Sarah Ann Wisner Camfield - 1817 - 1912

For the 91st edition of the Carnival of Genealogy: A Tribute to Women! I will be sharing with you my second great-grandmother,
Sarah Ann Wisner Camfield.

Of all my female ancestors I feel that I have come to know Sarah Ann the best of any, other than my mother. She died more than 45 years before my birth, however I was able to get to know her through her letters. The letters span her later years and I've learned much about that period of her life, the trials she faced, the things that made her happy or sad and her day to day thoughts.


Sarah Ann Wisner Camfield - Timeline
Sarah Ann Wisner - The Early Years
Sarah Ann Wisner Camfield - Marriage, Children and Migration
Sarah Ann Camfield - The Final Years


Also see:

Family of William Wisner
Badgley and Wisner Deed Abstracts, Onondaga, NY
Henry Bogardus, Shirt Tail Cousin



Thanks for the poster fM!

Ella Hall to Sarah Ann Camfield Feb 22, 1873

Fox Lake Ill Feb 22^nd 1873

Dear Cousin Annie,

I now take my pen in hand to answer your very welcome letter. I was real glad to hear from you. You said more about your folk than I can about ours for I am almost sick today with a cold today and have been for two or three days. I was to Singing school Thursday night and after two or three pieces had to quit singing I was so hoarse I could hardly speak. Grandpa and Grandma are quite well now or was last night. Grandpa was laughing at me I said I was going to write to you Sunday and Grandpa wanted to know if I was going tell when I was going to stand up and I told him I guessed I would wait till I knew myself before I told anyone else.

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Grandma would write to you only it is such hard work for her to write she has to feel of the paper and then half of the time she does not write on the line after she gets her pen on the paper after she write one word she can hardly see where to write the next word.

Well now Annie I suppose you are very anxious to hear about Wayne and I am going to let you into my secret to. there is only one besides myself that knows all about him and I and she does not know quite all. neither will I tell you all or as much as she knows. that is Deette that knows so much about it. Well to begin with about him I was reading my letter from you down to singing school Thursday night and I was sitting with Wayne and he saw his name on the paper and he wanted

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to see what there was about him and he snatched the letter and came pretty near tearing it and so I let him read it and told me to [illegible] tell you all about him only the rest of his name he said I must not tell that so I dare not for he will be asking me if I told and if I have told he will give me a good scolding I am afraid. Here is his description as near as I can describe him. He is short about 5 ½ feet and pretty middling thick set – but he is not fleshy. he only weighs 141 ½ pounds and he has light brown curly hair a dark blue eye and a light complexion is a splendid dancer and real full of fun and in fact he is a real good fellow I think everything of him. I made him kind of jealous once though this winter. last Tuesday night it was real muddy and Deette and I were not going to singing school (we had twice this week) and about half past seven there was another fellow came along and stopped for us to go down to singing school. there were three girls and

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four boys besides Deette and I and when we got down to the school house Wayne was there and when I went to the closet to take my shawl off I bowed and smiled and he only bowed and he never said a word to me. I spoke to him at recess and he did not answer me and he acted awful mad. when I looked at him he would turn his back to me and Deette said when I was not looking at him he would sit and watch me all of the time and when we went out to come home one of the girls called him out because the boys wanted him and he would not come when they spoke to him. he spoke to Deette but he would not to me that night. He stayed to Mr. Samuel Gilbert’s that night and came to school the next day and stayed till noon and till recess he hardly spoke to me but after that he appeared like himself some but not so much as he did.

Top of page 1, written upside down

Here is something you must not believe nor look for. Wayne said he would write to you and send his name himself he would let me Annie.

Ella

Grandpa and Grandma were William and Elizabeth (Badgley) Wisner. Deette was Ella's sister. I checked the 1870 census for Avon, Lake, IL. and believe that Wane Hawey b. abt 1853, son of Cyrus Hawey may be the Wayne referred to in the letter. Ella married Jacob McKinnon in 1880.

For more see:
Carlisle - Wisner Letters
Family of William Wisner
Descendants of Maryetta Wisner
Descendants of Sarah Ann Wisner


Hall, Ella (Fox Lake, Illinois) to “Dear Cousin Annie” [Sarah Ann Camfield, Jr]. Letter. 22 Feb 1873. Digital Images 1-4. Privately held by Apple, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Snowville, New York. 2008. [Carlisle Family, Box #1, Correspondence, 1870 - 1874, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan]

George H Wisner vs, Sarah Camfield, etal - Part 2

For me this portion of the document was pure gold. I previously had no information on the children and grandchildren of Anthony Wisner.

Your orator further showeth unto your Honor that the said William Wisner at his death left surviving him the following named children all of whom are now living. Sarah A Camfield the wife of Michael Camfield. Mary E Hall wife of William H Hall. Henry S Wisner. George A Wisner. William A Wisner and Marshall W Wisner who are six of his heirs at law.

Your orator further showeth unto your Honor that the said William Wisner at his death left surviving him one other child who was his heir at law named Prentice M Wisner who died intestate on or about the 30th day of April A. D. 1879 leaving him surviving no children or child or descendants of children or child but leaving him surviving a widow Fanny Wisner who is now living.

Your orator further showeth unto your Honor that said William Wisner at his death left surviving him two grandchildren named Mary Lyke and Alice M Madden who were his heirs at law they being the children of his son Anthony Wisner who died intestate on or about the 17th of April A.D. 1865 leaving him surviving said children and a widow the mother of said children now named Cynthia Carner the wife of George Carner.

Your orator further showeth unto your Honor that the said Alice M Madden died on or about the 15th day of September A.D. 1881 intestate leaving neither husband or children or child or descendants of children or child. The said Mary Lyke her sister and the said Cynthia Carner and the said George A. Valentine and Eva Valentine herein after named being her and her only heirs at law.

Your orator further showeth unto your Honor that the said William Wisner at his death left him surviving two great grandchildren who are now living named George A Valentine and Eva Valentine they being the children of his granddaughter Sophia Valentine who died intestate on or about the the 30th day of January A.D. 1875 and his heirs at law said Sophia Valentine being the daughter of Anthony Wisner aforesaid.

Your orator further showeth unto your Honor that the said Sarah A Camfield, May E Hall, Henry S Wisner, George A Wisner, William A Wisner, Marshall W Wisner, Prentice Wisner, Mary Lyke, Alice M Madden, George A Valentine and Eva Valentine are the only heirs at law whom the said William Wisner left him surviving and that said Alice M Madden died intestate.

And your orator further showeth unto tour Honor that George A Valentine and Eva Valentine are infants.

The document goes on asking for the deed to be granted to George H Wisner. All the names are listed several times. On March 12, 1882 the court ordered William H Hall to deed over the property to George H Wisner.

George H Wisner vs. Sarah A Camfield, etal - Part 1

From Lake Co, IL Circuit Court, 12/12/1881, Case# A1390, George H Wisner vs
Sarah A Canfield etal, (the etal being all the heirs of his grandfather William
Wisner).

George H Wisner is asking for the deed to his grandfather’s property. Nowhere is George H Wisner’s relationship to William Wisner stated. The first several pages of the file are summons documents. The following is the basis for George's case. I would be happy to share the entire file with any other interested descendants.

This indenture made and entered into this twenty fifth day of November in the year one thousand eight-hundred and seventy one between William Wisner of the town of Avon, County of Lake, in the state of Illinois party of the first part and George H Wisner of the town of Avon, County of Lake, state of Illinois party of the second part Witnesseth

That the said party of the first part for and in consideration of the sum of one dollar in hand paid by said party of the second part and in consideration of the covenants and ???? -hereinafter contained to be kept done and performed by said second party and in consideration of the agreements contained in one certain promissory note ????? even dates herewith made executed and delivered by said party of the second part to the said party of the first part payable as follows, together with other covenants herein mentioned. Said note payable ten (10) years from date for three thousand dollars without interest and the party of the second part agrees to keep and provide for the said party of the first part and his wife Elizabeth Wisner during their natural lives in sickness and in health in a suitable manner and give them a decent burial and put to their graves suitable grave stones after their deaths as part of the consideration these covenants and the party of the second part agrees ??? he will not sell or convey the herein after described premises during the lifetime of the parties mentioned above. The party of the first part agrees to sell to said party of the second part all that certain piece or parcel of land lying and being in the County of Lake and the state of Illinois."

A legal description of the property follows excluding parcel previously deeded to William H Hall and a cart path deeded to Samuel Edwards and William Moore. Then continues:

",said party of the first part further covenants and agrees for himself his heirs executors and administrators that upon full and complete payment of the same money and covenants in said promissory note specified for the payment of the same, and upon full and complete performance of all the covenants and agreements hereinafter contained on the part of the party of the second part to be kept and performed in all things and at the time thenin stipulated that he will convey to the said party of the second part his heirs and assigns by good and sufficient warranty deed free from all incumbrance the premises above described.
And the said party of the second part for himself his heirs executors administrators and assigns covenants and ??? that he will well ?????? pay before sale all taxes and assements which shall or may be made levied or assessed upon said premises, or any part thereof during the continuance of this agreement, and one dollar for the expenses of making a deed. And it is further hereby agreed and covenanted by and between the parties hereto, that time is and shall be deemed and taken to be of the essence of this agreement: and in case default shall be made in the payment of said before described promissory note or any or either of these or any
???? ???? of ??? ??? the same shall become due and payable by the terms ??? or no case the said party of the second part shall fail to observe perform and keep any and all the covenants herein before mentioned and set forth on the part of said second party to be kept done and performed therein, ????, and in this case this agreement shall be absolutely null and void and of no force and effect whatsoever, and all payments of due sum or sums of money which may or shall have been paid heron by the said second party or his assigns, said party of the first part and his legal representatives may have and retain as damages force breech of this contract and said party of the first part may take full and immediate possession of the said above described premises as his first and former estate, using all the force which may be necessary to obtain the actual possession of said premises or any portion of and such entry by force (if necessary) shall not be held or ???? as a trespass nor shall forces such nor in any wise unlawful."

It was signed by both parties and witnessed by William H Hall.
The agreement was recorded in Lake County book 37 of Mortgages on pages 305-306.

The record goes on to state the following:
On June 27, 1881 William H Hall was appointed administrator of the Estate of William Wisner.
On November 25, 1881 George H Wisner paid his note in full to William H Hall.
On December 12, 1881 George H Wisner sued William H Hall and the descendants of William Wisner to have the deed for the property made out to him.