After searching for MANY years, we finally found what happened to Uncle Will. And no, he didn't own a gold mine and was he not the "Lost Dutchman". He was a quartz miner according to census records. Death records in Prescott AZ indicated he died of cancer of the face - maybe from chewing tobacco? I was convinced he was buried in "potter's field" in Citizen's Cemetery and provided the association with all the records we had found. ELEVEN YEARS later, a volunteer found the gravestone exactly where I felt it had to be. It had sunk straight down in the sandy soil and was in nearly perfect condition. In potters field in that cemetery, the small stones only bore the name and date - and everyone was buried in chronological order. There was a space between the 22 July stone and 24 July stone. That has now been confirmed as his final resting place.
The story about Tom and his brother Will living 200 miles apart turned out to be false also. Their niece, Frances Hagel, had told me that one was in Cochise AZ which is SE of Phoenix. Prescott, Yavapai Co. is NW of Phoenix. On the 1900 Census, they were BOTH in Providence Precinct - Tom was a boarder - Will lived alone as "head of household". Both gave ages that fit and said they were born IA, father b. MD and mother b. IN. (Bio by: Valerie Ogren)
The story about Tom and his brother Will living 200 miles apart turned out to be false also. Their niece, Frances Hagel, had told me that one was in Cochise AZ which is SE of Phoenix. Prescott, Yavapai Co. is NW of Phoenix. On the 1900 Census, they were BOTH in Providence Precinct - Tom was a boarder - Will lived alone as "head of household". Both gave ages that fit and said they were born IA, father b. MD and mother b. IN. (Bio by: Valerie Ogren)
After searching for MANY years, we finally found what happened to Uncle Will. And no, he didn't own a gold mine and was he not the "Lost Dutchman". He was a quartz miner according to census records. Death records in Prescott AZ indicated he died of cancer of the face - maybe from chewing tobacco? I was convinced he was buried in "potter's field" in Citizen's Cemetery and provided the association with all the records we had found. ELEVEN YEARS later, a volunteer found the gravestone exactly where I felt it had to be. It had sunk straight down in the sandy soil and was in nearly perfect condition. In potters field in that cemetery, the small stones only bore the name and date - and everyone was buried in chronological order. There was a space between the 22 July stone and 24 July stone. That has now been confirmed as his final resting place.
The story about Tom and his brother Will living 200 miles apart turned out to be false also. Their niece, Frances Hagel, had told me that one was in Cochise AZ which is SE of Phoenix. Prescott, Yavapai Co. is NW of Phoenix. On the 1900 Census, they were BOTH in Providence Precinct - Tom was a boarder - Will lived alone as "head of household". Both gave ages that fit and said they were born IA, father b. MD and mother b. IN. (Bio by: Valerie Ogren)
The story about Tom and his brother Will living 200 miles apart turned out to be false also. Their niece, Frances Hagel, had told me that one was in Cochise AZ which is SE of Phoenix. Prescott, Yavapai Co. is NW of Phoenix. On the 1900 Census, they were BOTH in Providence Precinct - Tom was a boarder - Will lived alone as "head of household". Both gave ages that fit and said they were born IA, father b. MD and mother b. IN. (Bio by: Valerie Ogren)
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
