In 1842, Louisa married a man named David Sweet. Who was he? Rumor has it he came from Boston, Massachusetts, and moved to Minnesota after deserting Louisa and their child. I found four men who may have been her husband.

Abner Adams

Born: 1795 in East Poultney, Rutland County, Vermont, USA

Father: Abner Adams (1762 to 1831)
Mother: Mary Adams (1753 to 1830)

Spouse: Matilda Ward (1795 to Unknown)

Married: 9 NOV 1823 in Georgia, Franklin County, Vermont, USA

Children:

Perley Adams (1824 to Unknown)
Louisa Adams (1 JAN 1826 to 31 JAN 1908)

Died: 1875 in Weyauwega, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, USA

Timeline:

1820 Death of brother, Talcott
1823 Marriage to Matilda
1824 Birth of daughter, Pearley
1826 Birth of daughter, Louisa
1830 Death of mother, Mary
1831 Death of father, Abner
1835 Death of sister, Phoebe
1850 Rosendale, Fond Du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA
1860 Weyauwega, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, USA
1863 Death of brother, Parker
1870 Weyauwega, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, USA
1875 Weyauwega, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, USA
1875 Death and Burial

Occupation: unknown

Records:

1850 to 1870 United States Federal Census Records
Wisconsin, U.S., State Censuses, 1855-1905
North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
Vermont, U.S., Vital Records, 1720-1908

Variations of Surname: none

Abner’s wife:

Matilda Ward:

Matilda was born on 30 NOV 1795 in Underhill, Chittenden County, Vermont, USA. I do not know when she died.

Matilda’s father was Dexter Ward. He was born on 28 MAY 1770 in New Marlborough, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, USA. He died on 28 JUL 1850 in Underhill, Chittenden County, Vermont, USA.

Matilda’s mother was Hannah Stevens. She was born on 23 NOV 1770 in Canaan, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA. She died on 13 MAY 1856 in Underhill, Chittenden County, Vermont, USA.

Abner and Matilda’s Daughters:

Perley Adams:

Perley was born on 12 NOV 1824 in Fairfax, Franklin County, Vermont, USA. I do not know when she died.

Perley married Tompkins Dunlap on 31 MAR 1840 in Walworth County, Wisconsin, USA. Five known children were born during their marriage. The two oldest children were born in Wisconsin, USA. The three youngest children were born in Michigan, USA.

Melissa A Dunlap (1847)
Almedia M Dunlap (1848)
Sarah L Dunlap (1852)
Mary J Dunlap (1854)
Abner J Dunlap (1857)

Tompkins Dunlap was born on 11 JUN 1818 in New York, USA. He died on 21 JAN 1898 in Willowdale, Dickinson County, Kansas, USA.

It has been suggested by other family tree owners that Perley died in 1862. This assumption is based on Tompkins’ second marriage date. I could find no death record to verify when Perley died.

Tompkins then married Maria M Risley on 22 Nov 1863 in St Johns, Clinton County, Michigan, USA. One known child was born during their marriage:

Fannie M Dunlap (1871)

Maria M Risley was born on 16 MAR 1825 in New York, USA. She died on 22 JUL 1901 in Talmage, Dickinson County, Kansas, USA.

Maria had previously married Lorenz Weber on 23 FEB 1856 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA. They were divorced in 1857.

Lorenz Weber was born in 1827 in Germany. I do not know when he died.

Lorenz had previously married a woman named Augusta. She was born in 1839 in Germany. I do not know when she died. No known children were born during their marriage.

After Maria divorced Lorenz, he married a widow named Mary Jane Firth on 11 SEP 1873 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, USA. No known children were born during their marriage.

Louisa Adams:

Louisa was born on 1 JAN 1826 in Fairfax, Franklin County, Vermont, USA. She died on 31 JAN 1908 in La Crosse, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, USA.

Louisa married a man named David Sweet on 22 FEB 1842 in Walworth County, Wisconsin, USA. One known child was born during their marriage:

William A Sweet (1843)

I could find no information on David Sweet.

The 1850 US Census shows that Louisa was living with her parents in Rosendale, Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, USA.

The 1880 US Census record listed her marital status as married.

These two documents lead me to believe Louisa and David separated before the 1850 US Census was enumerated.

The 1888 directory listing for La Crosse, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, USA shows that Louisa was the widow of David Sweet.

Who was David Sweet?

One family tree owner made this comment on his profile page for David Sweet:

“[The birth] date [of 1820 is] simply a guess. Family rumor has it that David Sweet came from Boston. He supposedly went to Minnesota after deserting his family.”

I could find no person named David Sweet who met these criteria. If he deserted his wife and child, he may have changed his name.

The 1850 US Census did have two entries for men named David Sweet who were living in Michigan, not Minnesota. Both men were born in 1825 and married after 1842.

David Sweet:

He was born on 4 NOV 1825 in New York, USA. He died on 26 SEP 1911 in Clarendon, Calhoun County, Michigan, USA.

He married Mercie Thornton on 6 MAY 1851 in Ovid, Branch County, Michigan, USA. There were eight children born between 1851 and 1877.

David Sweet:

He was born on 6 AUG 1825 in New York, USA. He died on 19 APR 1911 in Lansing, Ingham County, Michigan, USA

He married a woman named Catherine around 1847 probably in New York, USA. There were eight children born between 1850 and 1873.

How About Someone Closer to Home?

In 1870, Louisa was living in Ripon, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA. The next man was also living in this town in 1870.

Sylvester D Sweet:

He was born in 1821 in New York, USA. He died in 1876 in Ripon, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA.

Sylvester married Julianna Fairbanks on 17 JUL 1846 in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, USA. There were four children born between 1850 and 1867.

Could this man have had a brother who was living in Ripon in the 1840s?

My Thoughts:

All of these men married their wives after 1842 when Louisa wed David Sweet. Any of these men could have been her husband.

I do not know what happened to cause David to desert his wife and child. Once they were living together, maybe they found that they were not compatible. There are many reasons young people fall out of love.

For now, Louisa’s husband remains a mystery. Would a descendant of David Sweet know the answer to this question? Did he tell his children or grandchildren of his first marriage? Maybe.

I will be revisiting this profile in the next few years. You never know who might stumble across this post and shed some light on this mystery.

Notes:

John Adams (1595 to 1633) was the first person with that English surname to immigrate to North America from England. In 1621, John boarded the Fortune. This was the second ship, after the Mayflower, to bring Puritans to North America. In late November of that year, the Fortune arrived at Plymouth Colony. John was the progenitor of all the Adams descendants listed in these posts.

Creating Your Family Tree

Interested in building a great family tree? Remember these important steps:

Look in your photo albums. You may have old pictures that your parents or grandparents gave you. Or, ask them for copies of photos that they have in their possession. Many people will write names and dates on the backs of photographs. Letters, diaries, and family bibles are also excellent sources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Talk to your older relatives to find out about your ancestry. They may relate stories about an ancestor that you can add to your family tree. Family history is usually not found in newspapers. It is more of a verbal memory that is passed down from generation to generation.

Find the right family tree builder that suits your needs. You can choose one that has a paid subscription like Ancestry.com. There are also free sites like FamilySearch.org.

When you start building your family tree, add documentation to your ancestor’s profile. The records can include birth, marriage, death, census, military, city, and county directory listings. Any information that you can find will help create a life story about your ancestor.

If you have a unique surname, like Wakenight, you may find databases on the internet that are useful in your search. I use SurnameDB.com for my English surnames. There are many others on the internet for other countries like Ireland, Italy, and Germany.

Genealogy is the study of a person’s “line of descent.” As you create your family tree, you would typically start with one individual and go “back into time.” You would add their parents, grandparents, and so on.  There are also family trees that go “forward into time.”  Many of these family trees start with a famous person, such as a president or royalty, and move forward into the present time.  The purpose of this type of pedigree is to establish a person’s bloodline with that famous person.

There is no limit on how big your family tree can grow. The blank canvas is there for you to use. Cherish your family history, and it will be there for generations to come!