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Walter’s case was an exceptionally challenging (and intimidating!) case to solve. I knew from the very beginning that the odds of solving this case were not high. Too much time had passed and the living descendants of Walter were 3 generations removed from the answer I needed to find. I knew this case would be difficult, if not, impossible to solve. For this reason, this case is one of my absolute favorite “wins.”
Walter is my grandfather’s grandfather, making him my great-great-grandfather. Walter was raised in Wisconsin by his adoptive parents, Harrison and Lavinia, who had adopted him just before 1900. No one really knew where Walter came from. No stories had been passed down, and people had been pretty quiet about the entire situation. The family rumor was that a young relative had gotten pregnant out of wedlock and Harrison and Lavinia were raising the baby as their own to spare this poor girl the shame.
Of course, I had to know the answer. I had my grandfather and all of his living siblings DNA test in an attempt to get as clear of a genetic picture as possible. Believe it or not, but even full siblings do not share identical DNA matches to genetic relatives. It is extremely common for one sibling to match a relative more than another sibling. In this particular case, had we not tested all five siblings, I likely would not have cracked the case at all.
Once the DNA came back I was able to immediately refute the idea that Walter’s mother had been a relative of Harrison or Lavinia. There were absolutely zero genetic connections to either Harrison or Lavinia’s family trees.
Walter’s nickname growing up was “Mack.” No one really knew where the nickname came from, but my grandpa and his siblings often wondered if maybe the nickname was connected to his biological family. Turns out, it was. While searching the family trees of my grandfather and his sibling’s DNA matches, I stumbled across a Walter Mack, born on the same day and in the same place as my Walter was.
This absolutely could not be coincidence. I started digging more, looking into common connections and sure enough, this was my Walter, born in Poynette, Wisconsin. Sure enough, the grandson of Walter’s biological brother, Harry, popped up on my grandpa’s DNA matches.
Walter had been one of three living children born to a married couple in their thirties, William Mack Jr. and Auguste Schell. We had solved the mystery of who Walter’s parent’s were, but sometimes, the answer to a question only brings more questions. Why did the give Walter up? What could have happened that lead a seemingly normal, married couple to give up all three of their very young children?
I have dealt with numerous historical adoptions, but this one was extremely unusual. This wasn’t a case of an unwed mother hiding her shame from society in order to protect her reputation. This was a married couple in their 30s, living on a farm. They had wed in 1886 and had four children, including one, George, who died in infancy. What could have happened to drive them to this?
Despite my best efforts, I kept coming up short. I even enlisted the help of my cousin, Holly. I reached out to the Poynette Area Historical Society on Facebook and got into contact with an incredible woman named Mary. Because the Poynette Press has not been archived online, I was unable to access publications that may give more insight into Walter’s family and circumstances. Mary was able to obtain these records in person. I could not have gotten as far in this case as I did without her help! Mary sent me a very brief clipping, shedding new and tragic light on the situation.
Auguste had died exactly one month after the birth of her youngest child, Dora. While the term “blood poisoning” was used broadly in that era, it is entirely likely (and probable) that Auguste succumbed to complications related to childbirth and postpartum. Maternity care was not what is it is now. The chances of complications and infection were high. Maternal and infant mortality, though tragic, was not uncommon. Auguste was one of many unfortunate women who succumbed to these maladies, leaving her widower to care for two young toddlers and a one-month old baby.
In the 1890s, it was common practice that if your wife died and you had young children, you found a new wife. Men were not traditionally caretakers to the children in the home. In that era, a two parent household was a necessity. Men often worked long, grueling days on the farm, while the women tended to the home and cared for the children. A marriage after the death of a spouse may not have been centered around the idea of love, but rather, practicality. A failure to find a new spouse could compromise any and all stability in the family unit and therefore, it was often an expectation that a widower with children would find a new wife to care for the children, and do so quickly.
I will never know why, but Walter’s father William did not do this. Instead, William went off the deep end. He started drinking, getting into fights and stealing. At one point, William stole a buggy from a man he knew and worked with. He was caught, with evidence of the crime and sentenced to six months in jail. I can’t help but wonder what happened to the children while their father was in jail. Who cared for them? Where were they?
Despite six months of incarceration, William continued to make poor choices. He was left with three very young children to care for and perhaps the grief he felt was too much to bear. He repeatedly turned to alcohol to cope and continued to land himself in hot water with the local authorities. In 1894, something tragic happened.
The State of Wisconsin intervened in the Mack family’s situation, removing the young children from William’s care. In 1894, parents could legally beat their child in FRONT of the shed, and no one batted an eye. What was William doing (or failing to do) that was so horrific that the state chose to intervene?
William’s father, William Mack Sr. was a widower. His wife had died at a reasonably young age. It was unlikely that William Sr. would be able to take in and care for three young children. But where were Auguste’s parents and family?
Auguste was quite the mystery. I knew from the beginning something was off about her. I knew from census records that she had been born in Germany, but there were absolutely no records on her prior to her arrived in the United States. In that era, it would have been highly unlikely for a single woman without any resources to make the trip to America alone, without a father or a husband.
Again, follow the DNA.
It turns out, Auguste was a Scheel, not a Schell, and belonged to a local family in the same area. She had come over from Germany with her parents Wilhelm and Sophie when she was a little girl. The mistake in spelling could very easily be attributed to a poor transcription or perhaps she had a thick accent that made it difficult for the people collecting information to give the correct spelling.
The Children’s Home
After the court ruled that the children be removed from William’s care, Walter and his brother Harry were sent to the State Home for Dependent and Neglected Children in Sparta, Wisconsin. Their sister Dora went to live with William’s father and her aunts, as the home was unable to accept children under the age of three-years-old until 1901. It is unclear when the little girl was taken in by her grandfather, however, the boys were not and in 1894, they went to the children’s home.
The children’s home actually had a really good reputation. It was in operation for 89 years and accounts from former residents spoke highly of the food and staff. Unfortunately, many children perished in the children’s home, often due to outbreaks of scarlet fever, polio, diphtheria and influenza. In one record I found, it was stated that the hospital wing was more a “wait to die” wing and children were only sent there to prevent the illness from spreading to the other children. As tragic as that is, medical care was limited and death in adolescence was common. As a result, approximately 300 children are buried in the cemetery next to the children’s home.
After the home closed their doors for good, a golf course was opened nearby. Part of the conditions of the sale included the maintenance of the lawn in the cemetery, however, most of the care for the graves is carried out by local volunteers. The city used to have a fund to accommodate the needs of the cemetery, however, those funds are long gone.
Although not immediately noticeable, if you look closely at the Child Center Cemetery tombstones, you will notice they are marked with numbers. While a seemingly cold way to mark the loss of a child, it wasn’t as cold as it appeared. Wisconsin actually had fairly strict laws about the publication of the names of minors, even on tombstones in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This meant that the names of the children who died at the home could not be legally engraved in their headstones.
In 1999, June Laxton, a former counselor at the facility prior to it’s closure fought to honor the legacy of the children lost there. Thanks to her diligent and steadfast efforts, a record book was able to be located in the school and the graves of all but twenty children were able to be identified.
After the completion of this project, a monument was erected, bearing the names of the children buried there, as well as this message.
On the 223 acres which surround this peaceful place, many hundreds of children whose young lives were touched by tragedy and misfortune lived here at the Wisconsin Child Center, formerly known as the State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children. From 1886 to 1976, the numerous buildings and playgrounds provided the temporary homes for these many generations of children.
Some were orphaned, while others were born to families without resources to care for them. Some spent their entire childhood here, while others lived here only briefly. This cemetery is the final resting place for 305 children who were unclaimed at their deaths, many of whom passed away during epidemics of influenza, scarlet fever, diphtheria and polio in the days before vaccines were available. In keeping with the custom of the time, their graves were identified only by number. Yet the memory of these precious children lives on and in that loving spirit they are now given their names for all time.
Winona, Minnesota
The three young children are no longer in William’s care following the 1894 order of the court for their removal. William continues to make appearances in the local newspapers for various crimes, but eventually, leaves Wisconsin for good, traveling around various parts of Minnesota before he settles in Winona, Minnesota.
At the time, Winona was not a good place to be. Winona was the wettest city in the nation during the prohibition. Winona was also home to the United State’s world-renown red light district. Babies were often found floating down the Mississipi River, presumably belonging to the girls working the “line.” The red light district was in operation for 30+ years before one final raid shut it down for good in 1942. Winona was, at the time, a darker life full of crime and booze, but perhaps that was where William felt he fit in.
Despite what could have been a new start for William, he continued to get into trouble with the law and couldn’t seem to stop drinking. I can’t help but think that his alcoholism was likely a large contributing factor in his life of crime. Had he not been an alcoholic, perhaps he would have fared better in society and made something of himself.
Following a robbery conviction, William was sentenced to 2.5 years at Stillwater Correctional Facility. This prison was a large prison, rich with history that continues into our modern age. I am still waiting to obtain the records from William’s time here, however, I did find a newspaper clipping detailing a visit from a local preacher to the prison. The preacher reportedly spoke to the prisoners about the story of the prodigal son and William lead the prisoners in singing the hymn “The Handwriting on the Wall.” I believe William wanted to be a good man. He had a sense of conviction and belief in a higher power, but his grief just drove him to drink.
By now, I am sure we are all hoping William will turn a new leaf when he was released from prison. Sadly, this is not the case.
William Mack Jr. was last seen with three friends, Oscar Larsson, William Radigan and George Hendricks, purchasing two gallons of alcohol in Winona and walking out of town, along the train tracks. The four homeless men are never seen alive again.
At 3:30am, on April 24, 1904, a conductor of a train traveling just outside of Winona discovers the decapitated body of William Mack dragging beneath the train. The four intoxicated men had laid down on the train tracks, fallen asleep and were killed instantly when the train struck them.
William’s life, although difficult and filled with trauma, was cut short, through a series of unfortunate events, poor decisions and poor timing. My great-great-great-grandpa’s official cause of death is listed as “Killed by locomotive,” with the secondary cause listed as “alcoholism.”
The Children
Dora, the youngest Mack child grew up with her grandfather. She later married and became a nurse.
Walter and his older brother Harry resided at the Children’s home for a period of time. I am unsure how long Harry spent in the children’s home before being adopted by the Hodgson family, however, Walter spent 3-4 years in the home prior to his adoption.
I think one of the most difficult parts of this case to swallow is that the children were split up. First, all three children lose their mother. Then Walter and Harry are separated from their sister, sent to the Children’s home, only to be split up and adopted into separate families, and presumably, never saw each other again.
Despite the trauma and the separation, the three children were taken care of. Walter and Harry were both adopted; Harry by the Hodgsons and Walter by the Farringtons. They had families and homes. Life was looking up for Walter, despite his difficult start in life.
Walter grew up helping on the farm, tending to the animals and the crops, learning skills that would likely serve him the rest of his life, living in a farming community. He got married a young woman named Mamie when he was in his early to mid-twenties and they joyfully welcomed the birth of their newborn son in April of 1918.
Sadly, Walter’s happy new life with his wife and child would be cut short. When Walter’s son was just six-months-old, Walter would become one of the 50-million people worldwide to perish from the 1918 Spanish flu. At the young age of 28-years-old, Walter tragically left his wife a widow, with a young baby to care for.
Despite advances in societal norms, a single woman with a baby in 1918 was facing terrible obstacles. Fortunately for Mamie, a local man named Jacob agreed to take her and her young child in, hiring her as a housekeeper to cook, clean and tend to the home while he worked the farm. Because of Jacob, Mamie was able to care for and provide for her baby, being paid a weekly wage and given a place to live. She never remarried, and she and Jacob lived together as good friends until they both passed away, 49 years after Walter’s death.
