Fannie Hanchett, 1863 to 1928

Another of the letter writers in the Mary Elva Stilwell letters is a girl named Fannie.  From things said in other letters and from doing some research, I believe the Fannie who wrote to Minnie Stilwell was Fannie Hanchett.

Fannie Hanchett was born 12 February 1863, probably in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  Her parents were John J. Hanchett and Jennie (Bent) Hanchett.  Jennie (Bent) Hanchett was the sister of Edward Clarence Bent, who married Mary Elva's sister, Hannah Stilwell.  So Fannie was the niece by marriage of Mary Elva's sister, Hannah.

The 1870 census shows 7-year-old Fannie with her parents, John and Jennie, in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.  Also in the household were her 4-year-old brother, Frankie, and her aunt, Julia (Bent) Cotes.  Julia was the sister of Jennie (Bent) Hanchett.

On 29 March 1876, Fannie's brother, Frankie, died.  He was buried in Sheboygan Falls Cemetery, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.

Fannie wrote a letter to Mary Elva Stilwell from Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin on 18 May 1878.  She was 15 years old.

On 20 June 1878, Fannie wrote a letter to Mary Elva from Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin.

The 1880 census shows Fannie, age 17, living with her parents in Sheboygan Falls.  She is single and attending school.

Fannie's mother, Jennie (Bent) Hanchett died in Sheybogan Falls on 10 August 1882.  She was 40 years old.  Fannie was 19.

At some point, Fannie's father, John J., remarried.  His second wife was Alice Vedder.  In 1893, they had a son, John Vedder Hanchett.

On 31 March 1886, Fannie married Will T. Davis.  Will was the son of Samuel B. and Julia A. Davis.  I suspect they married in Sheboygan Falls, but have not yet found a marriage record.

By the time of the 1900 census, Fannie and Will Davis were living in a boarding house in Manhattan, New York City.  She was shown as 37 and married for 15 years.  The census states that Fannie had not had any children.

Fannie's father, John J. Hanchett, died in December 1904.  He was buried in Sheboygan Falls.  Her half-brother, John Vedder Hanchett, died in 1908.  He was also buried in Sheboygan Falls.

The 1910 census shows the couple on 95th Street in Manhattan, New York City.  No children are listed with them.  The census says Fannie had given birth to two children, but none were living.

In late 1918, Will's mother, Julia Davis, died.  I found the following obit in the Sheboygan Press dated 2 January 1919, that confirms that Fannie Hanchett married Will T. Davis.

In October 1919, Fannie's step-mother, Alice (Vedder) Hanchett died.  She is buried in Sheboygan Falls.

The 1920 census gives Fannie's age as 55.  They are still living on 95th Street in Manhattan.

On 30 April 1920, Fanny sold a couple of lots in Sheboygan.

On 12 April 1928, Fannie (Hanchett) Davis died in New York, New York.  She was 65 years old.  She is buried in Sheboygan Falls Cemetery, Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. 

By the 1930 census, Will T. Davis is shown as a widower, still living in the same place.  His business was listed as 'butter and cheese.'  

I have searched for obituaries for Fannie or Will, but have not found them.

I will continue to add information on Fannie as I find it.

Frances Augusta Cook, 1859-1946

Frances Cook Clement with son Bertram

Thanks to James Sloan for permission to use these photos of Frankie.

 
One of Mary Elva Stilwell's correspondents was a girl named Frankie Cook.  A little research helped me identify her as Frances Augusta Cook.  While I haven't thoroughly researched Frankie, I thought I'd do a brief bio of her to fill out what we learn from her letters.  As she turns up in future letters, I will add to this post.

I reviewed the Hankinson photos I have, but did not find one identified as Frankie.

Frankie was born 30 December 1859 in Wisconsin.  It may have been Fond du Lac County or Columbia County; I have not verified which.  Her parents were William B. Cook and his wife, Elizabeth Jane Munn.  Elizabeth Munn was the sister of Frank Munn who married Celia Blanche Stilwell, Mary Elva's older sister.  So Frankie was the niece of Frank and Blanche.

The 1870 census shows Frances Cook, age 10, living with her parents and siblings in Metomen, Fond du Lac Co., Wisconsin.

On 30 July 1872, Frankie was mentioned in a letter written to Minnie (Mary Elva) Stilwell by a mutual friend, Cora E.D.

On 11 August 1872, Frankie was mentioned in a letter written to Minnie by her mother, Mary K. (White) Stilwell.

On 5 November 1873, Frankie was in Windom, Cottonwood Co., Minnesota, when she wrote a letter to Minnie.

Frankie wrote Minnie Stilwell a letter dated 6 Feb. 1874.

On 18 September 1874, Frankie was in Windom, Cottonwood Co., Minnesota when she wrote a letter to Minnie.

On 12 August 1877, Frankie was in Windom, Cottonwood Co., Minnesota when she wrote a letter to Minnie.  She had been teaching school about 12 miles from her home.

On 5 June 1878, Frankie married Bertram F. Clement.

The 1880 census shows Francis A. Clements (age 22), her husband Bertram (age 31), and their son, Pearl (age 3 months), living in Great Bend, Cottonwood Co., Minnesota, with Frankie's parents and several of her siblings.

By the 1900 census, Frankie (age 39) and Bertram (age 50) had three children living with them in St. Paul, Minnesota:  Anna W. (born Aug. 1882), Berton S. (born Dec. 1887), and Florence M. (born June 1889). 

The 1910 census shows them in St. James, Watonwan, Minnesota.  She was 50 and her husband was 62.  The census shows that she had given birth to four children, but only two were still living.  One of them, Florence M. Clement (age 21), was living with Frankie and Bertram.  The other was apparently their daughter Anna, who married William Dooley.

The 1920 census shows them still in St. James, Minnesota.  By this time, it was just Frankie and Bertram in the household.  She was 59 and he was 70.


On 21 May 1928, her husband, Bertram, died in Minnesota.  He was 79 years old.  I have not found his grave.

Frances is still in St. James, Minnesota on the 1930 census.  She was 69 years old and living alone.

By the 1940 census, Frances was 80 years old and living with her daughter, Anna W. Dooley and Anna's husband (William Dooley) and granddaughter, Florence Dooley, in Estherville, Emmett Co., Iowa. 

In July 1944, France's daughter, Anna W. Dooley, died.  There is an obit posted on FindaGrave that states that Frances had broken her hip and was confined to Holy Family Hospital.

Frances Augusta (Cook) Clement died 21 April 1946 in Iowa.  She was 86 years old.  I have not found her burial place.

Celia Blanche Stilwell (1845-1924) and her husband, Frank Munn

Yesterday, I posted a letter from Blanche Munn to her sister, Minnie Stilwell.  This is the second letter from Blanche that I've posted.  The first is found HERE.

I thought it would be good to post a bio of Blanche, since I've posted her letters.

Celia Blanche (Stilwell) Munn

Celia Blanche Stilwell was born 3 November 1845 in Manlius, Onandaga Co., New York.  She was the second child of Lonson Stilwell and his wife, Mary K. White.  The family called her "Blanche."  I've always thought it interesting that "Blanche" is the French word for "white," so she was given her mother's maiden name (White) as a middle name, but in the French form.

In May 1846, Blanche and her family (her parents, Lonson & Mary, and her older brother, Lucien White Stilwell) moved from Onandaga Co., New York to Wisconsin.  By 1850 they had settled in Metomen, Fond du Lac Co., Wisconsin.

The family is found on the 1860 census in Metomen, Fond du Lac Co., Wisconsin, with Celia Blanche listed as 14 years old.

The Stilwell Sisters

On 28 November 1867, Blanche married Frank Munn.  Blanche was 22 and Frank was 27. She and Frank were married the same day that her sister, Annette, was married to Charles Osborn.  My source for this is the Stilwell Family Bible.  I have not yet found a marriage record to confirm the date or to give me the place of marriage, though I suspect it was Fond du Lac Co., Wisconsin.

Franklin R. Munn was a son of Benjamin Munn; I have not yet found his mother's name.  He was born 11 October in either 1839 or 1840 in Fairfield, Huron Co., Ohio.  By 1861, he was in Wisconsin.   Frank served during the Civil War as a member of Co. B, 32nd Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. 



Blanche and Frank had no known children.  For many years, they lived on the Stilwell family farm in Metomen.

In June 1878, Blanche was working as a seamstress in the home of General and Mrs. Brayman in Green Lake, Wisconsin.  Frank was not with her.

The 1880 federal census shows Blanche living with her parents in Metomen, though she is listed as married.  Frank is not listed.

The 1900 federal census for Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin shows Frank R. Munn aged 60 and Blanche Munn aged 54.

The 1905 Wisconsin state census shows them in Fond du Lac County.  They are aged 64 and 59.

The 1920 federal census shows them on Seward Street in Ripon Ward 4, Fond du Lac Co., Wisconsin.  Frank is 79 and Blanche is 74.


I really have very little detail about them.  I don't have a photo of Frank.  I have tried periodically to find more information on Frank without much success.  I just looked again while writing this and found nothing more.

Blanche died 18 March 1924 in Ripon, Fond du Lac Co., Wisconsin.  She is buried in Reeds Corners Cemetery in Fond du Lac County.

Frank died  in March 1929 in Metomen, Wisconsin.  He is buried in Reeds Corners Cemetery.

Letter from Blanche (Stilwell) Munn to Mary Elva Stilwell, June 1878

The following letter was written by Celia Blanche (Stilwell) Munn to her sisters, Mary Elva ("Minnie") and Edith ("Edie") Stilwell.  Blanche was working as a seamstress in a home in Dartford, Wisconsin.  Her husband, Frank Munn, was not with her.

Mentioned in the letter:

Warren = Warren Stilwell, brother of Blanche, Minnie & Edie.

Frank = Frank Munn, Blanche's husband

Miss Brayman; General & Mrs. Brayman = Blanche seems to be working as a seamstress in the Brayman home.  There was a General Mason Brayman & his wife, Mary Williams, that was Governor of Idaho (1876-1880) and who is buried in Ripon, Wisconsin.  It it possible that this is the same couple.  If so, "Miss Brayman" is probably their daughter, Ella Sophia "Nellie" Brayman.

Mr. & Mrs. Gowdy =  I find a Mr & Mrs Gowdy with the Brayman family on the 1880 census.  They have a son, Mason Gowdy, who is listed as a grandson of Mary (Williams) Gowdy.  From the letter, I thought the Goody's were housekeepers for the family, but the census shows that Mr. & Mrs. Gowdy were family members who cared for the house while the Braymans were in Idaho.

Miss Balash

Fannie Hanchett = could this be the Fannie that wrote other letters to Minnie?  I suspect so.  I was just doing a little research on Fannie Hanchett and discovered that her parents were John J. Hanchett (Mr. Hanchett in the letter) and Jennie Bent.  Jennie Bent was the sister of Edward Clarence Bent who married Hannah Stilwell (sister to Minnie & Blanche).  So Fannie Hanchett was the niece of Clarence and Hannah (Stilwell) Bent.

Mrs. & Miss Gother?

Han & Clarence = Hannah (Stilwell) Bent, sister of Blanche, Minnie & Edie, and her husband, Clarence Bent

Miss Craig

Mrs. Dr. Morgan

Mrs. Rufus 

If I have not identified the people above, then I do not know enough about them to identify them.

****************************

Letter to Miss Minnie Stilwell, Ripon, Wisconsin

Postmark: Dartford, Wisc. June 24

            Sunday June 23, 1878

Dearest Minnie & Edie,

            I have just finished a letter to my Frank.  I will write a few lines to you two “little” big “girls.”  I thought perhaps you might be wondering how I like it here, how long I am going to stay &c. & a little information on the subject might be acceptable.

            First, I like it very much, that is the family & surroundings.  I would rather be nearer home where I can see you all once a week, but all are very kind & pleasant here & try to make me feel at home.  Miss Brayman is just as sweet & nice as she can be & I like Mrs. Gowdy ever so much.  Miss Balash very well but least of all.  She has two sweet little girls, the oldest thirteen & reminds me very much of Fannie Hanchett.  Tell Warren she inquired about him & wanted to know if he had a girl.  I don’t like Mr. Gowdy very well though he reminds me a good deal in his ways of Mr. Hanchett.  He is an offhand indifferent sort of man.  His mother & a sister of his & both sisters of Miss Brayman are visiting here, two dear good old ladies.  Mrs. & Miss Gother [?] are now cousins to each other.  I do not sew after six.  Miss Brayman does not seem to expect it.  Told me the first night to put my work away & not sew any more after tea.  She is a real little lady.  She told me she had been engaged a year & should be a year longer.  Her lover is in Chicago.  She has his picture in a pretty gilt frame with a tiny silver bud holder on the top which we call his shrine, as she keeps the vase filled with fresh flowers all the time.  He is very handsome.  She said everyone told her his engagement would terminate distantly as all long engagements will & when I told her of Han’s five years duration she said she felt encouraged.  If you get a letter for me from Han & Clarence with his picture send it will you.  I should like to show the picture.  Direct to Dartford, care of General Brayman.  General Brayman & wife are in Idaho.  Come home this fall.  Mr. & Mrs. Gowdy keep the house & look after things.  I take a stroll on the lake shore every evening nearly.  They have a boat of their own & have asked me twice to have a row but I am too much afraid.  I declined.  Miss Brayman has a little boat of her own & she says she is going to take me out in it some evening.  I shall be here all this week & part I think all of next.  I have a silk dress to make yet for Miss B---.  She was sick the week before I came & did not get it ready.  It is at Miss Craig’s yet.  She wants a cambric polonaise made & a white wrapper cut & [unreadable word] made.  Miss Gowdy wants me a day or two & Mrs. Dr. Morgan a day.  I sewed fro Miss Bolash a day & a half last week & sew for her tomorrow.  So you can see there is a fair project for two weeks more.  I told Miss B— I thought Father would be too busy to come for me or to meet me in Ripon & she said she would like to drive out, she thought.  She said she would like to meet my father, mother, & sisters.  I will let you know before we come, for I suppose out of common politeness I shall have to ask her to stay until after dinner.  We should not get started so as to get home much before noon.  But you would not need to fuss much you live better or as well any day than they do.  Their cooking is horrid.  Miss Gowdy does not understand it & nothing is half cooked or seasoned.  They live just like farmers.  Mush and beans &c.  They have a lovely strawberry bed and we have had shortcake three times since I came, but they don’t taste like Mother’s.  Have lots of chickens.  The house is beautifully furnished.  The handsomest & the greatest quantity of pictures I ever saw.  The halls & nearly all the rooms are full.  They have a life size oil painting Mr. & Mrs. Beagman Lincon & a friend of Miss B--.  All have elegant gilt frames.  Every room but the sewing room and kitchen look over the lake.  I sew in Miss B—room most the time as the sewing room is over the kitchen with stove pipe & is too warm.  Sleep with Miss B—as the spare rooms are all occupied by company but [unreadable word].  Get up at six & go in the sewing room to wash & dress.  It has a table & dressing bureau with looking glass, so it is very convenient, & I do not distress Miss Brayman who gets up & dress in about five minutes for seven o’clock breakfast & it accommodates slow fussy me successfully.  You know I must wash.  I enjoy the lake but would not want to live here long at a time.  It seems too much like being buried in the woods.  There is a library in the house which would delight your eyes Minn.  I am afraid if you were a sewing girl Miss Brayman would have to stand over you with a switch as you would do more reading than sewing.  I should like to be company myself for awhile to explore its contents.  Tell Father I have got my plaster so he need not buy one.  Mrs. Rufus (?) sent me a postal saying they had come and Miss B—got it yesterday.  I guess I have told you all.  I wish you & Edie would write to me while I am here.  I shall be glad to get home when the time comes.  They do not attend church here at all.  Miss B—said they had company most every Sunday.  I would like to have Frank’s letters but it will not be best to send them for I cannot afford to pay postage.  Write if you will & tell me everything.

            Love & kisses to all.

                                                            Blanche