Collected and posted by RITA
This site is exclusively for the free access of individual researchers.
* No profit may be made by any person, business or organization through publication, reproduction, presentation or links
to this site.
Researched, written and
formatted in part by Cathe
Ziereis
The Survivors
1871 Peshtigo Fire
They carried the physical and emotional scars of what is still, in terms of human lives lost, the worst natural disaster in U.S. history.
If you have ancestors who survived the Peshtigo Fire of 1871, please add the name(s) to the list by clicking here -> RITA
Please click on the small image for a full view
Albrecht,
Louise
- My
great-grandmother was Louise (Louisa) Albrecht, she later married
into the Lehman family. Also, distantly related to the
England's and the Bartels by marriage. (contributed by descendant: Jill)
Albright, Mrs. Charles
(Laura)
Alschweiger, Charles and
children Sophie age 14, Charles 8,
John
7, William 5, Frank 3
- Wife Minnie
and infant were
lost.
Ames, Mr. and two daughters
Amley, John
Anderson, John
Ankson, Moulton
Ankson, Nelson
Armstrong, Ferdinand, age
38, from Maine
Armstrong, Francie -
age 36, wife of Ferdinand
Armstrong,
Mary - age 18
daughter of Ferdinand
and Francie
Armstrong,
Nellie - age
8 daughter of Ferdinand
and Francie
Armstrong,
Charles - age 6 son of
Ferdinand and Francie
Armstrong, Jennie - age
5 daughter of Ferdinand and Francie
Armstrong, Moses, age 33,
from Maine
Armstrong, Abby -
age 30, wife of Moses
Armstrong,
Clarence - age 10 son
of Moses and Abby
Armstrong,
Eldridge - age
5 son of Moses and Abby
Armstrong,
Ada - age 8 daughter
of Moses and Abby
Armstrong, Will
Auest, Mrs. Fred (Fronie) and
her two children Mary 6, and
baby
Louis
Bakeman,
Henry (also
seen as Bateman and Backman)
-
age 38, born in
Mechlinberg (contributed
by: Pat Drees
)
Bakeman, Mary - age
32, born in Darmstadt, wife of Henry
Bakeman, John - age
13, son of Henry and Mary
Bakeman, Henry - age
10, son of Henry and Mary
Bakeman, Adoph -
age
8, son of Henry and Mary
Bakeman, August - age
6, son of Henry and Mary
Bakeman, Martin - age
3, son of Henry and Mary
Bakeman, Emily - age
16 months, daughter of Henry and Mary
Bakeman, John -
age 36, born in Mechlinberg
(contributed
by: Pat
Drees
)
Bakeman, Louisa (nee
Bakeman)- age
32, born in Mechlingberg, wife of John
Bakeman, George - age
11, son of John and Louisa
Bakeman, Charles - age
10, son of John and Louisa
Bakeman, Emily - age
8, daughter of John and Louisa
Bakeman, John - age
6, son of John and Louisa
Bakeman, Sophia - age
68, mother of John, Henry Bakeman and Eliza Bakeman Price Heidenworth
Barlow, Eva Harriet - (Contributor's
note:
My dad's paternal g'ma (my great g'ma) survived the Peshtigo
fire.
I believe her whole family did as well. She was Eva Harriet
Barlow,
age 11 at the time of the fire (born 31 March 1860 and died 17 March
1952).
Her mother was Mary Jane (Hinman) Barlow (b. circa 16 May 1829 and died
01 May 1903). I don't know Eva's father's first name. She later married
David H. Gurnee and lived in Janesville and later in
Appleton. I'm
still researching the Barlow family records and they may have lived in
Oconto at the time of the fire, but I am not sure. My dad would tell me
that when his g'ma was older and feeble, she would ask him if he was in
the Peshtigo fire. It, obviously, had a long lasting impact
on her.
Today we call it Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Regards, Marsha
Gurnee Suszan)
Bartels, Crist - age
74, born in Mechlinberg, father of Henry Sr. and Louisa Bartels Bakeman
Bartels, Henry - age 44,
born in Mechlinberg
(contributed
by: Pat
Drees
)
Bartels, Dora - age
35,
wife of Henry, born in Mechlinberg
(contributed
by: Pat Drees
)
Bartels,
Elizabeth (Eliza)
-
age 15,
daughter
of Henry and Dora, (contributed
by: Pat Drees
)
Bartels, Frederick -
age 13 son of
Henry and Dora, (contributed
by:Cynthia
Hallen
)
Bartels, Henry - age
12,
son of Henry and Dora, (contributed
by: Pat Drees
)
Bartels, Charles - age
10, son of Henry and Dora,(contributed
by:Cynthia
Hallen
)
Bartels, Louisa - age
9, daughter of Henry and Dora,(contributed
by: Pat Drees
)
Bartels, Christine
Sophia (Sophie
Parthie)
- age 8, daughter of
Henry and Dora, born
in Grover, survived the 1871 fire according to her obituary.(
(contributed
by: Pat Drees
; also contributed by:Cynthia
Hallen
)
Bartels, John - age
3, son of Henry and Dora, (contributed
by: Pat Drees
)
Bastien , Oliver, wife Zenaide,
daughter Georgiana
age 2, son Oliver Jr. age 5 months
- Living in
village of Peshtigo, they
escaped
to the river. Family
Page: Oliver BASTIEN
Bartz,
Bertha Emelia - Born 1863
in Stettin, Germany, married Heinrich A. Brandt in Milwaukee, WI and
had 9 children. Because Bertha & her aunt Holmeyer could not
swim they huddled by the shore of the Peshtigo River allowing the smoke
and heat to pass over them. Bertha is my great grandmother.(contributed
by: Peggy Djurdjulov
)
Bebe, Charles - 2
year
old son of James and
Elizabeth who both died
Bell, William and adopted
child, William Louck age 11 - Sharlott
Bell died.
Bernardy, Jacques, wife
Margaretha Senninger Bernardy, son
Frank X. -
Parents of other Bernary family; lived in wilderness now Walsh,
Wisconsin.
Bernardy,
Jacob H., wife
Anna Kitzinger Bernardy, children Frank Nicolas age 3 years, Marie
Margretha age 14 months.- lived in
wilderness now Walsh, Wisconsin.
Blauvett, Mrs. And two children
Boerner, Fred and daughters
Mary, Minnie -
The story
that has been passed down through the years - my
Great Grandmother and one of her sisters survived the Peshtigo fire by
jumping in a well. My Grandmother was Mary (aged 10) and her
sister was Minnie (aged 6). The family spells the name
Boerner. I know that Fred moved to Minnesota and
remarried. Both the girls married Wezenaar brothers and
raised their families in Marinette County. It does state
in Mary Boerner's obit that she was a survivor of the Peshtigo
Fire.I think everyone else did die within a year of the fire; Mary
(mother, age 39), William (age 13), Casta (age 9), Caroline (age 8),
Fred Jr. (age 3).
Becky
Hammill-Berg
Brault, Sinai and
Hermione (nee Granger)
-
My Great Great Grandparents on my mother's side lived west of Pound and
they also survived the Great Fire. (Contributed by: John
Peters)
Brault,
Joseph and spouse- Euphemie Bourgeois, who came
from St. Jacques d L'Achigan, Quebec, in the
1860's and were the first white settlers in the Coleman area. Joseph's
house survived the Great Fire, only to burn down several years later.
Browen,
Johm, wife
August, daughter Amelia (age
3) - all born in Prussa, living in town of Peshtigo. Amelia's later
married
name was Desrochers.
Bruette, (Brouillette Antoine)
- Owner
of
a hotel in Peshtigo, ran to the river. Wife Harriet Emily (White)
LeBlanc
perished during her trip home from dinner at their son Antoine Thomas
Bruette's
home. (Contributed by family descendant: Patrick
)
Bruette, Charles
-
Married son
of Charles and Amelia Bruette, survived the fire with one child,
daughter
Carrie age 5. Wife Margrete and infant child died in the blaze.
Bruette, Carrie -
Daughter of Charles
and Margrete Bruette survived with her father. Mother and infant
sibling
perished.
Brown, A. C.
Brice, Charles E. - from obituary
Bruce, August and two children
-
Bush, Thomas
Cameron,
John
Cary, Frank
Cary, Israel
Cass, Asa - (from his
Civil War Invalid Pension
Records) "eyes injured by hot sand in the Peshtigo Fire 8 Oct. 1871
eventually
causing blindness to left eye". Mother of Asa Cass, Abrigail (nee
Jackson)
Cass - Hill, perished in the fire as did L. H. Hill, who was
step-father
of Asa Cass. Researched
and contributed by: Linda
Phillips
Loser
Cass, Olive (nee May) -
Wife of Asa Cass.
Researched and contributed by: Linda
Phillips Loser
Cass Wm "Frank" - Son of
Asa and Olive (May)
Cass. Researched and
contributed by: Linda
Phillips Loser
Cass, Asa Anson - Son of
Asa and Olive (May)
Cass. Researched and
contributed by: Linda
Phillips Loser
Cass, Albert - Son of Asa
and Olive (May)
Cass. Researched and
contributed by: Linda
Phillips Loser
Church, Warren - initially
survived the fire
but died from attempting to cut his throat during the blaze.
Parents
and two brothers died as well. From New York originally.
Churchill, Amanda - age 21 years,
Obituary, .Sheboygan
Press (Wisconsin) September
14, 1920.
Died
in Marinette, WI.
Clark, Frank
Clement, Mrs. Joseph G.
Comeau, George
Coneya, Maxeme,
Jarvis and
Cyril - of Green
Bay (infant
daughter died), escaped alive from the well in Williamsville. Researched and
contributed by: Janet
McNeil
Corey, Mrs. Alma
Couillard, Effie (later Leigh)
Cox, John
Cramer, Joshua Sr.,
wife
Diana, son Louis
and
daughters Anna, Elina and Mary Cramer
- remained and rebuilt in Peshtigo, children James died in 1864, Jane
before 1870, and
probably David did also before 1870 and not
in the fire
of 1871.
Cramer, Michael and one son,
William A. - My
great great aunt, Eliza Curtis, an Englishwoman, was badly burned in
the
Fire but I am pleased to say that, although crippled for life, she
remarried
to Michael Cramer whose wife (Diana Carnel), and two sons, (Levi and
Sidney),
also perished in the Fire. Eliza died in 1898, aged 73.
Eliza's husband,
William Curtis, also English, died in the Fire, having hanged himself
in
the well with their adopted daughter, Mattie. Descendant:
Pam
Taylor
Cryin, Joseph - escaped
alive from
the well in Williamsville
Researched and
contributed by: Janet
McNeil
Curtis, Mrs. Eliza - My
great great aunt,
Eliza Curtis, an Englishwoman, was badly burned in the Fire but I am
pleased
to say that, although crippled for life, she remarried to Michael
Cramer
whose wife and two sons also perished in the Fire. Eliza died
in
1898, aged 73. Eliza's husband, William Curtis, also English, died in
the
Fire, having hanged himself in the well with their adopted daughter,
Mattie.
Descendant:
Pam
Taylor
Dahnke, Charles
Daily, family
Dantoin, infant
Davis George
Deau (sometimes spelled Deaux)
- John, wife Angeline and
children,
Alex and Joseph. (They
owned land 9
miles west of
Peshtigo. Alex was my great-grandfather, who married Mary Grandeau,
also
a survivor with her family mentioned on this page. After the
fire,
the Deau family moved into Peshtigo, where John died in 1875. Angeline
died in February of 1896 in Peshtigo. ) Jessica
Snyder
Delano, Edgar (36) , wife
Carra (28), sons Clarence
(6), Bert (Egbert, 5))
and Harry (1). (Edgar
had been an early Couillardville, Oconto County, settler at age 14. He
served in the Civil War and returned to homestead near the
Couillardville bridge where he and his family fled to the Oconto River
during the firestorm. Please click on
Fire Survivor
Report
for the
whole
story.
Delano, Elizabeth - survivor
- Elizabeth Delano (my great grandmother), who after marriage
in Peshtigo on June 8, 1883, was known as Mrs. Charles
Spiering. Her younger sister Nellie, an infant at
the time, was adopted by the Duntons of Oconto, and took their name.
She also had a brother, Danville, who had moved to Pineville, North
Dakota by 1932
Descendant: Susanne Van
Dyk
DeMarsh, William
Derosher, Mrs. Amelia
Deroshier
, John B. -
obituary ;
Appleton
Post Crescent.
April
2,
1926, died in Marinette, Wisconsin.
Diedrich, Christ
Dix, husband, wife and five
children
Dolan, William Thomas - (He
was an infant
at the time. I believe his parents survived also,
but am not
sure. In addition, I believe his home was one
of the few structures to
survive as the timbers were still green William
Dolan ).
Donlon, James
Drees, Edward A.,
(age
about 2 years - son of Joseph and Elizabeth. Mother died with
siblings
- descendant - Toni
Ristau)
Drees, Eugene -
(son of Katherine Drees
- Toni
Ristau)
Drees, Henry - (son of
Katherine Drees - Toni
Ristau)
Drees (also Dress), Joseph (father
of Edward A.; husband of Elizabeth, son of Katherine Drees - Toni
Ristau )
Drees (also Dress), Katherine -
(
widowed
mother of Joseph Drees - Toni
Ristau)
Drew, Frank, wife Mary,
children Hellen, George,
Kate,
Mary, Frank Drew
Duket, Joseph and
wife Elizabeth, sons
Charles, Chester, Wesley, Dexter (William) and daughter Jessie
Eamer
William, two sons , James and Philip,
(wife
Mrs. Mary Burton Eamer and daughter Mandy died in the fire. Survivor
descendants:
Lily
Worrall
& Gail
Hewlett
)
Eames, Phineas and two daughters
Ellis, William
age 43 and wife Helen age 37, sons Edward age
18,
William Jr age 13,
(Mr.
Ellis was Mayor of
Peshtigo and agent for a lumber company at the time of the fire, son
William
was clerk in the store in Peshtigo. William, Helen and Edward were born
in Maine, William Jr. was born in Wisconsin.)
England,
Almira
England,
Mary
England,
Peter
England,
Parce
England,
William and eight
children wife
Mary Ann (Mrs. William) age 48, and the two children born in Wisconsin
Edwin age 4 and Martha 18 months, fled to the
village of Peshtigo and
were burned; husband
and
eight New York born children remained in the sugar bush and were saved.
England, Harvey age 23 and wife
Caroline age 22
England, Hiram age 21
England, Parsons age 18
England, Erwin age 12
England, James age 11
England, Almira age 13
England, Emma age 8
Empey, Charles (Impry?)
Fagen,
Martin
Fairchild, Addison, Miles
Felch,
Christian, wife
Josephine (Sophie Meyer Felch), step children Frederick Meyer
age 7, Rosa Meyer age 4, daughter Anna Felch born February 1872. Lived on an isolated farm in what is
now
Porterfield, Wisconsin.
Fetterly, Phillip, wife Mary
and children, Elizabeth, William,
Charles,
Frank, Edward, Allen, Elias and George.
Filiatrault, J. W.
Fletcher, Lucius, wife
Maryetta Jacobs, children
Cora, Oscar
Leroy, Ernest
E survived the fire.
Daughter
Mary and son Halsey
Fletcher died October 8, 1871 as a result of the Great Fire
Lucius
served in the Civil War. He was a member of the Wisconsin 5th
Cavalry Company H. He lost two children in the Peshtigo fire. My
Grandfather Ernest Emery was born 1871 in Peshtigo. (Contributed by : John Fletcher)
Fletcher, Mary Etta
Jacobs, wife of Lucius, who
was pregnant with son Ernest
Everet Fletcher
(born
4 FEB 1871 Peshtigo, WI)
Fletcher, Cora Emma, daughter
of Lucius and Mary Etta
Fletcher, Oscar Leroy,
son of Lucius and Mary Etta
Fletcher, Ernest E. , son of
Lucius and Mary Etta
Friederichs, Mrs. Sadie
Glass, James and sons Albert and Thomas. Obituary clipping from 1942, my G.G.Grandfather Albert Glass was a survivor.
The clipping states that he was a survivor, his
siblings, Florabelle and William (age 3) Glass, children of James Glass and the late Susan R. Glass (1837-1868),
were killed in the fire. James Glass, his 4 children, Florabelle,
Albert. Thomas and William were all listed in the 1870, census Grover Marinette
County Wisconsin. (Contributed
by: Gina Nelson)
Gregy,
Joseph,
wife Mary, sons
Eurgene
age 9
and Charles age 5. All
had been born in France.
Owner/Proprietor of the French Hotel in town of Peshtigo at the time of
the fire.
Gerrald, Phillip
Grandeau (also
spelled Grandow and Grandaw) - Basil, wife Sophia, and children Rosann,
Mary, Antoine and Archie - residents of Peshtigo (they are in the 1870
census). Basil was about 52 at the time of the fire. Basil &
Sophia
are my great-great-grandparents, and their daughter Mary is my
great-grandmother.
Basil and Sophia died in Peshtigo - he in 1909 at the age of 90 and she
in 1914 at the age of 89, according to their obituaries. Their daughter
Mary married Alex Deau (see Deau, John, on this page), and their son
Antoine
married Safronia LaFave (see LaFave, Louis, also on this page). Jessica
Snyder
Goddard, Thomas, wife
Elizabeth, son Thomas, daughter Susan. -
Living in Peshtigo Harbor
Guillfoyle, Kate, met
John Cox during the fire, later married.
Haas, Peter
Hale, Katherine "Kattie" Born
in Peshtigo
3 May 1858.
Later
became Mrs. Leander
Edward LaBlond
Hallen, Godfrey
and Barbara Bohman Hallen
and daughter Mariam -(
contributor's note: I am the great granddaughter of Godfrey Hallen and
Barbara Bohman Hallen, who were traveling from Waterford, WI, to
Marinette,
Wi in October 1871 with their one year old daughter Mariam Elisabet
(Lisel)
Hallen. It was their fate to be in the town of
Peshtigo, WI,
on the night of 7 Oct 1871. They survived the fire by
standing in
the river. Godfrey held baby Lisel up out of the
water. All
three survived and settled in Marinette, where they built the first
home
in a meadow that became Carney Blvd. This is documented in
Godfrey's
1922 obituary in the Marinette Eagle Star. Cynthia
Hallen)
Hammes, Frank Jr. - Was
working in the mills, on his own at age 13.
Handler, Anthony - age
16;
"At
the time of the Peshtigo fire
he was a resident of the northern city
and during the height of the fire, swam the Oconto River several times,
carrying children to safety." Obituary ; The
Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) January
24, 1928 .
Died in Portland Oregon
Hanson, Lars and family
Hanson, August
Hayes, Henry
Hayes, Israel
Hawley, Thomas, Capt. Of
Union Steamboat
Hayes, Mrs. Israel
Heath, Wallace,
wife Katherine E. (later
second married name Rayner) and infant daughter
Heidenworth, David - age
34, born in Prussia (contributed
by: Pat Drees
)
Heidenworth, Eliza Bakeman
Price - wife
of David (mother of Fred, Charles, Hattie and Emma Price - children of
first marriage, survived)
Heidenworth, Carrie -
age 2, daughter of David and Eliza
Helnore, S. John, wife
Matilda
Helnore, children Thor Helnore
&
Charles Helnore. Son
Morris died shortly after the fire. The family was living in Peshtigo
at the time of the fire. (contributed
by: Tim Helnore
)
Hill, Mrs. James and
daughter
Hoell,
John - My Great
Great
Grandfather John F. Hoell played in a band and
brought is instrument into the river with him. He lost everything else.
(contributed by: F.
Cross)
Holmeyer, Mrs. - Bartz,
Bertha Emelia - Born 1863
in Stettin, Germany, married Heinrich A. Brandt in Milwaukee, WI and
had 9 children. Because Bertha & her aunt Holmeyer could not
swim they huddled by the shore of the Peshtigo River allowing the smoke
and heat to pass over them. Bertha is my great grandmother.(contributed
by: Peggy Djurdjulov
)
Holl, Jacob,
(Brown County, WI) wife
Margaret Dollar, children John, Jake,
Peter,
Henry, Margaret, Gertude and Joseph. They lost crops,
poultry, winter
store
of animal feed and grains, buildings, tools, their own food stores for
winter and possessions. Out ran the fire near the beginning. ( RITA
)
Hoppe, Mrs. Carrie - was
born in 1871.
Howard, M. D. and wife
Hoyt, child of Mr. Enoch
Hoyt, Byrin
Hoyt, Dorcas
Hoyt, J. W
Hughart, John W.,
Lorinda, wife
children:
William,
Jemimah,
Lorinda Jr.,
Frank, John,
Elizabeth
Levi
John's step-sons:
McNabow, William
McNabow, James
all living in town of Peshtigo. Please see HUGHART Family Page ;
The
family lived in
a fishing cottage along the shore of town of Peshtigo, the
Hughart
family included 9 children and two adults
As
to stories about Frank A. Hughart as the Peshtigo fires, we know about
one small incident concerning his family. This incident was recorded by
my younger sister Dorothy Boughton (Hughart) Pope. She lived near our
Dad, Waldo Myrick Hughart, in his later years, in the late 1980s. This
is the short story he told. "When
living in Wisconsin, the family survived the Peshtigo fire in the 1870s
(1871). Father Frank put his wife and children in a boat, probably with
a number of others. He then buried some furniture and a few belongings
in the sand in the front yard. The house was destroyed, but the
furniture and the few belongings were saved." Our sister Elizabeth
inherited a small rocking chair that had been part of the buried
furniture. Researched and
contributed by: Janet
McNeil.
Hunt, David
Husseck, Mary
Iverson, Mrs. Annie
Jarvis,
Cyril
Jackson, Ezra, wife Eliza
and infant daughter,
Carrie (added by
Linda Phillips
Loser)
Jacobson, August and family
Charles, Hilma
and Gus
John,
Frederick William, wife Johanna, children Clara, Alfred, Henry,
William, Louisa -
lived in
town of Gillett "One of the
hardest experiences of their lives, however, came in 1871, when the sun
was obscured by the smoke for two weeks during all of which time the
woods surrounding them was on fire. They carried water and fought fire
day and night without rest. On the night of October 8, which old
residents remember with horror as the night of the famed Peshtigo fire,
the children spent the night on a blanket in the road while their
parents fought off the fire, the parents not daring to allow them to
remain in the shanty for fear it with the children would be consumed."
interview Oconto County Reporter 1902
Johnson Olaf and Olena and
their 5 children:
William, Andrew, Ben, Ana and Anton - (who
spent the night in the river to survive the fire.
Contributed
by descendant Merryn Janzen)
Jude, Mrs. Charles
Kappus
(Koppus), Chris
and three children Charles, Fred, and Carrie (My great-grandfather
Christian
Koppus died months later from causes
directly related to the
fire. Fran Koppus
)
Another
historian lists that Carrie, Charles and Fred Kappus, children of
Christopher Kappus, were brought back to New York by their father after
the 1871 Peshtigo Fire. Father Christopher returned to his
land
in Wisconsin to rebuild his house and a tree fell on him;
killing
him. The 2 sons went into New York orphanages; daughter
Carrie
stayed with Kappus relatives.
Karrow, Mrs. Michael and
two children
Kasson, William
Kehoe, James and Catherine
(nee Dolan) and
children Mary and Thomas (Mrs.
Kehoe was pregnant
at the time of the fire with daughter Annie. Contributed by Karen
Barouski)\
Keil, William
(contributor's note: Son of Johanna Casper Wagner Audrey
Klocke Heintz)
Kelly, Mrs. Terence and
three children: family
contact: Paul
Kelly
Keith, Mrs. Mary (
Mary Keith, née Mary Tolerton Bagnall ]
Kiefer, one child of Peter
Kietzar, Herman
King, Delia, daughter
of Robert and Mary, away at the time of fire. Parents and three
siblings
died.
King, Ann & James:
daughter and son of John and Sarah, away at time of fire
King, Frederick, wife
Nancy, children John,
Mary, Jesse, Julia, Eunis: contributed
by
descendant: Linda
Phillips Loser
King, James
King, W. N.
King,
Wilbert
- My
grandfather, Bert King, (formally Wilbert King,) was a survivor of the
Peshtigo fire. (note:
possible
son of Rueben and Delila King. Bert
King was born
April 1871)
I have been told that he was
only six months old at the time of the fire and that he and his family
survived by immersing themselves in a body of water. I was
also
told that, following the fire, someone in the family found a chicken
running around. That chicken ended up being their first food.
(Contributed by: Pamela
(King) Vorpagel)
Kittner, Edward - age
39, blacksmith born in Prussia, immigrated 1851
Kittner, Sophie (nee Bakeman)
- age 39, wife, born
in Prussia also survived
were her mother, her sister, and three children; from her obituary
Kittner, Emil - age
15, son of Edward and Sophie
Kittner, John E. -
age 13, son of Edward and Sophie
Kittner, Helen - age
10, daughter of Edward and Sophie (remained single)
Koehn, Albert
Kramer,
Joseph (age
40), wife
Catherine (age 33), sons Michael (age 9), John (age 7) - Sons
were sent
to a safer place and survived behind a rock pile in a neightbor's large
plowed field. Parents were driven away from their homestead by flames
and took refuge in a pit well with a smoldering wet feather mattress
for cover; town of Marinette, Oconto County (now town of
Grover, Marinette County)
Young
John Kramer and His
Family
Survive
contributed
by
family descendant: Jeff
Redding
Kresler, August
Kreinbring, Peter, wife
Fredrica and daughters
Minnie and Anna -
Peshtigo farm
Kuntz, Johann and
Barbara - (My
Great Great grandparents); survived the Peshtigo fire by
going into
the river along with her daughter and son-in-law, Christian &
Caroline
Peters. They lived in Beaver township near the Luthern Church on Hwy
64.
(Contributed by: John
Peters)
LeBeau, Anna
Elizabeth - Wife
of Irving LaBeau
LeBeau, Armine - age
2½, daughter of Anna and Irving LeBeau
LeBeau, Irving - Lived
in the Peshtigo area
LaBlond, Leander
Edward - Later
married Katherine Hale, also a fire survivor, and they lived in
Peshitgo.
LaFave, Louis and daughter
Safronia. They
were at a friend's cabin where Louis was intending to partridge-hunt,
when
the firestorm came over them - she was then 12. Safronia married
Antoine/Antone
Grandeau (see Grandeau, Basil, on this page). She was interviewed as a
survivor of the fire when she was age 95. Jessica
Snyder
Laird, Jacob
Lamboley, Mrs. Adele
Lamp (Lambke), Charles - His
wife and five children died in a wagon trying to flee the fire. Charles
was saved by the William Newberry who heard him calling, blind and near
death. They took him to the creek that they survived in.
Lampke, Mary
Leigh, Joseph
Lasure, Joseph
wife and 4
children died in the fire
Leaguee, Louis
- of
Oshkosh, escaped
alive
from the well in Williamsville. Researched and
contributed by: Janet
McNeil
Lempke, John
Lezotte, Frank, wife and
two sons and one
daughter.
Licot, Mrs. Maurice
Lindroth, Mrs. Nels
Loucks, Edgar
Mac, Sandy
MaCann, Silas
- age
36,
machinist, wife Maria- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline- mother
Caroline
age 34
died
Maloney, Mrs. T. F.
Marshall, Paul, wife
Martha, daughter Katie
age 12
daughter Nellie age 8
died in the fire.
Martin, Sophie Dorothea
Scheelk
(Mrs. Joseph Martin) - (contributed by: Cynthia
Hallen )
Martin, Joseph -
(contributed by: Cynthia
Hallen )
Martin, Mrs. Dave
Maxon, David, his wife and
five children
May, Fred
Mc Cullough, Lucy (Wolcott)
- Bonnie
Thayer - Newberry
family descendant.
McCusker, Con -
Dougal
H. McDonell, b, St.
Andrews
West, ON,
Duncan H. McDonell, b. St.
Andrews
West, ON,
Sarah
McDonell, b. St.
Andrews
West, ON,
Ranald
McDonell
b. St. Andrews West, ON, Canada 8 Oct. 1837 & and their
children,
Jeanette
and
Flora
McDonell McMurray, b St.
Andrews
West, ON,
McGraw, Fred -
(contributed by:
grand niece
Gloria Swedesky)
McMurray, Mr. & Mrs
(Flora McDonell and Thomas McMurry)
From Shawano County Journal Obituary, March 12 , 1931:
"Mrs.
McMurray, who attained the
age of almost 84 years, was one of those who was fortunate in surviving
the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871. She had married Mr. McMurray and the
couple
were living in Peshtigo at the time of the disaster. When the great
fire
came, Mrs McMurray was saved by taking refuge in the river where she
remained
all night. Her husband, who had remained behind to bury his chest of
tools,
also took refuge in the river, and the two were re-united next day when
each sought the other in the ruins of the fire. Only a few personal
effects
had been saved, these packed in a trunk which was floated in the river.
Mr McMurray was one of those who helped to rebuild the town."
Flora
McDonell McMurray, b St.
Andrews
West, ON,
McPherson, Mrs.
Wealthy
McNabow, James
and William - ages
16 and 13, living in town of Peshtigo with step-father John W. Hughart . Please see HUGHART Family Page ; Researched and
contributed by: Janet
McNeil.
McVane, Richard
- age
34; laborer in Peshtigo; born in New Brunswick (contributed by:(Janny
McNeil )
Mary Ann (Rafford) McVane
- age 29; born in New
Bruswick
Jessie Rafford McVane -
age
10; born in Maine
Alice Rafford McVane -
age
13; born in Maine
James Worden Rafford McVane
- age 8; born in Maine
Mellen,
James M. Sr.
age
41, wife and 4 children
survived.
"Mr.
Mellen lost two children while
en route to the flat below the dam and never could find a trace of
them."Their
infant, only weeks old, also died of exposure as the survivors
struggled on the Peshtigo River mud flats at the village of Peshtigo..
Mellen,
Anne
(nee Hopkins)
age
39
Mellen, James Jr. age 19
Mellen,
William
age
17
Mellen,
Albert
age 10
Mellen,
Anna
Jr. age 5
Merrill, Byron J.
escaped alive from the well in Williamsville. Researched and
contributed by: Janet
McNeil.
Meyer, Adam and Catherine
Meyer, Peter
Meyer, Casper
Meyer Niclaus
Monahan
Mary
-
age 10 years; father James Monahan was lost in the fire;
obituary of Mary Monahan McDonald .Sheboygan
Press (Wisconsin) August
25,
1939;
died
in Oshkosh, Wisconsin .
Moore, Mr. Hiram
Moore, Mrs. Belle
Mulligan,
John and wife Jane (Jennie)- Survived to help others after
the fire: please see Big John and Jennie Mulligan
contributed by: Kevin Twiest.
Mullendorf, Mrs. Jennie
Nelding, Mr.
and
Mrs. Louise
Keil
Nelding was 7 months pregnant
at the time of fire
.
Nelligan, John Emmet
Nelson, Pete - 35
years old from Sweden, lived alone in sawmill boarding house on 1870
census.
Nelson, Rasmus (
Rasmus/Robert possibly of
Pensaukee or Marinette, WI.) - contributed
by great grandchild.
Newberry, Mrs. Charles
O.
- Joyce Newberry age 27, - husband Charles (age 30), son Franklin (age
6) and daughter Jessie (age 5) perished in village of
Peshtigo. The
Newberry family was originally from Connecticut. Out of a
family
of seventeen persons, twelve perished. Bonnie
Thayer - Newberry
family descendant, great
granddaughter of William
P. Newberry.
Newberry, Mrs. Henry Sr. -Nancy
age 64 at the time of the fire. She was away from village of Peshtigo,
visiting her daughter in Menominee, MI.
Newberry, William
(son of Henry,) his
wife Ellen J. (Wolcott),
their infant daughter Mary Emma, and his sister-in-law Lucy (Wolcott)
Mc
Cullough survived the
fire. Out of a
family of seventeen, twelve perished in the fire at
village
of Peshtigo.
Bonnie
Thayer - Newberry
family descendant, great
granddaughter of William
P. Newberry.
also
obituary of Mary E. Newberry
Rogers 1943. My
great
grandparents William P. Newberry survived the fire by pouring creek
water over themselves. Their son Wiliam Ray Newberry was my
grandfather, Lucian L. Newberry, my father. Joan
Newton, Adnah and wife
Neverman, Louise and
Frederick - Contributed
by great granddaughter Connie
Jacobs
Neverman, Mrs. and two
small children
Oaks, Nan and
her
father,
William
Oeson, John
Olive,
Franklin, wife Amelia (Grandau),
sons Frank age 4 and William
age 2 (an unnamed infant died as a result of the fire) -
The family ran
through the flames to
the mud
flats along the Peshtigo River. Contributed
by descendant: Carl
Bennett
Olson, Nelson and two
children
Payne, Thomas ,
age
42, born in Scotland (England), Male, farmer
(mother and uncles
buried themselves in a spring on their farm and were saved.contributed
by descendant
Brenda
)
Payne, Sarah age
40, Isle of Man (Scotland, England),
Female
Payne, Nelson age
16, born in England, Male
Payne, William age
11, born in Canada, Male
Payne, Eliza
age 9, born in New York, Female
Payne, John age
4, born in Canada, Male
Peck, Mr. and Mrs. George
Peckman, Henry
Peckman, Peter
Pentree (Penree, Penrey),
three children of
Charles - Charles
Penree, his
wife Hannah (both age 71) and two other children Alfred and George were
lost in the fire in Peshtigo.
Pentree (Penree, Penrey),
Mr. William
- His
wife and two daughters were lost in the fire.
Perin, Father P.
Peters, Christian &
Caroline -
survived the Peshtigo fire by going into the river along with her
parents
(My Great Great) Johann and Barbara Kuntz. They lived in Beaver
township
near the Luthern Church on Hwy 64. (Contributed by: John
Peters)
Phillips, A. B. (Alvah
Benjamin) , wife Mary
and children George, Harriet and John
Albert's mother, widow Olive Phillips Bosworth, was living with this
family
but in fear refused to leave her spot beneath a tree and burned to
death
outside. The house and family inside were spared. contributed by
descendant:
Linda
Phillips Loser
Phillips, Austin and Martha
- (Lost in
the fire was Olive Bosworth Phillips, mother of Austin, and
their
married daughter Ada Elmira Phillips Utter along with her children John
Jr and Eliza Ann Utter. Son-in-law John Utter survived.
contributed
by descendant
Laura
D
Washabaugh)
Phillips, Ben
Phillips, Bert (Albert) - nephew
of Alvah Benjamin
Phillips, R. T (Tyler). ,
wife Jane and sons
Frank & John; contributed
by descendant:
Linda
Phillips Loser
Phillbrook, Mrs.
Phillbrook, S. V. D.
Place, Anson, wife
Carolina, children Harry,
Francis, William, Hattie; contributed
by descendant:
Linda
Phillips Loser
Place, Jacob (also Job E.)
- age
28; farmer; born in Vermont (contributed by:Janny
McNeil)
Place, Sarah (nee Kenyon)
- wife of Abe; age 36;
born in Vermont
Place,
Susan - age 12; born
in Wisconsin
Place,
Eugene age
9; born in Wisconsin
Place, Abraham (Abe), age
28, born in Vermont
Place, Sarah -
wife of Abraham age 36, born in Vermont
Place, Susan - age
12, born in Wisconsin
Place,
Eugene - age 9, born in
Wisconsin
Place, John -
age 41, born in New York
Place, Pauline - age
29, born in Michigan
Place
Simon - age 11, born in
Wisconsin
Place,
Maria - age7, born in
Wisconsin
Place,
Martin - age 5, born in
Wisconsin
Place,
Katy - age2, born in
Wisconsin
Place, R G -
age 31, born in New York
Place,
Lucy - age 29, born in New York
Place
Jennie - age 7, born in New York
Place,
Hattie - age 2, born in Wisconsin
Place, Abraham
- age 53, born in Vermont
Place,
Elizabeth - age 54,
born in Wisconsin
Place,
Henry - age 17, born in
Wisconsin
Place,
Jennie - age 8, born in
Wisconsin
Powers, Will
Pratt, two children of A.A.
Prestine, Joaquin -
Prestine, Joseph
- Immigrant
from
Mechlingberg, he was badly crippled. Wife Fredrica, two married
daughters (Frances Louisa Newberry), two sons-in-law (Walter Newberry),
and 8 grandchildren were lost in the fire.
Pestine,
Charles -
son of Joseph and Fredrica,
above.
Price, Frederick - age
12, son of Elizabeth Bakeman Price Hiedenworth and late 1st
husband
John Price (contributed
by:
Pat
Drees
)
Price, Charles - age
8, son of Elizabeth Bakeman Price Hiedenworth and late 1st
husband
John Price
Price, Hattie - age
6, daughter of Elizabeth Bakeman Price Hiedenworth and late
1st husband
John Price
Price, Emma - age
4, son of Elizabeth Bakeman Price Hiedenworth and late 1st
husband
John Price
Prudhomee, Arthur
Prue, Louis, wife May,
infant son Joseph (born
June 1871) - lived in town of Pensaukee.
Race, Harley
age
18 son
of Martin and Almira Race town of Peshtigo
Race, Lorenzo age 20 son of Martin and
Almira
Race town of Peshtigo
Rawn,
Jacob, wife Louisa
Allen Rawn, children Seth, Henry, Lydia, Rachel, Mary Catherine,
Charles Allen, Thomas, Emma Jane.
- lived in
the wilderness that is now town of Porterfield, Wisconsin.
Reed, Lovell
Richmond,
“Cap”
Rockstad, Helga
Robinson, Charles D.
Ross, Allen -
single, fisherman in Peshtigo
Scheelk,
Mr. and Mrs. Charles and infant
daughter Louisa (Louisa
was 15 months old at the time of the fire and her later
married name was Mrs.
Fred. H. Marheine. Her parent's were also found as August John Scheelk
and Sophis Louisa Harms Scheelk)
descendant
: Robin
Warner
Schmidt, John, his wife
Sophia Knuts Schmidt
and their seven children,
Frederick, Christian,
Charles, Mary Catherine, John F., William F. and Anna Dora. Lower Sugar
Bush. (Contributed by Karen Mugan)
Schutt, Bertha, survived
the fire by standing in the river and throwing water over her
hair.
She was 15 years old and worked, as a housemaid, for a family by the
name
of Ellis. Her father Adolph was building a house between Marinette and
Peshtigo and prayed that his tools would be safe from the
fire. When
he returned to his home site not only were his tools safe but the fire
had burned a circle around the house he was building. Bertha
Schutt
married my great grandfather August Soderberg in Peshtigo.
(Contributed
by J’lene
Harrison great granddaughter, )
Scott, Joseph,
age
24 born in Canada, wife Katherine, age 24, and one child - 1 child drowned in
Peshtigo River. Children were Maggie age 4 and Robert age 20 months.
Seymour, Warren, wife and
child
hepherd, Dr. Fred S.
Shepherd, William
Sherman, J. J. wife and
daughters 12 and 2,
a son 9 and a hired girl
Shufelt, Charles age
45, born in Prussia, Male, farmer (contributed by descendant Brenda
)
Shufelt, Mary
age 47, born in Prussia, Female
Shufelt, Gustave
age 16, born in Prussia, Male
Shufelt Charles
age 13, born in Wisconsin, Male
Shufelt John
age 11, born in Wisconsin, Male
Shufelt, Ada
age 8, born in Wisconsin, Female
Shufelt Fred
age 6, born in Wisconsin, Male
Shufelt, Lena
age 2, born in Wisconsin, Female
Slanborn, Mrs. Mayme
Blattery
Slattery, Reuben, wife and
Mayme 9 days old
Slaughter,
Samuel
and wife Matilda [Nee Webb -59) and children Alice (16)
, Amelia
(9) , Edward (14 ½), Roderick
(21) Sarah
Thorson
Slaughter,
Robert
(32 married son of Samuel and Matilda) and daughter Jane
(Jenny 3
½). Sarah
Thorson
Stephenson, Isaac, Sammuel
and Robert
Sterzing, Ida
Stetts, James
Stitt Wilson - age 50,
wife
Caroline and
daughter little Caroline
lost in the fire. Six children known to have
survived. -
Stitt Children
- mother
Caroline Stitt, age 34, died October 8, 1871 in Peshtigo, and daughter
little Caroline age 3 remained unaccounted for, was with her mother.
Stitt, Robert M., age 17, born in
Canada
(Married Paulina Wilson in Taylor County, moved to Minnesota)
Stitt, Phoebe, age
14, born in Canada (married Hiram Sutherland in Peshtigo, by 1910 was
dead, husband in South Dakota)
Stitt
William, age
13
, born in Canada (married in Peshtigo, later moved to Washington State).
Stitt, Eliza (Helen), age
12, born in Canada (married Samuel Hamilton in
Peshtigo)
Stitt,
James, age 10, born in Canada
(remained single, moved to
Seattle, Washington)
Stitt, Delia (Anella Matilda), age 7, born in Canada
(died
Nov.7, 1873 in Peshtigo)
Strem, Anton
~
b. Jan 11, 1839 in Sweden , d. Jan 9, 1901 in Peshtigo, WI The
family survived the fire in the river. (Contributed
by descendant: Molly
Nightingale )
Strem, Kristine (Jacobsen) ~ b. Sep
10, 1840 in Fredrikstad, Norway, d. Mar 31, 1928 in Peshtigo; wife of
Anton
Strem, Anna born abt
1865 in Norway. Last found in Peshtigo census in 1880. Unable to trace
further.
Strem, Eulina born Aug
1867 in Norway. Died in 1946, buried in Riverside Cemetery. Married
Albin Schagerholm (later changed to Holm.)
Strem, Helena b. Sep
8, 1869 in Peshtigo, WI. She died Dec 11, 1906 and is buried in
Riverside Cemetery. She marrried Fredrick Monson Aug 5, 1893.
Tanner, John
Taylor, Mrs. John and one
child - (
survivors names are Sylvia Phillips Taylor and daughter Mary Melissa
Taylor
survived; lost in the fire were husband John Taylor and daughters Sarah
and Alice Taylor. contributed by descendant
Laura
D Washabaugh)
Tisdale, G. J.
Utter, John - Linda Phillips Loser
Valliere, Thomas
Volk, John and his wife
Almira Ketchum Volk
(Contributed
by Richard La Brosse)
Wagner (also
Wegner), Johanna
and John Casper and their daughter
Augusta (contributor's
note: Mother, step-father
and half-sister of William Kiel. Augusta, at her
death in 1974,
was the last
survivor of
the Peshtigo
fire.
Audrey
Klocke Heintz)
Weichart, four children of
Phillip
Wienhardt, Phillip
Wienhardt, Elizabeth
Whitcomb, Mrs. P. R.
Wilke, Mrs. E.
Williams, Mrs. E. B.
Williamson, Thomas and his
mother
Williamson, Fred
Witepalek, Dr. W. W.
Wright,
Charles E.
Wright,
Nellie later
married
to survivor Lorenzo Race
Back to Peshtigo Fire Home Page