On November 3, 2011, Addie Hoyt’s remains were exhumed and taken to Milwaukee for an autopsy. Read about the results of that autopsy here.
When I was in Lake Mills (early September and then again in late October), I walked the full breadth and length of the cemetery, looking for my (and Addie’s) relatives. (Addie Hoyt Fargo was my great, great aunt.)
I found more than a few family headstones. And I also found that I have a few questions.
Addie Hoyt's remains were removed on November 3rd, 2011. She was Enoch Fargo's second wife. According to Enoch's granddaughter (Mary Wilson), Enoch killed Addie.
Addie's sister (right) was Anna (1866-1966), and Anna married Wilbur W. Whitmore. Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Denver. Anna is buried in Denver with her husband (1865-1939) and their young son (Ernest Eugene Whitmore, 1888-1894).
Addie's brother was Eugene Beach Hoyt. He was a fairly dapper-looking fellow.
Is Eugene buried here in Lake Mills, or is this simply a memorial marker?
Homer Hoyt (the father of Addie, Annie and Eugene) is not buried in Lake Mills. This is a memorial stone at the Lake Mills cemetery. According to this, Homer died in 1894 and is buried in Everett, Washington. Addie's mother died in January 1895, in San Mateo, California. Phebe was a sister of Homer, and she died at the age of 2.
Kimball Hoyt and Sally Hoyt were Addie's paternal grandparents. They died in 1893 and 1894. Addie lost six relatives between 1893 and January 1895. She lost her father, her mother, her paternal grandparents, her Uncle Smith Hoyt and her nephew (Anna's little boy).
These markers represent several of the Sanborns. Kimball Hoyt married Sally Sanborn, and apparently, there were several Sanborns in Lake Mills in the early 1800s. Sally Sanborn Hoyt would have been Addie's father's mother (or Addie's grandmother).
Addie's foot stone is still in place at the cemetery, but as my friends have pointed out, it's only a marker. Her remains have been removed from this disrespectfully shallow grave. No piece or part of Addie Hoyt remains in the Fargo plot.
I would love to know if Eugene is buried there at the Lake Mills Cemetery. If so, he is the only immediate family member buried there. Addie’s remains have been removed, Anna is buried in Denver (with her husband), and Homer (Dad) is in Everett, Washington. Julia Hawley Hoyt (Addie’s Mom) died (and is probably buried) in California.
To learn more about Addie, click here.
To learn more about Addie and Anna, click here.
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I noted the Masonic symbol on the marker reserved for Eugene. I wonder if the Masons might have a record of his death.
In the 1900 census, Eugene is living in Milwaukee.
In the 1905 Wisconsin “census”, he is living in Milwaukee.
In 1910 he is not enumerated.
In 1920 he is living in Chicago.
In 1930, he has returned to Lake Mills, and is living at an unknown address on South Main Street.
He does not appear to have ever married. He does not appear in the SSDI, but that is not conclusive of a date of death. This year, the 1940 census will be made public. If he was still alive in 1940, we may learn where he was residing.
If he died in LM in the 1930s or 40s, I don’t think that there were any Hoyts or other kin to see to a funeral or to pay for engraving the death date on the marker. He may well be under that stone. Too bad you cannot ask the sexton.
@Dave
I would LOVE to ask the sexton. I wonder when I’ll be allowed to make inquiries of this tax-payer funded entity without being sent a bill?
It is, after all, my blood kin. Oh wait, that argument didn’t work too well for me before.
Do you think they’ll make me get a court order before I’m permitted to leave flowers on his grave?
@Sears Homes
Pose the question to the sexton in writing in a registered letter. If you receive no reply in a reasonable amount of time, you have then begun your case for nonfeasance. If you receive a reply indicating that he will not answer your question, you have a case for malfeasance.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the City of Lake Mill would have treated you better? And not only the City, but all of Lake Mills’ past and present residents? Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone interested in this mystery would treat everyone with respect? I wish you the best of luck and pray that someday the mystery will be solved!
Thanks for the comment, and you’re right. From the beginning, all I wanted to do was to get to the bottom of this amazing story, and figure out what happened to this beautiful, intelligent, interesting 29-year-old woman.
I’m a little older and a lot wiser now, and I’ve learned that when people can not attack the facts, they attack the person, and it saddens me greatly that I was *attacked* (verbally), because I wanted to get to the truth of this story.
When I first came into Lake Mills, I was so impressed with the idyllic little town. I called my daughter (who lived in Appleton for many years) and she said, “Mom, I miss Wisconsin so much. It’s a wonderful place to live.”
And then the hate mails started coming – sometimes 2-3 per DAY. I read a few of them to my daughter and she said, “That’s not the Wisconsin I remember. I can’t believe these people are treating you like this.”
But in the last couple weeks, things have changed – for the better.
Now, I receive a steady stream of supportive comments from people asking, “Why would *anyone* protest so much and react so strongly when all you’re trying to do is solve an old murder mystery? You’re after the facts, but the opposition seems to be after YOU personally.”
Why would the sexton send you a bill for trying to figure out if your great, great uncle is buried in a city-owned cemetery?
Debbie, that’s a good question. Heaven knows I paid dearly for that exhumation, and apparently, there’s a minimum 15-minute charge for every inquiry (just like the old long-distance companies charged). When I called his office and talked for two minutes, I got billed for “one-quarter of a hour.”
It’s a puzzle, let me tell you!
I am continually amazed at the “small-mindedness” of the city officials in Lake Mills! They all seem to suffer from “I’m a big fish in a small pond ” syndrome. They really do love throwing what little weight they have around. Geesh!