_John CONVERS _______+
| (1530 - 1574)
_Allen CONVERS ______|
| (1556 - 1639) m 1586|
| |_Joan FULLER ________+
| (1530 - 1574)
|
|--Richard CONVERS
|
| _____________________
| |
|_Joanna _____________|
(.... - 1602) m 1586|
|_____________________
___________________________________________________________
|
_Casper FUERHOFF ____________________________|
| (1864 - ....) m 1893 |
| |___________________________________________________________
|
|
|--Caspar Heinrich Wilhelm FUERHOFF
| (1903 - 1980)
| _William August Franz Wilhelm KLUESNER KlesenerKleasner____+
| | (1824 - 1899) m 1854
|_Minnie Maria Katherine Wilhelmine KLUESNER _|
(1870 - 1938) m 1893 |
|_Maria HenrietteWilhelmine Caroline WINDMULLER Windmueller_+
(1831 - 1907) m 1854
_Warren E. PIERCE ____+
| (1821 - 1869) m 1849
_Frank Orlando PIERCE _|
| (1854 - 1936) m 1877 |
| |_Jane S. GOULD _______+
| (1816 - 1892) m 1849
|
|--Elzora Maude PIERCE
| (1880 - 1934)
| _Joseph B. TODHUNTER _+
| | (.... - 1890) m 1839
|_Sarah Jane TODHUNTER _|
(1855 - 1884) m 1877 |
|_Mary WHITE __________+
(1813 - 1898) m 1839
[142]
Letter from Dianne Z. Stevens to her Grandchildren:
1301 Reetz Road
Madison, WI 53711-2645
March 10, 2002
Dear Sarah, Hannah, and Tim,
Have you ever heard of a story called “Little Women?” Ask your Mommy or Daddy to rent the movie for you because I think you’re old enough to see it. It is a very famous story written by a woman named Louisa May Alcott about 150 years ago.
She wrote about what life was like growing up in her family of four little girls. They did a lot of play acting and had wonderful adventures. And they loved each other very much even though they were sort of poor. If you can see the movie of that famous story you will understand better the story I am about to tell you of one of your great-great-grandmothers. She was my grandmother, Elzora Maud Pierce. But I never knew her because she died long before I was born.
Elzora Maud was always called Zoey by her family. Zoey was born on a farm in central Wisconsin in Clark County. They called it “Pioneer Farm” because it had been hacked out of the wilderness by her grandfather, Warren Pierce, and his sons, one of whom was her father Frank Orlando Pierce. Her father’s ancestors had come to the United States way back in the 1600’s when we were still colonies. They were related to President Franklin Pierce and also President George W. Bush, but that’s another story. Her mother’s name was Sarah Jane Todhunter. Sarah’s family had come to Wisconsin from England, a place called Watermillock in Cumberland County, shortly before Sarah was born.
So here are Frank and Sarah up in the wilds of Wisconsin in the 1870’s. First they had a daughter, Mabel Ethel (1878), and then Zoey was born in 1880. In 1882 they had another daughter, Jessie Irene. But two years later in 1884 something very sad happened. Sarah had another baby that lived only a day. A year and a half later Sarah died, leaving Frank with three tiny girls and a farm to care for all by himself. Frank soon married again, a woman named Martha Greeley. Martha already had a daughter named Gladys. So now there were four little girls growing up together:
Mable, Zoey, Jessie, and Gladys, and they were very happy.
And, my! How they could play! On cold Wisconsin winter evenings Martha would read to them and their favorite story was - Guess What? Little Women! Their favorite game to play was to pretend they were the four sisters in the story. Each of them chose one of the characters and they always took that part in their playing and even when they weren’t playing they still thought of themselves as that character. I’m not 100% sure of this, but I believe that Zoey played the part of Jo. I think this because Zoey always loved books and reading and when she had her own children she taught them to love books too.
One very sad part of the story: in the book “Little Women” the character Beth catches Sarlet Fever and dies. In the Pierce family little Jessie played Beth and she died when she was only 16 years old. Jessie's middle name was Irene. The girls always wanted to remember their dear sister so they promised one another that when each of them had a daughter, they would give her the middle name of Irene. Mabel grew up and had Bessie Irene. Zoey grew up and had Musa Irene. Gladys never had children. However, Frank and Martha had another daughter, Winifred, and she grew up and named her first daughter Jessie Irene. That tradition has been carried on in our line of the family through Dianne Irene, and Hannah Irene.
When Zoey grew up she fell in love with a handsome young man who had just returned from the Spanish American War, named Samuel DeMouth. He had been married before and that may be why Zoey’s family did not want her to marry him, but they finally gave in and on November 27, 1902 they were married at the Pioneer Farm.
I still have one of their wedding invitations.
It is a very good thing they did get married because otherwise you and I wouldn’t be here today (or your Mommy either.) But Zoey did have a hard life after she married Sam. In 1906 or 07 Sam and Zoe and 3 yr old Musa moved to Hood River Oregon where Zoey cooked for a logging camp while Sam "looked" for work. She would tie Musa to a tree in the kitchen yard to keep her from wandering off while she cooked.
After a year when Sam still had not found work the young family returned to the farm in Christy where their second child, Thelma was born in 1911. Shortly thereafter the farm was completely bankrupt, so the family left Wisconsin to try homesteading in North Dakota. Their third child, Lester, was born there in 1913 at a place called Quinion that no longer exists.
The next time I write I will tell you about my mother’s girlhood and I don’t want to spoil it by telling you all the details of Zoey’s life after she married Sam. But I will tell you this: Zoey was a WONDERFUL cook and for a good part of her life she helped earn the money to support her family by her cooking. She cooked for the logging camp and another time she cooked for a hotel in Montana. Your mommy probably inherited being such a good cook from her great grandmother, Zoey.
Zoey earned the family's living other ways too. When they lived in North Dakota she was the post mistress of the Quinion post office for two years, 1916 to 1918, before they moved on to Montana. Zoey was still helping to support the family when she died at the age of 54 in Portland, Oregon of a heart attack. At that time she was working at the Libby canning factory. I'm not sure about this, but I think I remember Aunt Musa telling that her mother dropped dead of the heart attack while she was at work. Ask your Mommy to buy a can of Libby peaches someday and you will know what your great great grandmother helped to produce while working at the canning factory.
So that is the story of your great-great-grandmother who loved reading and cooking and grew up playing “Little Women” with her sisters. Zoey and Sam had a daughter named Thelma, Thelma married Forrest Zimmerman and had a daughter named Dianne. Dianne married Paul Stevens and had a daughter named Dawne. Dawne married Jason Pamplin and had --- guess who? You guys! Sarah, Hannah, Timothy, and now, pretty soon, Rebecca. I hope you will save this story so you can tell it to Becky some day.
Love, Granny
[11294] ---------ELZORA PIERCE/SAMUEL L. DEMOUTH MARRIAGE The home of Mr. and Mrs. F.O. Pierce, at Pioneer Farm southeast of town (Greenwood, Clark County), was a scene of harmony and festivity Thanksgiving evening, when their daughter Elzora Maude was united in holy wedlock to Samuel L. DeMouth of Christie, Rev. W. E. Kloster pronouncing the marriage vows in the presence of 125 people. At eight o clock the bridal party formed at the head of the stairs and to the sound of appropriate strains from the organ below proceeded downstairs, led by the minister, to the parlor where the party took their position under a floral bell, which was connected with al parts of the room by festoons arranged in tasty order. Here the bride was given away by the father, on whose arm she had been supported. Attending her were the Misses Alma Austin and Lottie DeMouth, as bridesmaids. The groom was attended by Messrs. Clarence Edmonds and Clifford Nutting. After the marriage vows had been solemnized Mr. and Mrs. DeMouth received congratulations until supper was announced, the first table serving the bridal party and their nearest relatives and a few others. To say that it was a bounteous repast would put it in mild terms, for there was everything tempting in the way of viands, that would make even a Thanksgiving turkey envious. The bride was the recipient of a valuable assortment of wedding presents sent by relatives and friends from Loyal, Neillsville, Christie and Greenwood. Mrs. DeMouth was born on the farm on which she was married and has grown to womanhood here, though she has worked in Loyal, Greenwood and Neillsville for the past few years. Her acquaintance is large and all speak most highly of her as a lady and an accomplished housewife. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob DeMouth of Christie and now owns the farm on which he was born, where they have already set up housekeeping. For five years he served in the regular army, two years of the time being spent in the Philippines, from which he returned about two years ago, upon his discharge from service. That long life and true happiness may attend these new voyagers on the matrimonial bark is the wish of their many friends, the Gleaner included. SOURCE: GREENWOOD GLEANER 01/31/1902
1900 United States Federal Census
Name: Frank O Pierce Age: 45 Birth Date: Oct 1854 Birthplace: Wisconsin
Race: White Gender: Male Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Father's Birthplace: Vermont Mother's Birthplace: New York
Spouse's name: Martha E Pierce Marriage Year: 1887 Years Married: 13
Home in 1900: Eaton, Clark, Wisconsin [Greenwood, Clark, Wisconsin]
Frank O Pierce 45 WI-VT-NY Oct 1854 m. 13 yrs Farmer
Martha E Pierce 43 WI-ME-ME Jun 1856 m. 13 yrs 3 of 4 children living
Elzora M Pierce 20 WI-WI-WI May 1880 Servant
Royal A Pierce 12 WI-WI-WI Mar 1888 at school
Winnifred E Pierce 10 WI-WI-WI Apr 1890 at school
Edna F Pierce 5 WI-WI-WI Jul 1894
Line 11 Dwelling #4 Household #4
Dimouth, Samuel L. Head Owns Mort. 46 m WI NJ Ver Occ: Hotel Proprietor
Elzora M. wife 34 m WI WI WI None
Musa I. dau 16 s WI WI WI None
Thelma E. dau 8 WI WI WI None
Lester J. son 6 ND WI WI None
Baker, Fred S. Boarder M W 27 s IL MN IN Auto Mechanic
Shreevam, Peter J. Boarder M W 50 wd MA VT NY Surgeon
Line 42 West Ave. dwelling # 77 Household # 77
Demouth, Samuel L. head rents $20/mo age 56 M age 28 WI NJ VT occ: Painter of bldgs Vet Phil
Elzora M wife 49 22 WI WI WI none
Musa I dau 26 s WI WI WI maid - in school
Thelma E dau 19 s WI WI WI none - in school
Lester J son 16 s WI WI WI none - not in school
Simons, John H boarder 49 s WI Eng Eng lumber grader
1880 United States Federal Census
Name: Frank Pierce Age: 25 Estimated birth year: abt 1855 Birthplace: Wisconsin
Relation to Head of Household: Self (Head) Spouse's name: Sarah Pierce
Father's birthplace: Vermont Mother's birthplace: New York
Occupation: Farmer Marital Status: Married Race: White Gender: Male
Home in 1880: Eaton, Clark, Wisconsin
Frank Pierce 25 WI-VT-NY Farmer
Sarah Pierce 25 WI-England-Eng
E. Mabel Pierce 1 WI-WI-WI
E. Ella Pierce 1m WI-WI-WI b. May
Obit: Demouth, Elzora (? – 1934)
Posted By: Crystal Wendt
Surname: Demouth, Pierce
Source: Neillsville Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 27 Dec. 1934
Demouth, Mrs. Sam **‘Elzora’(?- 5 Nov. 1934)
Word was received at the Press office that Mrs. Sam Demouth died at her home in Maywood, near Portland, Ore., November 5, 1934.
Mrs. Demouth, before her marriage was Miss Zoe Pierce, and was quite well known here. Her childhood home was in the town of Easton.
**Taken for the Oregon death index 1903 – 1998; Death County: Multnomah.
_William ROGERS _____+
| (1540 - ....)
_Thomas ROGERS ______|
| (1572 - 1621) m 1597|
| |_Eleanor ____________
|
|
|--Margaret ROGERS
|
| _George COSFORD _____
| | (1545 - ....)
|_Alice COSFORD ______|
(.... - 1622) m 1597|
|_Margaret ___________