Peter Arts/Mary Hessel 1824 - 1880 Brown Co. WI
I have been researching my Arts ancestors. This is what I know at this point:
Peter Arts (my great great grandfather) married Catharine Duclow at Bay Settlement, Brown County, Wisconsin on February 15, 1858. I have a record of their marriage from Holy Cross Church.
Their child John Arts (my great grandfather) was born April 3, 1859 and was baptized at Holy Cross Church at Bay Settlement. I have a record of that birth and baptism from the Green Bay Catholic Diocese.
In 1860 I find Peter (age 36, born Holland), Catharine (age 23, born Belgium), and John (age 1, born Wisconsin) on the census at Green Bay, Brown County, WI.
In 1870, I find Peter (age 46, born Holland), MARY (age 26, born Austria) and John (age 10, born Wisconsin) on the census at Eaton, Brown County. (Note that the female's name is different). I do not know what became of Catherine.
I find Peter Arts on the 1875 State Census (also at Eaton), with two males and three females in the household. That is all the information available on the State census. There is no indication of ages. So, I was unable to determine whether any of the females were children. (I assume that the two males are Peter and his son John, and one of the females is Mary.)
Recently I took at trip to Wisconsin and came across some additional information.
I found death certificates for two daughters of Peter and Mary, along with Mary's maiden name. (Hessel)
Mary Arts born April 27, 1878, died March 27, 1879 from Diptheria. Her parents are shown as Peter Arts and Mary Hessel of Eaton, Brown County, Wisconsin. She was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery.
Anna Arts, born January 22, 1874, died April 7, 1879 from Diptheria. Her parents are also shown as Peter Arts and Mary Hessel of Eaton, Brown County, Wisconsin. She was also buried at St. Joseph Cemetery.
I also found where Peter Arts bought land at Eaton in 1866 and paid taxes on that property until 1879. Then on March 1, 1880 (close to year after the girls died), he and his wife Mary (the land record listed her as Maria Anna) sold the land, and that is the last record I have of him. This land record proves to me that he and Mary did not die prior March 1, 1880.
Until this point, I thought there might be an unrecorded death of Peter. However, given that I found where he sold his land in March 1880, I am almost certain that he moved, rather than died.
I am hoping that someone researching the ARTS/HESSEL surname has come across him in some other county or state. I have totally lost track of him and would love know where he went.
Please note: I am aware of Peter Arts in the 1900 census in Brown County. However, this is a much younger Peter Arts (by about 20 years) and a large family. He is definitely not the Peter I am looking for.
Elaine Johnson
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