Bio: Blakeslee, Chauncey (Family Records)

Contact: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Blakslee, Hewitt, Boardman, Cooper, Beebe

----Sources: Census Records, Family Albums, Biogaphies & Cemetery Information

The Chauncey Blakeslee Family

Chauncey Blakeslee was b 3 April 1822 in NY. In 1840 he moved to Tioga Co., PA., in 1845 he went to Baltimore; went to Potter Co, in 1848, where he engaged in the Lumber business; removed to Bradford Co. in 1850 and entered into the mercantile Business, which he carried out till 1854.He then left for McHenry, Illinois; going to The Black River in 1855 keeping a store there; and in 1856 came to Neillsville, Clark Co., WI. He opened his first store there moving in to the store later occupied by Gates & Co. In 1865 he built another store, next occupied by Cole & Co. in this last store he ran the store under the name Hewitt, Wood & Co. till 1860 and then in his own name till 1871. He then sold the store to his old partners and he moved to Monroe Co. and kept a store. He traded that store for a mill in Jackson Co. where he stayed until 1878. He then came back to Clark Co. and bought the mill that he and Mr. Wood & Mr. Hewitt had built in 1865.He ran that mill along with his store in Neillsville, WI and a sawmill eleven miles east of Neillsville, Wis.

In 1859 he married Maria Sears Boardman 26 May 1859 in Covert, Seneca Co., NY She was b 9 Dec 1836 in NY and her parents were Russell Boardman & Rachel (Cooper) Boardman. Her brother, Samuel C. Boardman was also an early settler of Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.

They would have five children: George, Frank, Oscar, Minnie and Cora.

Neillsville Flour Mills on O’Neill Creek, northeast of the O’ Neill House were Erected by Chauncey Blakeslee in the fall of 1862.The buildings were built of Wood and when completed the two run of stone, with which a total of fifty barrels of flour could be ground in 24 hours were run by waterpower. The original cost $6000. In 1867 additions were made to an engine was substituted for water power and other improvements were made. Again in 1870 were sums for similar objects, including an additional run of stone. At that time four people were employed at a total weekly compensation of $35. Seventy-five barrels of flour are ground in 24 hours and the annual business was quoted at $15,000.

During the Civil War Chauncey Blakeslee wound enlist in Co I of 14th Wis. Inf. enlisting as a Corporal and mustering out as a 1st Lieutenant.

14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry

Organized at Fond du Lac, Wis., and mustered in January 30, 1862. Left State for St. Louis, Mo., March 8, thence moved to Savannah, Tenn., March 23-28. Served unattached Army of the Tennessee to May, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, Army of the Tennessee, May, 1862. Provost guard at Pittsburg Landing and Hamburg Landing, Tenn. Unattached, Army of the Tennessee, to August, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 6th Division, District of Corinth, Miss., Army of the Tennessee, to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 6th Division, Left Wing, 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 6th Division, 16th Army Corps, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 6th Division, 17th Army Corps, to September, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, to March, 1864. 2nd Brigade, Provisional Divisional, 17th Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf, to June, 1864. (Veterans attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee, April to November, 1864.) Detached Brigade, 17th Army Corps, and 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Army Corps, to August, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 16th Army Corps, to December, 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Detachment Army of the Tennessee, Dept. of the Cumberland, to February, 1865. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 16th Army Corps (New), Military Division of West Mississippi, to March, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 16th Army Corps, to August, 1865. District of Alabama to October, 1865.

SERVICE

Battle of Shiloh , Tenn., April 6-7, 1862. Advance on and siege of Corinth , Miss., April 29-May 30. Provost duty at Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., till July 23, and St. Hamburg till August 23. Moved to Corinth August 23. Battle of Iuka, Miss., September 19. Battle of Corinth , Miss., October 3-4. Pursuit of Ripley October 5-12. At Corinth till November 2. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign. Operations on the Mississippi Central Railroad November 2 to December 23. Moved to Moscow and duty along Memphis & Charleston Railroad till January 10, 1863. Moved to Memphis January 10, thence to Young's Point, La., January 17 and to Lake Providence, La., February 8. Duty there till April. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Champion Hill May 16. Siege of Vicksburg , Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Expedition to Mechanicsville May 26-June 4. Moved to Natchez, Miss., July 12. Capture of Natchez July 13 and duty there till October 9. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., October 9 and duty there till March, 1864. Regiment veteranized December 11, 1863 and Veterans on furlough January 3 to March 6, 1864. (Company "E" and Veteran detachments from each Company joined 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps, at Clifton, Tenn., thence march to Ackworth, Ga., via Huntsville and Decatur, Ala.. and Rome, Ga., April 29-June 8. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign June 8 to September 8. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Assault on Kenesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Howell's Ferry July 5. Leggett's or Bald Hill July 20-21. Battle of Atlanta July 22. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Pursuit of Hood into Alabama October 3-26. Rejoined Regiment at Nashville, Tenn., December, 1864, except Company "E," which went as a pontoon train guard to the sea November 15-December 10, and through the Carolinas to Washington, D. C., rejoining Regiment at Montgomery, Ala., July 16, 1865.) Non-veterans on Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2, 1864. Red River Campaign March 10-May 22, 1864. Fort De Russy March 14. Occupation of Alexandria March 16. Grand Ecore April 3. Pleasant Hill Landing April 12. About Cloutiersville April 22-24. About Alexandria April 26-May 13. Wells' Plantation May 6. Bayou Boeuf May 7. Retreat to Morganza May 13-20. Mansura May 16. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., May 20-24, thence to Memphis, Tenn., May 28-30, and duty there till June 22. Moved to Moscow and LaGrange June 22-27. Smith's Expedition to Tupelo, Miss., July 5-21. Camargo's Cross Roads, near Harrisburg, July 13. Harrisburg, near Tupelo , July 14-15. Moved to St. Charles, Ark., August 3-6, thence to Devall's Bluff September 1, and to Brownsville September 8. March through Arkansas and Missouri in pursuit of Price September 17-November 17. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., November 23-30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Moved to Eastport, Miss., and duty there till February 6, 1865. Moved to New Orleans, La., February 6-22. Campaign against Mobile and its Defences March 17-April 12. Fish River March 17. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9. Occupation of Mobile April 12. March to Montgomery April 13-25 and duty there till August. Moved to Mobile August 27 and duty there till October, Mustered out October 9, 1865. Regiment lost during service 6 Officers and 116 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 194 Enlisted men by disease. Total 319.

As one can tell from the beginning of this biography Chauncey Blakeslee was an astute businessman. From his early arrival in Clark Co., WI, he was always involved with the business and politics of Neillsville, WI.

In the fall of 1854 at the election of county officers he was listed as County Judge; he was appointed postmaster in 1858; on May 6, 1874 his building is hit by lightning and he along with several other businessmen barely escape their places of business being destroyed in a fire and a new fire dept is established; in 1875 the Clark County Bank was organized and he is listed as one of three directors; and in 1879 he is listed as a trustee for the new Neillsville Library Association.

When he retired he and his wife moved to Sparta, WI where they lived out their lives. Marie Boardman Blakeslee died 4 Jan 1903 at her home in Sparta, WI. She had traveled extensively in her later life to many European cities as well as places in the United States. Survivors were sons, George & Oscar of Minneapolis, MN, Frank of CA. and daughter Cora wife of Dr. Beebe of Sparta, WI. And a stepson, Wm. Blakeslee, living somewhere out west.

I don’t know when Chauncey Blakeslee died but there are the following Blakeslee persons buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Sparta, WI. Blakeslee, 1822-1888

Blakeslee, 1871-1872

Blakeslee, Dr. R.W. 1874-1922

Blakeslee, Maria S. 1836-1903

I believe the first Blakeslee listed may be Chauncey. (Birth year matches) The last person is his wife, Marie and I’m not sure who the other two persons are but both daughters Cora and Minnie were married to Beebe men. Cora is listed in her mother’s obit as the wife of Dr. Beebe so perhaps this is Cora and her husband?

Their son, George died 8 Dec 1920 after an illness of several months at his home at 2815 Girard Av. North in Minneapolis, MN. His cause of death was heart trouble. He was born 22 July 1864 in Neillsville, WI. He was married to Mary Herian on 18 March 1896 in Neillsville, WI. In 1900 they moved to Minneapolis, MN. Where he was engaged in the laundry business and at the time of his death he owned the Ideal Laundry, 81-81 Western Av.

Surviving him were his wife and eight children: Oscar, Thomas, Lawrence, Minnie, Frances, Isabelle, Lucille and Alice all at home. He was also survived by three brothers and two sisters listed on the obituary as Oscar S. Blakeslee, Minneapolis; Frank G. Blakeslee, of Olympia, WA; and Mrs. C. M. Beebe and Mrs. S.D. Beebe of Sparta, WI.

Rev. Harrington officiated at the funeral service and George was buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Family Notes

Chauncey Blakeslee was b 3 April 1822 in NY. In 1840 he moved to Tioga Co., PA., in 1845 he went to Baltimore; went to Potter Co, in 1848, where he engaged in the Lumber business; removed to Bradford Co. in 1850 and entered into the mercantile Business, which he carried out till 1854.

He then left for McHenry, Illinois; going to The Black River in 1855 keeping a store there; and in 1856 came to Neillsville, Clark Co., WI. He opened his first store there moving in to the store later occupied by Gates & Co. In 1865 he built another store, next occupied by Cole & Co. in this last store he ran the store under the name Hewitt, Wood & Co. till 1860 and then in his own name till 1871.

He then sold the store to his old partners and he moved to Monroe Co. and kept a store. He traded that store for a mill in Jackson Co. where he stayed until 1878. He then came back to Clark Co. and bought the mill that he and Mr. Wood & Mr. Hewitt had built in 1865.He ran that mill along with his store in Neillsville, WI and a sawmill eleven miles east of Neillsville, Wis.

In 1859 he married Maria Sears Boardman 26 May 1859 in Covert, Seneca Co., NY She was b 9 Dec 1836 in NY and her parents were Russell Boardman & Rachel (Cooper) Boardman. Her brother, Samuel C. Boardman was also an early settler of Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.

They would have five children: George, Frank, Oscar, Minnie and Cora.

During the Civil War Chauncey Blakeslee would enlist in Co I of 14th WI. Inf. enlisting as a Corporal and mustering out as a 1st Lieutenant. 14th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry.

As one can tell from the beginning of this biography Chauncey Blakeslee was an astute businessman. From his early arrival in Clark Co., WI, he was always involved with the business and politics of Neillsville, WI.

In the fall of 1854 at the election of county officers he was listed as County Judge; he was appointed postmaster in 1858; on May 6, 1874 his building is hit by lightning and he along with several other businessmen barely escape their places of business being destroyed in a fire and a new fire dept is established; in 1875 the Clark County Bank was organized and he is listed as one of three directors; and in 1879 he is listed as a trustee for the new Neillsville Library Association.

When he retired he and his wife moved to Sparta, WI (Monroe County) where they lived out their lives. Marie Boardman Blakeslee died 4 Jan 1903 at her home in Sparta, WI. She had traveled extensively in her later life to many European cities as well as places in the United States. Survivors were sons, George & Oscar of Minneapolis, MN, Frank of CA. and daughter Cora wife of Dr. Beebe of Sparta, WI. And a stepson, Wm. Blakeslee, living somewhere out west.

Chauncey filed a suit in Circuit Court Box 297 in 1865 Case No. 24 for collection of a lumber debt. Chauncey was a timber/lumber merchant. I do not have any info as to the defendant.  Lawrence Blakeslee.

Census Records

U.S. Census 1860 Clark County

Blakeslee, Chauncey Head M W 37 M New York Lumber Merchant 2500 2000
Boardman, S. C. Head M W 30 New York Lumberman 500 350

Contributors

Lani Bartelt & Lawrence Blakeslee

Sources

Biography

Cemetery records, Sparta, WI

Marie Boardman Blakeslee obit

George Blakeslee obit 

Civil War