In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

235 a p p e n d i x b Neighbors Surnames and the Census The spelling of names in old records is variable.1 Take the Newnham family as an example. Howard’s and Henry’s military records, as well as the censuses of 1870 and 1880, have the surname of Newnham; but the 1860 census is Newnahm, the 1850 census is Newham, and Esther Claflin spells it Noonham. In addition, the various censuses list Mr. Goodell as P. W. Goodell in 1850, as P. Watson Goodel in 1860, and as Prescott Goodell in 1870. Esther and Gilbert sometimes write Goodall and sometimes Goodell. Even Gilbert and Esther Claflin appear as Gilbert and Esther Claflins in the 1860 census and as Gilbert and Hester Claflin in the 1870 census. Alexander Family The 1860 census shows forty-five-year-old John Alexander living in Oconomowoc with his wife Eliza (thirty-six) and three sons: Robert (nineteen), John (seventeen), and William (fourteen). John, Eliza, and Robert were all born in Ireland. The Alexanders were a farming family. In the 1850 census, the family was living in Sullivan, Wisconsin, with Eliza listed as Elias. This census was taken September 19, and the ages were listed as John (thirty-three), Elias (twenty-seven), Robert (nine), John (eight), and Wm. B. (five). I could not find them in the 1870 census. In an undated fall letter, Esther reports that Elton had gone to see the Alexander boys. William Allison William Allison was a blacksmith in Summit. The 1860 census shows the Allison family living in Summit. William (forty-six), Margaret (forty-two), and Elizabeth (twenty) were all born in Scotland. The next two children, Cornelius (fifteen) and James (twelve), were born in Canada. The four youngest—Fanny (eight), Andrew (five), Mary (three), and Maxwell (one)—were all born in Wisconsin. The 1870 census shows Margaret and the four youngest children living in Elgin, Wabasha County, Minnesota, more than two hundred miles to the northwest, with John C. Allison a twenty-eight-year-old farmer. Cornelius was living nearby with his young wife Minerva. Also nearby was another farming Allison family; it included twenty-six-year-old William, eighteen-year-old Emma, and their infant son William. In his letter of February 12, Elton wrote that Mr. Allison died of diphtheria. Alvord Families It seems likely that the Lew Alvord mentioned in Esther’s letters is the man listed in the 1860 census as Muric and in the 1870 census as Minich. He has a growing family with the eldest child named Louis (or Louisa). The Mr. Alvord who bought Esther’s mother’s house for Lew’s family was probably his father, Justin. The 1860 census shows fifty-six-year-old Justin and fifty-three-year-old Sarah Alvord living in Summit next door to Esther’s Uncle John. In Oconomowoc were Muric (twentynine ), Ann (twenty-four), and their three-year-old daughter Louisa Alvord. The 1870 census shows the younger family still in Oconomowoc: Minich (thirty-nine), Ann (thirty-two), Louis (twelve, now listed as male), Jesse (eight), and Ulyses (two). Both Justin and Muric have mason listed for occupation in 1860. In 1870, Minich is listed as a bricklayer. In her letter on December 18, Esther wrote that Lew Alvord’s wife was sick with typhoid. On June 19 she wrote that her mother, Abigail, had sold her place for two hundred dollars to Mr. Alvord for Lew’s family. William Barton The 1860 census shows a William Barton living in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, ten miles south of Summit. In the letter of April 16, Esther wrote that she heard Mr. Barton was poorly. Baxter Family The 1860 census shows forty-nine-year-old Orpha Baxter living in Summit with her two sons: nineteen-year-old Harmon and sixteen-year-old Henry. By that, Harmon Baxter was twenty-two years old in 1863. Another source says Harmon Baxter was born September 18, 1837, and died November 20, 1881, in Granite Falls, Minnesota; thus, he would have been twenty-five in April 1863. In his letter of February 16, Price wrote, “I expect there will be another wedding before spring. Frank Lockwood is going with Harmon Baxter to all the dances.” In her letter of April 20, Esther wrote, “I guess Frank is ruined beyond redemption. She left school in the winter, and has been toting about here and there, and out with Baxter almost every night; and now she...

Share