The Family of Bridget Smith
Title: Madison Fire Department Description: E.W. Keyes Steam Fire Engine Company Number 1, Madison Fire Department
Madison Fire Department Chiefs
1882-1884 William Vallender
Robert Vallender, grandson of Bridget. Click to Enlarge.
Earl Vetter, son-in-law to Frank Vallender. Click to Enlarge to read obituary.
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,,Maria Vallender Vetter.
Visited Irish John Smith in 1928 during her trip to Yellowstone
National Park. Click to Enlarge for news article. |
Florence Vallender, married Moe Rathbun. Click to Enlarge to read her obituary.
| Service Meeting. Marie
Vetter,
Click to Enlarge
Another service meeting with Marie Vetter. Click to Enlarge. |
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So...What is the real story? (continued)
Bridget
married William Vallender around 1865. Their first child Frank was born
a year later, and Catherine, their youngest daughter, was born in either
1868 or 1869. In the 1870 census their daughter, Catherine, was listed
as "Mary". As noted earlier, Bridget was listed as "Theresa" in
this census. Our ancestors on both sides of the family changed
names "freely" - the priest knew them by their baptismal name while
their friends often knew them by another name. In this census, it shows
that she was born in Ireland around 1842.
But in the 1880 census, Theresa (Terresa) shows her birth year around
1845 and of Prussian origin. It also shows another daughter was
added to the family - Margaret - who was born in 1875. In
addition, we see a family by the name of Schroeder living with them in
1880. Sally Schroeder was listed as a sister-in-law in the census,
and her daughters listed as "nieces" to the head of household. Sally
Schroeder showed her heritage as Bavaria (or Prussia).
At first we
thought that Sally was a sister to William Vallender...but this is where
the story gets interesting.
The Wisconsin state records show that William Vallender and Therisia
Schroeder were married in Dane County on October 8, 1872. The
sister-in-law, Sally Schroeder, was actually Therisia/Theressa's sister;
and therefore the birth country listing in the 1880 census is accurate.
It appears that Bridget Smith Vallender, mother to Catherine and
Frank, died sometime after the census was taken in July 1870 and October
1872. As we don't have Bridget's death record, we can only speculate as
to the cause of her death. But...who would have thought that
William would have married two women by the same first name.
William's daughter Margaret is technically unrelated to us. That is why the only two families we will follow are Frank and Catherine's family, and appears that they had some connection to the South Dakota Smith's until the mid-1950s.