----Source: Neillsville Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 6 Oct. 1932

INQUIRES ABOUT FRENCH AND STURDEVANT FAMILIES

A letter was recently received at the Neillsville post office making inquiries as to the French and Sturdevant families who were among the earliest settlers here.

This letter is published with the thought that it will be of interest to the descendants of these families, also in the hope that some of them many communicate with the writer of the letter. It is as follows:

"To the Sheriff of Clark County, Wisconsin, or other person who May be kind enough to put me in touch with any of the descendants of the French or Sturdevant families of Neillsville. In the first census of Clark county in 1860, I find the French family, which I am anxious to identify John French, born in Vermont, 67 years old, farmer, living with B. F. French, aged 23 years, born in New York, wife Elizabeth R., age 25, born in Michigan; one child Rosenette, aged 2 years others probably brothers, Robert, aged 22, James, aged 33, Rufus, aged 13, Frederick, 6; Margaretta aged 32, and two young sisters Rostora and Rosella. Those ages were given in the 1860.

"John French, born in Vernmont in 1793, also had a daughter May A., who married James Sturdevant, they also had a family and I am hoping there are some descendants of this family who can tell me what county in Vermont the French family came from and the county in Pennsylvania they were in on their way to Neillsville.

" Any historian in the county can tell when the county of Clerk was organized, and what county Neillsville was in 1850. The tax list would show the names, or if John French left a will or settlement of his estate the records will show this. His son, John S. French, died in Thurston County, Washington."

Mrs. Bleecker Luce, 713 Nineteenth St. N. W., Washington, D. C.

In a postscript Mrs. Luce adds that she found a history of Clark and Jackson counties which states that Mary Ann French married Jas. Sturdevant in Warren county, Pa., and it is the parents and grandparents of this Mary Ann French that she is trying to locate. If anyone has a family Bible, old letters or anything to show who John French's wife was, Mrs. Luce would like to have the information. She writes: " My oldest daughter is the widow of Lieutenant Harry Waldron French, U. S. A., who was killed in a polo game at Ft. Benning, Georgia, in 1926. The data I am asking for is for my grandchildren. I will gladly sent the result of my French investigation to any of the family who May be interested. I will pay for Bible copies. Lieut. French belonged to Sons of American Revolution through his mother's family."