Spelling Challenges in Wisconsin

In tracing the Wisconsin spider experts George Williams Peckham and his wife Elizabeth Gifford, I began re-constructing her family.  Elizabeth, known as Bessie, was born in 1854 to landscape architect Charles Gifford and his wife Mary Child in Milwaukee.  Her father died when she was about 7 and her mother remarried.   

Confirming her stepfather’s surname was not easy as it was spelled differerently in every record found.  Luckily Wisconsin has some great genealogical websites that helped piece it together.  Always search a local or county biographical record – it might just provide priceless information.

Although Mary Child was born in Massachusetts, she lived in Wisconsin with a husband born in New York followed by a husband born in Sweden.  Obviously Wisconsin was a ‘new frontier’ for many who decided to move west.

I found Mary living in Delafield, Wisconsin with her parents just before her 1850 marriage to Charles Gifford who had started a nursery business in Wauwatosa.  In 1860 Mary and Charles were living in Milwaukee with their 3 children and reported real estate valued at $50,000.  Charles died just a year later.

Initially I couldn’t find Mary in the 1870 census, but in 1880 found her, remarried, as GINSHSTROM with husband listed simply as C.A. (physician) and his son as Telford Lewthstrom.  Then in 1900 the family was listed as LUTHSTROM.  I thought that with the son’s unusual first name I would find them in every census.

In the 1910 census, Mary was widowed again (now listed as LEUTHSLSOM), but I could not find Telford anywhere.  So I thought I would try some Wisconsin websites to see if I might find a marriage or death record. Both the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Genealogy sites proved helpful. I even found a great biographical sketch of Carl A Leuthstrom, MD with details on where he was born, when he came to the US, where he did his medical training and it named both of his wives !!    a great biographical sketch of Carl A Leuthstrom, MD with details on where he was born, when he came to the US, where he did his medical training and it named both of his wives !!


So don't give up if spelling is a challenge, keep looking.  In the end I also found Telford and his brother Charles listed as Leuthstrom on findagrave where I found Mary Child's mother with a biographical note listing her daughter as Mary Caroline Leuthstrom. These are great resources so take a look.