Children of John and Laura P. (Bigelow) Fairchild:
16C59.81 Sarah Jane Fairchild, b 06 Sept 1836; d ____ ; m 19 Jan 1869 Harland P. Bird; res Menominee, MI.
16C59.82 Laura Eleanor Fairchild, b 22 May 1839; d ____ ; m 22 Nov 1865 Eli Wright; res Wausau, WI.
16C59.83 John Bigelow Fairchild, b 30 Mar 1841; d ____ ; m 08 Mar 1869 Nancy J. Turner; res Marinette, WI.
16C59.84 Addison Miles Fairchild, b 29 June 1843; d ___ ; m 13 Oct 1869 Maria E. Wright; res Marinette, WI.
16C59.85 Hiram Orlando Fairchild, b 14 Aug
1845; d ____ ; m 21 Nov 1871 Emma Hough; he was a lawyer and served as
Speaker of
the House in WI legislature; res Marinette, WI; and had:
a. Carrie H. Fairchild, b 25 May 1874.
b. Arthur W. Fairchild, b 11 Dec 1876.
c. Bertha W. Fairchild, b 14 Nov 1878.
d. Herbert B. Fairchild, b 10 Aug 1880.
e. Jean Fay Fairchild, b 13 July l882.
16C59.86 Charles Marsh Fairchild, b 10 Mar 1850 Knightstown, IN; d 09 Jan 1925 Chicago IL ; m 15 Jan 1874 Sarah Jane Cook; res Marinette, WI. 4 children(see below)
16C59.87 Asa Albert Fairchild, b 05 Aug 1852; d ____ ; m 14 July 1878 Helen M. Graves; res Marinette, WI.
Sources:
Bigelow Family Genealogy Volume. I page.371;
Howe, Bigelow Family of America; pg 155-156;
Drawing
of Laura: From Doug Frank: < dffrank56@mac.com >
Info from internet: http://home.new.rr.com/jenniferstolpa/charles_marsh_fairchild.htm
Charles Marsh Fairchild
Husband of Sarah Jane Cook (see
below)
Born March 10, 1850, in Knightstown, Indiana
Died January 9, 1925, in Chicago, Illinois
Buried in Marinette, Wisconsin (Woodlawn
Cemetery)Charles
Fairchild was the sixth of seven children born unto Reverend John
Fairchild
and his wife Laura Porter (Bigelow) Fairchild. Charles moved to
Marinette,
Wisconsin, with his family in May of 1863.
Charles married Jennie Cook in 1874 and their first
child,
Edna, was born in 1876. Edna was followed by Horace in 1881, who died
before
his first birthday. Daughter Oakalla was born in 1882, and finally
Charles
Willard Fairchild, commonly known as Willard, arrived in 1886.
Charles worked as a clerk in Addison Fairchild’s drugstore starting in
1870.
In 1872 he became a full partner and the store became known as the
Fairchild
Bros Drugstore. Charles remained a partner in “the Drug” until 1886
when
he bought the North Star newspaper in Marinette. Charles served as the
editor
& proprietor of the North Star for a number of years, the specifics
of
which we are still researching.
In October of 1896, Charles and family moved to Toledo, Ohio, where
Charles
reportedly founded the Standard Steel Tube & Forkside Company and
served
as its president. The reason for the move to Toledo was in all
likelihood
somehow intertwined with the Bigelow family. Charles’ uncle was Dr. Asa
Bigelow
of Toledo. It is safe to assume that Charles’ younger daughter, Oakalla
Bigelow
Fairchild, was named after Charles’ cousin, Miss Oakalla Bigelow (later
Oakalla
Bigelow Blue).
We have no records of any substance regarding the Fairchild family in
Toledo.
The 1898 Toledo City Directory lists Charles as the president &
treasurer
of the “Standard Tube and Fork-side Co” and his residence at 2807
Fulton.
Daughter Edna is listed as a student and Jennie was apparently a
laundress
at the Lucas County Infirmary. By 1903 both daughters (Edna &
Oakalla)
are listed as living at home as well. The 1904 Toledo City Directory
lists
only Jennie Fairchild, a seamstress at the Lucas County Infirmary.
Somewhere between 1904 & 1905 the Fairchild family moved to
Chicago.
Coincidentally, in 1904, Martha Ann Bigelow, the widow of Dr. Asa
Bigelow,
died in Toledo. Perhaps the loss of local family connections
precipitated
the Fairchilds’ move. The 1905 City Directory lists Charles M as
“removed
to Chicago ”. Many thanks to the Lucas County Chapter of the Ohio
Genealogical
Society for the Toledo research.
The 1905 Chicago City Directory lists Charles as a manager at 54 Erie
and
his home at 1814 Wrightwood. William Richard Fairchild, Charles’ nephew
&
son of Addison Fairchild, is also listed in this directory as a
reporter
for the Record Herald. If memory serves, Richard took over for Charles
when
Charles quit the North Star in Marinette. Charles continues to appear
in
the Chicago City Directory through 1916, but his residence is listed as
Evanston
beginning in 1909. Daughter Edna appears sporadically from 1907 onwards
as
a librarian and perhaps even as an artist (presuming there was only one
Edna
Fairchild in Chicago at the time). Son Willard is listed as an artist
in
1910.
The last mention of Charles in the Chicago City Directory lists him as
the
president of Voigtmann & Co at 445 Erie. Nephew Richard became the
assistant
editor of the Record-Herald and, by 1913, Richard’s half-brother
Stafford
is listed at the same address as Richard.
The point of all of the City Directory information is simply to show
that
there was an extended family of sorts in the same area at the same
time.
1915 is the last record that we currently have of both of Charles’
nephews,
William Richard Fairchild and his half-brother Stafford Brown
Fairchild.
We would like to know what became of them.
As for Charles and Jennie, they are presumed to have resided at 2700
Lincoln
Street in Evanston, Illinois, from 1911 onwards. The house was designed
by
Dwight Perkins and still stands today, although we have next to no
information
on this particular facet of the Fairchild family history. There is a
photo
of this house on the internet.
Jennie died in Wausau, Wisconsin, on Monday, March 30, 1914, after
being
in poor health for nearly three years following an operation for gall
stones.
Her obituary in the Wausau paper makes it clear that Charles was in
Chicago
at the time and her son, Willard, was living in New York City. Jennie’s
daughters,
Oakalla & Edna, were both living in Wausau. Daughter Oakalla gave
birth
to her third child in November of 1914 and Daughter Edna gave birth to
her
first child, Jane, two months earlier. Oakalla had married Neuman
Bellis,
of Hotel Bellis fame. Edna had married Colwart Pier, who was later the
proprietor
of the Pier Lumber Company. Jennie also appears in the Wausau City
Directory
for 1914. We presume that Jennie chose to be in Wausau to be with her
daughters
and grandchildren during her final months. She had visited Marinette
for
several weeks shortly before her death and had “renewed the
acquaintanceship
of years agone” (Marinette Eagle, April 2, 1914).
Charles died in Chicago in 1925 just a few months shy of his 75th
birthday.
His body was returned to Marinette via passenger train. The details of
his
funeral that appeared in the Marinette paper state that “There was
neither
singing nor preaching, only a brief prayer service.” Daughters Edna and
Oakalla,
as well as their husbands, were in attendance, but there is no mention
of
Willard being at the funeral. Charles was buried next to Jennie, but he
has
no tombstone.
Our research into the life of Charles Fairchild has shed some light on
his
interests and day-to-day pursuits. For example, we know that Charles
was
interested in music, at one time being a director of the state musical
society
in Wisconsin. He was a member of the Marinette Christian Temperance
Union.
Charles opened a reading room in Marinette and was a proponent of
building
a public library. He was also largely responsible for bringing electric
light
to Marinette.
We are both fortunate and thankful to have been able to establish
contact
with descendants of Charles’ daughter Oakalla. Many of the photos
posted
here are courtesy of Charles’ great-granddaughter, Cyndi Seddig. Her
interest
in genealogy has provided us with some wonderful insights into the life
of
Charles Fairchild. Cyndi spoke with her aunt “Kollie” (Oakalla
Fairchild
Bellis’ daughter, born 1912(?) in Wausau) when she became interested in
tracing
her family tree. Kollie’s description of her grandfather is not
particularly
flattering, but rather shows a very human side of a man we consider to
be
a close friend.
According to Kollie, Charles was, at one time, red-headed. Kollie
remembers
him as having a long, white beard that always had dried beef in it.
Kollie
recalls that Charles put salt on everything, sometimes as much as a
shaker
full. Charles was also reportedly crazy about women and used to sit in
front
of Jennie and write love letters to other women. Kollie also believed
that
Charles was “one of four or five brothers – the least successful of the
brothers.”
Do keep in mind that Kollie would have only known Charles as an old man
and
much of what she knows about Charles may have come from stories that
her
mom might have told.
We are thankful that Kollie shared her memories of Charles so that
history
can record something of his life in this world. Although we are not in
a
position to dispute anything that Kollie stated, we feel it is
important
to note that, of Charles’ siblings (brothers in particular), Charles is
possibly
the least historically-significant one of the bunch, with the possible
exception
of Asa Fairchild. By “historically-significant” we mean to say that
Charles’
pursuit of public-service roles was not as notable as his brothers. Of
his
brothers, Addison was wildly active in community services and a veteran
of
the Civil War. Brothers John and Hiram were prominent lawyers – Hiram
eventually
elected into the Wisconsin State Legislature. As for Asa, at present we
have
virtually no information. Although Charles’ historical significance may
be
overshadowed by that of his brothers, it is our opinion that to say he
was
“not successful” is untrue, but rather we agree that he may well have
been
“less successful” than other members of a family well-known for
exceptional
intelligence and dedication to humanitarian pursuits.
Of course, “success” means different things to different people. If
being
remembered after one is dead and gone is your measure of success, then
Charles’
star is rising as his life is now remembered by the two of us and,
perhaps
now, by you as well.
History records the following events pertaining to the life of Charles
M.
Fairchild…
*In statements below, “Boatman” refers to the two volume set of books
in
which John Boatman compiled numerous newspaper articles and details
about
Marinette’s early years. The books are entitled And the River Flows On…
On October 8, 1871 , the Great Peshtigo Fire struck northeastern
Wisconsin.
Charles’ brother, Addison, is mentioned in the first newspaper article
about
this disastrous fire. A book entitled Menominee Remembered (published
1982)
makes a brief mention of “Charley Fairchild” who was delivering
brand-new
furniture on State Street in Marinette during the height of the
late-night
blaze. The fellow who provided this memory asked Charley why he was
delivering
furniture to a house that was in danger of burning down. Charley
responded
that the furniture would be insured if it were destroyed inside the
house,
but that it would be a loss to its owner if it were left to burn
elsewhere.
An excerpt from "The Big Fire of 1871" (referring to The Great Peshtigo
Fire
of October 8, 1871), by Josephine Ingalls Sawyer, as printed in
Menominee
Remembered, by the Mid-Peninsula Library Cooperative, Iron Mountain,
Michigan,
1982. Josephine Sawyer lived through the fire and, as such, the
following
excerpt is a first-hand account of what she witnessed in Menominee,
Michigan,
during the height of the blaze.
"...Boat in Readiness
One of the big lake steamers had come in about midnight and tied up at
the
Jones dock. Among other things it brought the furniture for Mr. E. L.
Parmenter's
beautiful new home on what is now called State Street (the home of F.
J.
Trudell) [Menominee's State Street was renamed 7th street in 1950].
About
two a.m. I was standing on guard at our gate, the others having gone
where
they were needed more. It was so light from the glare in the sky that I
saw
Charlie Fairchild coming up the street with a load of furniture and
called
out, "Why take it to the house? The hills are all on fire back of Kirby
Creek
(runs through Finntown)." He answered, "Well, they'll get the insurance
if
it is in the house but not if it is on the boat." He told me the boat
was
being held at the dock for women and children if needed, some of them
fled
to it early in the night..."
The Marinette Drugstore, which had been operated since 1868 by Addison
Miles
Fairchild, became the Fairchild Brothers Drugstore in February of 1872,
when
Charles Fairchild became a full partner of his brother (Boatman, Vol.
1,
page 226). Charles Fairchild had worked with his brother in the store
since
1870.
In March of 1873, the interior of the Marinette Drugstore experienced
what
could have been a disastrous fire. “The fire at the drugstore was
caused
by the fall of a lighted chandelier which contained four lamps filled
with
kerosene.” The lamps broke, the kerosene ignited, and the fire reached
to
the ceiling of the store. Charles was in the store at the time and
smothered
the flames. The newspaper reported that throughout the ordeal Charles
displayed
“‘coolness and presence of mind.’” (Boatman, Vol. I, p. 272)
Charles married Sarah Jane Cook (“Jennie”) on
January
24, 1874 , in Portage, Wisconsin (Boatman, Vol. 1, page 302). Charles
&
Jennie had four children. Edna Fairchild was born on May 5, 1876 .
Horace
Fairchild was born on May 18, 1881, and died March 25, 1882. Oakalla
Bigelow
Fairchild was born November 13, 1882. Charles Willard Fairchild was
born
on November 18, 1886.
Although he was not as involved in politics—local and statewide—as some
of
his siblings, Charles was elected town treasurer in 1879. We have not
yet
uncovered the information regarding how long he held this position or
whether
he was elected to other local positions.
From Boatman Vol II., p. 72...
The New Year's Holiday in 1881
"Approximately 50 couples attended a dance at the Opera House hall in
the
village of Marinette on New Year's Eve. Willim's Band from Green Bay
furnished
the music for the event. New Year's Day of 1881 was described as bright
and
pleasant, as it was observed that calling, or stopping for brief visits
at
open houses, was more common that year than it had been for several
years.
There were a total of 14 open houses, most of them on the Wisconsin
side
of the river.
Several houses that were open on New Year's Day were 'beautifully
trimmed.'
Approximately 25 men 'made the rounds' on both sides of the river,
while
about 40 visited in Marinette only. Many of the men making the rounds
gave
out personal calling cards at each stop. One group, including C. M.
Fairchild,
H. O. Fairchild, T. A. Hay, J. W. P. Lombard, and Caleb Williams, had a
card
made which contained a photograph of the group and the words 'Happy New
Year--1881.'"
Charles Fairchild is pictured in the middle of the back row and his
older
brother Hiram Orlando is seated to the right. Jason was fortunate to
find
this photo at the Marinette County Historical Museum.
Charles was elected the director of the Marinette Mineral Land Co as
Secretary.
Addison was elected vice-president (Marinette Eagle, March 26, 1881).
On June 1, 1881, Charles opened a reading room for the men of Marinette
to
enjoy (Marinette Eagle, June 4, 1881).
In October of 1881, Charles and Jennie went to Milwaukee & Chicago
to
procure holiday goods for the Fairchild Bros. store (Marinette Eagle,
Oct.
1, 1881). On the 15th of that month, Charles and Jennie were at the
Cole
residence in Oconto for the Cole wedding reception. In the October 22
edition
of the paper there is a nice mention of the Fairchilds’ store
concerning
the “…largest and most attractive stock of holiday goods outside of
Milwaukee
or Chicago.” An advertisement in the October 29 edition states that the
Fairchilds
buy pianos straight from the manufacturers. By November 12, the store
occupied
a new addition that had been built.
The Marinette paper makes mention of Charles being one of the directors
of
the state musical society (Marinette Eagle, Oct. 14, 1882). The
November
17 edition of the paper announced the arrival of a 10-pound baby girl
(daughter
Oakalla).
Charles was instrumental in bringing electricity to Marinette. …. On
January
30, 1886, the Marinette Eagle reported that “C. M. Fairchild left
Monday
on a car to Chicago. Electric light business.” On February 6, 1886,
they
followed up with this additional report: “C. M. Fairchild returned on
Monday
from a visit to Chicago, Cleveland and other cities in the interest of
the
electric light business. While in Cleveland he purchased a 65-arc
dynamo,
which is the largest made. This will be run in connection with the one
now
in use.”
On February 13, 1886, it was announced that Charles had sold his
interest
in the Fairchild Brothers Drugstore and purchased the North Star
newspaper.