before the Peshtigo Fire); Susan who would have been age 15; and Elizabeth who would have been age 13. An exhaustive search for the missing children, except Mary Ann and Margrette in 1870 and later censuses turned up nothing.

Margrete, the oldest daughter of Phillip and Elizabeth Weinhart, also married a Brouette. Charles Bruette (he spelled it that way but was related to all the others in Peshtigo) married Margrete Weinhart in Peshtigo. During the 1871 Peshtigo Fire, Margrette died at age 24, with her infant child, who was a few months old.Their daughter Carrie, age 5 and husband Charles survived. Charles was the son of Peshtigo residents and general store owners Charles Sr. and Amelia Bruette. Charles Sr. died before the fire and Amelia survived to take care of orphaned family children in the following years.

Of the Weinhart children, that leaves Mary Ann’s brother Augustus and younger sisters Susan and Elizabeth unaccounted for. According to census and vital records Mary Ann had three brothers but Frank and Christopher we know survived the fire. Augustus was not found on the 1870 census anywhere and may have passed on before, since he was not found on census records after the fire. It looks like she lost all three sisters, but Susan and Elizabeth were not on the 1870 census or after so they may have passed before the 1871 Fire. There were several more BROUETTE family members who died in the fire. The 1870 census has several big families of them living in Peshtigo and town of Peshtigo.
Please also see: DEATH BY FIRE, Survivors of the Fire, 1871 Peshtigo Fire Main Page

Parents Philip Weinhart and his wife Elizabeth Zeek/Sieq died in the fire trying to get to the Peshtigo River. Their remains were never positively identified.

Francis (Frank) and Christopher were both single at the time of the 1871 fire. The brothers lived with their Weinhart parents on the farm in town of Peshtigo and were able to escape the flames. They later changed the spelling of the last name to Winehart. Both married in Oconto County and had children.

Christopher Winehart married 4 Jul 1876 to Jane Jennie Tourtillott and eventually moved to Ludwig, Snohomish, Washington. He died there in 1906.

Francis H. Winehart married 3 Mar 1875 to Mary F Colburn and farmed in town of Grover, Marinette County, Wisconsin. His death happened between 1890 and 1900.

        1. Christopher Weinhart/Winehart
            b: 1845 in Sparta, Sussex County, New Jersey civil ceremony by F. J. Bartels in Peshtigo. Witnesses: E.B. LaLonde and Mrs. Marion Briutts.
            d: 1906 in Washington State
        + Jane Jennie Tourtillott - wife of Christopher
            b: Apr 1854 in Peshtigo, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA
            Father: Thomas Tourtillott
            Mother: Josephine (nee ?)
            m: 4 Jul 1876 in Oconto County, Wisconsin, civil ceremony by F. J. Bartels in Peshtigo. Witnesses: E.B. LaLonde and Mrs. Marion Briutts.
            Children of Christopher and Jane: 6 pregnancies, 5 living in 1910
                1. John Winehart
                    b: 1877 in Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin
                    d: after 1900
                2. Ellen Winehart
                    b: 1879 in Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin
                    d: before 1910
                3. Frank Winehart
                    b: 1883 in Peshtigo, Marinette, Wisconsin
                    d: Mar 18, 1954 in Ellenburg, Kittitas County, Washington
                4   Earl Thomas Winehart
                         b: Nov 13, 1886 in Peshtigo, Marinette, Wisconsin,:
                    d: Oct. 7, 1918 in Romague, France - Private Company E Infantry, World War I
                5. J. Lewis Winehart
                    b: Mar. 6, 1889 in Peshtigo, Marinette, Wisconsin
                    d: May 1976 in Snohomish, Washington
                6. George Dewey Winehart
                    b: Jan 3, 1898 in Snohomish, Washington
                d:  May 21, 1960 in Seattle, King County, WA
        2. Margrete Weinhart
            b: 1847 in Sparta, Sussex County, New Jersey,
            d: October 8, 1871 in Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin - wildfire
        + Charles Bruette/Brouette - husband of Margrete - survived 1871 Peshtigo Fire
            parents: Charles Sr. and Amelia Bruette
            Children of Margrete and Charles:
                1. Carrie Bruette/Brouette - survived 1871 Peshtigo Fire
                    b: 1866 in Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin
                2. Infant Bruette/Brouette
                    b: 1871 in Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin
                    d: October 8, 1871 in Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin - wildfire
        3. Augustus Weinhart
            b: 1849 in Sparta, Sussex County, New Jersey
             d: not found in 1870

            b: 16 Mar 1851 in Sparta, Sussex County, New Jersey
            d: 26 Dec 1935 Peshtigo, Marinette County, Wisconsin
        + Louis C Brouette/Bruette - husband of Mary Ann
            b: 11 Nov 1849 in Canada
            marriage: 11 May 1871 Oconto County, Wisconsin
            d: 2 Oct 1904 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, USA
            Children of Mary Ann and Louis:
                1. Willie Brouette
                   b: Dec 1871 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin - born 72 days after the Peshtigo Fire
                2. Helen Brouette
                    b: Jan 1874 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin
                3. Nellie Brouette
                    b: Feb 1876 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin
                4. Louis Brouette
                    b: Feb 1878 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin
                5. Margaret Brouette
                    b: Apr 1880 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin
                6. Louis Brouette
                    b: Jul 1882 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin
                7. Eunice Brouette
                    b: Mar 1888 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin
                8. Benjamin Leonard Brouette
                    b: Feb 1889 in Peshtigo, Wisconsin
        5. Francis (Frank) Weinhart/Winehart
            b:1853 in Sparta, Sussex County, New Jersey
            d: between 1890 - 1900 in town of Grover, Marinette County, Wisconsin

+ Mary J.Colburn - wife of Frank
            b: 1857 in New York
            marriage: March 3, 1875 in Oconto County, Wisconsin
            Children of Frank and Mary:
                1. Osker F. Winehart
                    b: Dec 1876 in town of Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin
                2. Fred D. Winehart
                    b: 1879 in town of Peshtigo, Oconto County, Wisconsin
                3. Ethel Winehart
                    b: Mar 1887 in town of Grover, Marinette County, Wisconsin
                4. Clarence Winehart
                    b: Feb 1890 in town of Grover, Marinette County, Wisconsin
    6. Susan Weinhart
            b: 1855 in Sparta, Sussex County, New Jersey
            d: not found in 1870

.WEINHART and BROUETTE.