Campbell Field Trip!

Our oldest son recently moved to Holmen, Wisconsin. Our first visit there gave me the opportunity to see two cemeteries and make plans for future family history research.

Minneapolis is the nearest large airport so we flew there and got a rental car. En route from Minneapolis to Holmen, we detoured through Money Creek in Minnesota to visit the grave of my 4x-great-grandmother Elizabeth (Tainsh) Campbell. A few days later, we drove to Montello, Wisconsin and visited the grave of her husband, my 4x-great-grandfather, Duncan Campbell. We’ll start there first since Duncan died before his wife Elizabeth did.

Let’s refresh memories with respect to the Frasier and Campbell families. Duncan Campbell and Elizabeth Tainsh were originally from Crieff, Scotland. They married in 1822 in Crieff. They had three children while living in Crieff: Elizabeth, Jeannette, and John. Sometime around 1827 or 1828 they moved to Glasgow. There they had two more children: Ann (my 3x-great-grandmother who married Andrew Frasier) and James. The family emigrated to America in 1831 and settled in upstate New York. They had two more children while in New York: Margaret and Josiah. The oldest daughter, Jeannette, married Stoel Whitehouse while the family lived in New York. Sometime between 1841 and 1850 the whole family (minus Jeannette) moved west to Marquette County, Wisconsin. 

Here’s a diagram of how the Campbell and Frasier families are connected.

Duncan died in 1856 and is buried in the Glen Oak Cemetery next to the old Greenwood Presbyterian Church near Montello in Marquette County, Wisconsin. His tombstone is in pretty bad shape; in a few more years it will hardly be legible. The inscription reads,

D. Campbell Died Aug. 1, 1856, Æ 60 ys, 6 ms

The “Æ” stands for “Ætatis sutæ” which is Latin for “at his age”.¹ Working backwards from that date we would arrive at February 1, 1796 as his birthdate. Per Scottish church records, we know that he was baptized on October 16, 1796 but his birth date is not mentioned. I wonder if it really is February 1?

There were some other interesting tombstones in the cemetery. The first one you see as you drive in is for Duncan’s granddaughter, Addie McKay. Addie’s mother was Elizabeth Campbell, Duncan’s oldest daughter. So Addie would have been a first cousin of my great-great-grandfather, Edward Frasier. Addie died young at age 33. I have not been able to find a cause of death but I think I can order a death certificate for her. I will try and do that and write more about her another time. Her tombstone is quite elegant and would have been expensive. I wonder what the back-story is…

Another set of tombstones is for Duncan’s youngest daughter, Margaret (Campbell) Bowley and her husband Phineous “Finn” Bowley. I don’t believe they had any children. 

Another large and elaborate tombstone caught our eye. It was for Emmanual Dannon with the inscription, “The boy who would not tell a lie.” I looked him up when we got home. Emmanual was beaten to death by his adoptive parents because he wouldn’t cover for their murderous crimes. He became something of a folk hero. A very sad story that you can read more about here and here.

Here is a photo gallery for the Glen Oak Cemetery. Scroll farther on down to read about the Money Creek Cemetery in Minnesota.

In about 1852, Duncan’s oldest son John moved from Wisconsin to Money Creek, Minnesota. He was one of the first settlers of that area and founded a mill. The next year, his wife and children joined him. Not to long after, his sister Jeannette (Campbell) Whitehouse and her family moved to from Oswego, New York to Money Creek as well. After Duncan died, his widow Elizabeth (Tainsh) Campbell also relocated to Money Creek.

Here is a photo gallery for the Money Creek Cemetery.

As for future research; our Campbell ancestors were early settlers in this part of the country and were among the first landowners in the area. I would love to spend some time in the local courthouses and find more information about land ownership and deeds.  There isn’t much information of this sort available online so actual courthouse visits would be necessary. I would also like to find when and where Elizabeth (Campbell) McKay died (she was the oldest daughter of Duncan and Elizabeth Campbell). And, as noted above, I’d like to know about the circumstances of Addie McKay’s death.

1 “Meaning of Æ on Tombstones” https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1316529/meaning-of-ae-on-gravestones