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John L. Ladd

A tentative chronology of John L. Ladd

About 1818_John L. Ladd born in New York (Source: census records for 1850 and 1910.)

About 1821-22_Rachel was born in New York (Source: census records for 1850 and 1910.)

1840_No Ladd names are in this year's Wisconsin census index.

1846_Charles Henry Ladd born 25 July in Wisconsin

1847_The Wisconsin Territory census has a James Ladd in Neenah Twp., Winnebago Co., with 43 males and 4 females.

1850_Federal Census for Wisconsin, Winnebago County, Town of Bloomingdale, page 535. Taken on 13 Aug. 1850. It lists:
John L. Ladd, age 29, a lumberman, born in New York, and married to Rachel (or Rachaul), age 30, born in New York. With them was Charles Catchball (or Catchbull), age 5, born in Wisconsin. The neighbor on one side was named Bigelow and on the other side was Batchelder. (Source: visual inspection of census record, of which we have a photocopy.)

1854_Purchased land in Lancaster, Grant Co., Wisc. He was given a grant of land (Certificate No. 22680) on 15 Dec. 1854. He is listed as living in Grant County, Wisconsin. This land was located on the N. ½ of the S.E. 1/4 of Sec. 4 T. 5 N. R. 4 West, (and other lands) in the District of lands subject to sale at Mineral Point, Wis. Rec. March 16, 1908 at 4 P.M. (Source: abstract held by Edward Klein of his land; we have a photograph.) Another undated record of land sales for Twp. 5 shows his purchase of this and other unspecified lands for a total of 320 acres at 50 cents per acre, paying a total of $160.00. (Source: photocopy of the record.)

1855, March 3_He and Rachael, wife, mortgaged the land described above ("and other lands") to the Milwaukee & Mississippi Rail Road Company for $5000. (Source: abstract held by Edward Klein; Forrest and Jean saw the abstract in June, 1998 and have photographs of it.)

1855_Wisconsin State Census, Grant County, Town of Lancaster, page 4, volume 6, taken 1 June 1855. In the household were 2 males and 2 females. The neighbor on one side was Thomas Carter and on the other was James S. Cummings [Cummins?], with 2 males and 3 females. See the 1870 census record for another mention of this name. (Source: visual inspection of the census record; we have a photocopy.)

1858_A certificate of purchase was issued that includes the land described above, as well as the following:
the W 1/2 of the SW 1/4, the S 1/2 of the NW 1/4, the S 1/2 of the NE 1/4, and the N 1/2 of the SE 1/4 of Sec. 4, Twp. 5N, Range 4W, in the District of Sands, containing a total of 320 acres. The last of the four parcels described here is the same as that granted on 15 Dec. 1854. (Source: Certificate dated 1 June 1858; we have a photocopy.)

1860_Federal Census for Wisconsin, Grant County, Town of Millville, page 132, taken on July 13. John L. Ladd, age 42, a farmer, with Real Estate valued at $4,480 and Personal Estate valued at $800, born in New York, and married to Rachel, age 38, born in New York. With them was Charles Ladd, age 12, born in Wisc.; Lydia Knapper, age 26, a domestic, born in Can. West; and Arthur Ellis, age 28, farm laborer, born in New York, with Real Estate value of $300 and Personal Estate value of $100. The neighbor on one side was Thomas Graham, age 36, born in Ireland, and on the other side was Joseph Tomlinson, age 32, born in Ohio. (Source: visual inspection of census record; we have a photocopy.)

1863_He and wife Rachel sold "N 1/2 of the S. E. 1/4 of Sec. 4 T. 5 R. 4 West, (and other land) subject to a mortgage made by said parties of the first part to the Milwaukee & Mississippi Rail Road Company dated March 3, 1855" to Simeon N. Small for $1000. NOTE: This is the last record we have about John L. Ladd. (Source: abstract held by Edward Klein; we saw it and made a photograph in June of 1998.)

1870_Federal Census for Wisconsin, Grant County, Town of Boscobel, has a listing for Rachel Ladd, age 49, at home, born in New York, living in the home of James Cummins [Cummings?], age 47, farmer, born in Vermont, and his wife Anna J., age 47, born in Vermont. Also listed were Lucius A. Cummins, age 19, laborer, born in Wis., and Jennie M. Cummins, age 12, at school, born in Wis. This Boscobel record was taken on July 13, 1870. (Source: visual inspection of census record; we have a photocopy.)

1870_An index for the Federal Census for Wisconsin, page 67, for Grant County, the Town of Lancaster lists Rachel Ladd, age 50, born in New York, as living in the home of William Miller, age 53, laborer, born in New York, and his wife Susan, age 46, born in New York. Also in the household were Wallace, age 17, born in NY, and Milo, age 12, born in WI. We do not know the date the record was made in Lancaster, but a plausible guess is that it was made earlier or later, and between the two records she had either moved or was in the other town visiting. Another possibility is that there were two Rachel Ladds, both about age 49 or 50, living in Lancaster and/or Boscobel, Grant County.

Rachel was listed in the1870 census and, as far as we can tell, John was not. That makes us wonder if John died sometime between 1863 and 1870. Judging from his residence in 1855 and 1860, he very likely was in Grant County in the general vicinity of Millville (1860) or Lancaster (1855).

John held an original patent on 320 acres of land in Grant Co., WI. It was located in W 1/2 of SW 1/4 and the S 1/2 of NW 1/4 and S 1/2 of NE 1/4 and N 1/2 of SE 1/4 of Sec. 4, Twp. 5N, Range 4 West, Little Grant Township, Grant County, Wisconsin. He bought it Dec. 15, 1854 and the patent was issued June 1, 1858. It was Cert. No. 22,680. Some of this land is now part of the land owned by Edward Klein. The abstract for the Klein farm only shows the N 1/2 of the SE 1/4 part of this land. John purchased this land for $160. On March 3, 1855 he and his wife Rachel mortgaged the N 1/2 of the SE 1/4 part ("and other lands") to the Milwaukee & Mississippi Rail Road Co. for $5000, and sold it ("and other land") to Simeon N. Small on Aug. 7, 1863, subject to the mortgage. How much of the other land besides this one tract he sold at the same time is not known at this time. (Sources: an image of the original land patent from Wisconsin State records, an abstract to the Edward Klein property, and a plat map of Little Grant Twp. dated 1997.)