In a handful of days, I’m headed to Lake Mills, and yet I still don’t know where Dr. Oatway lived in the early 1900s!
There’s a reason that this is so very important.
My great Aunt (Addie Hoyt Fargo) died on June 19, 1901, allegedly from a gunshot wound to the head, delivered by her ever-loving husband, Enoch Fargo. Her 51-year-old husband (Enoch Fargo) had fallen in love with Maddie Hoyt (no relation to Addie), and wanted to marry Maddie.
According to local lore and two published accounts, Dr. William H. Oatway (Enoch’s personal physician and the attending physician at Addie’s death) openly stated years later, “No one was fooled” by his alleged falsification of Addie’s death certificate (showing diphtheria as the cause of death). Folks knew Enoch had killed his young wife as she lay sleeping in her bed. More on that here.
Thanks to Heather Lukaszewski, we’ve now got an obituary for Doctor Oatway (from 1944).
I’m publishing the obit here in the hopes that someone might find some additional clues that I have overlooked. It’s happened before! I hope it’ll happen again! 🙂 And maybe – just maybe – someone has a photo of Dr. Oatway!
The obituary, as it appeared in the Waukesha Daily Freeman on January 3, 1944.
Wauckesha – Dr. William H. Oatway, 72, prominent Waukesha physician, who practiced here for 30 years, died Sunday afternoon at his home, 144 S. East Avenue. Dr. Oatway had been ill for several months and last June submitted to an operation.
After a short rest, he returned to his office in the Putney block but a month ago was forced to his home again because of illness.
Funeral services will be held for Dr. Oatway Tuesday afternoon at 2 pm in the Presbyterian church. The Reverend L. E. Bradfield will officiate. Interment will be in Prairie Home cemetery. Dr. Oatway was born in Carlston Place, Ontario, Canada and was educated in Canada at MacGill university. He graduated in medicine from the Milwaukee Medical College, which later became Marquelle University in 1897, and practiced general medicine in lake Mills for 15 years.
He specialized in eye, ear, nose and throat treatments, and held degrees from the Polyclinic in New York and from Vienna Austria. He began his practice in Waukesha in 1913. Dr. Oatway held memberships in the Waukesha county, the state, and the American Medical Societies and at one time, held the presidency of the Waukesha County Medical society. He was a Mason, a member of the Elks Country Club and was a charter member of the Kiwanis club here.
During World War 1, Dr. Oatway served on the state draft board of appeal and later was a consultant staff member of the government hospital at Resthaven. He is survived by his wife, Alice Hanlon Oatway, a son, Dr. William H. Oatway of Tuscon, Arizona; a daughter, Mrs. Charles Dornbusch, Chicago, and a grandson, William H. Oatway III of Tuscon.
Friends may call at the family resident, 144 S. East Avenue. The Randle Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Enoch Fargo and his bride, Addie Hoyt Fargo in 1896 at the time of their wedding. Addie was 22 years younger than Enoch. He allegedly murdered Addie so that he could marry Maddie Hoyt (no relation).
Addie Hoyt Fargo in 1896. She would have been a mere 24 years old in this photo.
*
Addie's death certificate, allegedly falsified by Dr. Oatway. The lower portion shows that the death certificate was certified on June 19, 1901.
*
On October 2, 1913, the Waukesha Freeman (newspaper) reported that Dr. Oatway was moving from Lake Mills to Waukesha to open a new office there. Interesting that, years after establishing a successful practice in Lake Mills, he'd up and move to Waukesha.
*
Addie's obituary as it appeared in the local paper, soon after her death.
*
I bet Addie was "very much shocked" too. This obituary attempted to explain her fast death from a slow disease process.
Addie, in the bedroom where she was allegedly shot by her husband, Enoch Fargo.
Addie, about 1899.
And here's Maddie, the woman Enoch was (allegedly) willing to kill for. Contrary to local lore, she was not related to the Hoyts of Lake Mills in anyway. Maddie Louise Harbeck Hoyt Fargo was born seven years before her mother (Marie Harbeck) married Henry Hoyt. In 1880, Maddie (then seven years old) was living with her grandparents in Lake Mills. Her grandmother was Elizabeth Fargo Harbeck.
To read more about Addie and Annie Hoyt, click here.
* * *
From the Jefferson Co Land Records, it looks like he had a plat of land:
Tax Property Description
LOT 1, BLK 1, W.H.OATWAY’S
ADD.
Which would be what is now W. Madison Street. Not terribly far from the Mansion.
http://www.jeffersoncountywi.gov
May be check with some of the residence that live on Mulberry, in the Fargo Houses. You can’t miss them, they are huge stone houses. One is vacant (next to the mansion), the other Fargo house (there is a stone in front with the Fargo name on it) has been in the current residents family since the early to mid 1900s, I believe. I believe it has only had one or two (families)owners since Fargo built it. They may have some more history for you. Good Luck!
I think you should investigate this too Rose. You might find something.
P.S. This reminds me of a tv show I used to watch on HGTV I think it was. Something about old houses and what the current owners uncovered. Sometimes they were given items by previous owners/occupants. This show was about what is called a house history. Even houses have genealogies! If walls could talk. And that may have been the name of the show.
My email/computer/ISP don’t want to behave today. Posting here is easier. You might find some useful information at the below website.
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/genealogy/
When looking for death certs, also check the ones that were filed with the state. Sometimes there are differences between the county filed dc and the state filed dc. Check both if you can.
I’m not sure if you’re still looking for his address (I’m reading the blogs in order) but I would research his memberships. They kept all sorts of detailed records, especially the Masons from what I’ve been told. Kiwanis and Elks Country Club might have more readily available membership records so I would start there.