Flynn and Related Families

The Ralph's first settled somewhere in New York state, likely in or near Augusta, Oneida County, where their first two children, Elizabeth and William, were born in 1830 and about 1834, respectively.

In 1836 the family left New York, bound for a new home in Wisconsin.

The first census that shows Thomas "Rolf" in Milwaukee was taken in 1836.
The Wisconsin Territory census in 1837 shows Thomas Ralph living in Milwaukee township, Jefferson County, Wisconsin. Actually, the area was originally all part of Milwaukee county; Jefferson County was split off in 1836.
The 1838 census for Milwaukee County, in which the Town of Lisbon was located at that time, showed 4 people in the Thomas Ralph household; likely Thomas, Ann, Elizabeth, and William.
In the 1840 census for the Town of Lisbon, the family includes 5 individuals: 1 male aged 5-10 (William), 1 male aged 30-40 (Thomas), 1 female under 5 years of age (unknown), 1 female aged 10-15 (Elizabeth), and 1 female aged 30-40 (Ann). No names are listed in that census, and no record of the "under 5" female child is found in later census records. It is believed that this was a child of Thomas and his first wife, but it isn't known what became of her.
The 1842 census for Milwaukee County shows 2 white males (Thomas & William) and 2 white females (Ann & Elizabeth) in the household.
The 1846 census shows 1 white male (Thomas) and 2 white females (probably his second wife, Isabelle, and their daughter, Jane).

Thomas became a naturalized citizen on November 18, 1847, in the 3rd Judicial District Court in Milwaukee. The record shows that he was born in 1805 in England, and that he arrived in the United States in April, 1830, in New York. Witnesses were Richard Craven Jr. and James Rodger.

When Thomas filed a preemption claim for his property on Dec 28, 1848, his application stated that his household consisted of himself, his wife (Isabelle), and two children (Jane and Caroline). It further stated that he first entered on that land (west 1/2 of Southeast 1/4 of section 22, township 8, range 19) on June 1, 1840, and that in May, 1843 he built a house, 16 feet by 20 feet, on that property. Witnesses to his claim were Richard Craven and John Weaver. On September 27, 1849, he filed a claim for an adjoining 40 acres described as the southwest 1/4 of the northeast 1/4 of section 22, township 8, range 19. A researcher in Waukesha county discovered that Thomas sold his land there to Mr. Edward Champney on April 9, 1856, but then repurchased it on April 29, 1856. She could find no other transactions for that land until it was sold to William Butler on December 1, 1873. She did not report on who the seller was on that date.

In the 1850 census, the Ralph family consists of Thomas and his second wife, Isabella, and four children: Jane, age 5, Caroline, age 3, Harriet, age 1, and John, age 1/12. (Census was dated 22 Aug 1850.) Thomas' first wife, Ann, and their daughter, Elizabeth, were living together in Milwaukee at that time; Elizabeth is shown as Elizabeth Baldwin, and there is a 3 year old child, Charles Baldwin, in the same household. William is found living in the Town of Pewaukee at that time.

The 1855 census shows Thomas Ralph still living in Lisbon, Waukesha County, in that year. The household consisted of 3 males (likely Thomas Sr., Tomas Jr. and John and 5 females (Isabelle, Jane, Caroline, Harriet and Rosella).

Thomas and his family moved to the Eau Claire, Wisconsin area in about 1856, settling in the area that is now known as the Town of Union, but was then in the "Town of Clearwater" (an area approximately equal to the present Eau Claire County) in Chippewa County. The following account of the family's move was included in the obituary of Thomas Jr: "Thomas Ralph, son of Thomas Ralph, was born in Lisbon, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Aug. 15, 1849. In the spring of 1856, he with his parents and several brothers and sisters left with a company of pioneers en route with ox teams for the Pacific coast. Their destination was what was then Oregon territory but on arriving at Eau Claire, then a small village, they came across an old friend known in England, Mr. Boree, who lived a distance west of town. With him they remained over night. Boree informed them that the Cheyenne Indians were bad at that time and so the Ralphs decided to go no farther. They took up land in what is now the Town of Union where he has resided ever since. He saw this country grow from a wilderness to its present state of cultivation and industry."

Thomas (Sr) purchased a 40 acre parcel of land described as the Northeast quarter of the Northwest quarter of Section 33, Township 27 north, range 10 west, in what is now the Town of Union, Eau Claire County from George and Sarah Leland on April 25, 1857. On November 30, 1858, he obtained Capital Land Grant Patent to a 160 acre property, described as the Northwest Quarter of Section 22, Township 27 north, Range 10 west.

Records show that in April, 1860, homas was elected to the position "Path Master, Road District 3" in the newly formed Town of Oak Grove.

The census of 1860 shows Thomas and his family (Isabelle, Jane, Caroline, Harriet, Thomas Jr., Rosetta and Matthew Chippewa) living on their property in Section 33 of the Town of Half Moon, Eau Claire County.

Probate records at Eau Claire, WI, show Thomas' date of death April 24,1868. Executors of his estate were Andrew Sutherland and Ephriam Boree. Witnesses who signed the will were George Leland, Levi Latimer, and Angus McVicar, all of West Eau Claire. The will was written on February 26, 1864.

At the time of his death, Thomas owned the following real estate, all in the Town of West Eau Claire (later Union):
NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 33, Town 27, Range 10 ------ $75
NW 1/4 of Section 22, Town 27, Range 10 ----- $1760
An inventory of his personal property, dated November 8, 1869, shows:
1 yoke of oxen $100.00
1 cow 30.00
1 steer 24.00
1 wagon 25.00
2 drags 8.00
1 sled 9.00
1 fanning mill 8.00
Carpenter tools 6.00
Household furniture 8.35
182 bushels oats 54.60
126 bushels wheat 91.98
Sundries 2.30
Total ---------------------------------- $367.73

Andrew Sutherland filed a claim against the estate on June 5, 1870 for$129.63 for the following expenses:
Feeding and taking care of stock before sold ------ $15.35
Paid for clothing for Caroline Ralph -------------------- 32.08
Doctor's bill for Caroline Ralph -------------------------- 5.70
Paid for fencing done on farm ---------------------------- 65.20
2-3/4 M shingles used on building ---------------------- 11.00
1 blank a/c book ---------------------------------------------- .25

The will requested that the real estate should be kept together until the youngest child [Mathew Chippewa Ralph] reached the age of 21. At that time, the executor was to sell the land. Upon sale of the land, the entire estate was to be divided according to the following terms. The children of Thomas' first marriage, Elizabeth and William, were to receive $5.00 each. The remainder was to be equally divided among the children of his second marriage: Jane, Caroline, Harriet, Thomas, Rosella, and Matthew Chippewa. Care of the minor children was entrusted to the executors; Ephriam Boree and Andrew Sutherland.

Thomas's second wife, Isabelle Bradley, had already died when the will was written in February, 1864. His son, John, who is present in the 1850 census of the Town of Lisbon, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, is not mentioned in the will. Probate records also state that daughter Rosetta had died prior to Thomas' death.

The Abstract of Title to the NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 of Section 22, Township 27 north, Range 10 west (the farm on County Highway "E") shows that Jane, Harriet, and Caroline sold their interest to Thomas (Jr.) in 1877. Mathew sold his interest to Thomas in 1880. Probate documents show that Jane, Harriet, and Caroline also sold their interest to the property in Section 33 to Thomas in 1877. When Mathew died in 1887, his interest in the property in Section 33 was assigned to his daughter, Mary E. Ralph [Korn], "subject however, to the unassigned dower and homestead right of said Maggie Ralph, widow . . .". Mary Korn and Thomas Ralph sold their interest in that property to Thomas Page. There was some confusion concerning the various sales and deed assignment and recording, which was resolved by the court in 1915 upon the request of John Bonesho, who bought the property from Thomas Page.

Records at Lakeview Cemetery in Eau Claire show that Thomas Ralph owned several burial plots there. The records show that those plots are "occupied" but there are no records showing who actually occupies those plots nor their burial dates. There are no markers on those graves. It is reasonable to assume that they are occupied by Thomas, his wife, Isabelle, and their daughter. Rosella, but no proof of that has been found.