Four Generations

It was more common in past generations to mark the arrival of a "fourth" generation baby with a photograph. Our collection includes several of these photos. The span of years between the dates of birth of the eldest and youngest person in the photo is similar: 80, 78 and 77 years. Has the idea of a four-generation photo fallen out of fashion? Or have other factors, such as marrying later in life or distance between families, been of more importance?

Helene Colrue, Bendicka Rowe, Leonard Rowe, Elaine

Bendicka Rowe, Hazel Smith, Russell Smith, Annette

E. W. Smith, Art Smith, Russell Smith, Allen

*52 Ancestors: "12"

John Colrue 1860-1931

John Colrue received his naturalization papers on 23 January 1891 in Waupaca County. He also filed to homestead 148 acres on 7 December 1896. More research will determine where that land parcel was located. He can be found in Helvetia Township in the 1889 plat book in the NW 1/4 of the NW 1/4 of Section 34.

Locating John Colrue beyond the articles in the Waupaca newspapers was difficult. He has not been found in the 1880 census (searching under John or J. M. Swanson or Colrue), the 1900, 1910 or 1930 censuses. In 1920 John is living on Kimbark Avenue in Chicago and is employed as a salesman for a medical instruments manufacturer. 

He also appears in several of the Chicago city directories, for example in 1898 he is boarding at 464 West Congress and in 1904 and 1908 he is living at 744 W. Adams.

As more information becomes available online, we might be able to locate more records for John Colrue.



*52 Ancestors: "Bachelor Uncle"

At the Courthouse

When we first began researching the families who immigrated to Waupaca County, we spent many hours checking the various vital record indexes at the Waupaca County Courthouse. We followed up by reading the actual records for births, marriages and deaths and copying the relevant information. The indexes for land records were also available in the same room. 

However, there was one surprising book that we discovered accidentally. During the second decade of the 1900s the local farmers began recording a name for their farms. It was quite interesting to see that the Smiths and Rowes registered the names "White Star Stock Farm" and "Elm Valley Farm" at the courthouse to make them official.



*52 Ancestors: "At the Courthouse"