Obit: Flagg, Stryker B. (1886 - 1955)

Contact: Dolores Mohr Kenyon

Email: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 
 

Surnames: Flagg, Palzer, Weisensel, Wake, Bostwick, Hatton  
 

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark Co., WI.) December 15, 1955 
 

Flagg, Stryker B. (2 February 1886 - 24 November 1955) 
 

Stryker B. Flagg, 69, of Sun Prairie died at his home Thursday night, November 24, after a brief illness. 
 

He was born February 2, 1886, in Janesville and came to Greenwood with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Allison Flagg, in 1904. 
 

In 1917 he was married to Mary Palzer of Greenwood.  They lived on the 26 road until they sold the farm and moved to Milwaukee, where they had employment up to 1954.  In April of ’55 they moved to their new home in Sun Prairie to be near his daughter. 
 

He leaves his wife, two daughters: Marion, Mrs. Henry Weisensel of Columbus, and Marjorie, Mrs. Robert Wake of Sun Prairie; eight grandchildren; two sisters: Emma, Mrs. Charles Bostwick, and Myrtle, Mrs. Clark Hatton of Greenwood.  
 

Funeral services were held November 28 at Sun Prairie with interment in the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Attending from Clark County were Mr. and Mrs. Clark Hatton and Mrs. Charles Bostwick. 

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Bio: Flagg, Mary – Lost Engagement Ring Found After 55 Years (Aug 1979)

Transcriber: Stan

Surnames: Flagg, Seliskar

----Source: TRG (Abbotsford, Clark Co., Wis.) 5 Sep 1979

One day last week, after a heavy rain, Mrs. Jim Seliskar of route 1, Greenwood, was out in her garden gathering vegetables when she saw what at first appeared to be a cigar band. Upon looking a bit closer, she saw it was a ring. As she picked it up and started scraping away the layers of dirt, and as the sun rays struck it, she realized it was a lovely diamond mounted in an old fashioned scrolled type of gold mounting. More scrubbing, a polishing brought out the initials and engraving which read: from S.F. to M.P. Jim and Ev Seliskar knew that their present farm, which they have lived on for 20 years, had once been owned by on Stryker Flagg. With the help of some neighbors and a few long distance calls, Mrs. Seliskar was able to identify and locate the owner of the ring. It was the engagement ring of Mrs. Stryker Flagg, now 85 and living at 716 Wilson Street, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Mary was a young girl of 22 when she came home to Greenwood from Milwaukee to visit her parents, when she accepted a date with her boyfriend Stryker Flagg. They decided to see a movie at the Greenwood Opera House, then located east of the present Greenwood Bakery. Somewhere along the way to town, as the horse pull the buggy along the well-known route, without assistance from it driver, Stryker presented an engagement ring to May and asked her to marry him. Mary said she doesn’t remember anything about the movie she saw that night, she was too busy trying to peer at the diamond in the dim flickering gas lights of the Opera House.

They were married a year later and moved onto the present Jim Seliskar farm, which is located where what was then known as the “Janesville Settlement.” The ring was always given special care, never, never, to be worn when washing dishes or working in the garden. But the new Mrs. Flagg recalled a habit she had of taking it off and slipping it into her big apron pocket whenever there were chores to be done. She said they never really knew what happened to the ring, other than it was missing from its place in its “little ring box.” One day when she wanted to wear it. A logical explanation was that it slipped out of her roomy apron pocket when she was bending over working in the garden, where it remained for some 55 years. Mary remembers feeling very sand about it for months afterwards. She said, “We all felt sad and although we looked for it many, many times, we finally gave up.” She also said she didn’t get another ring, because in those days you wer fortunate to get the first one, and besides, antoehr ring could never have the sentimental value and memories that this one had. She remembers her husband telling her he bought it at McCormick’s Jewelry Store, then located in part of the former Farmer’s Store building, known then to beveryone as the “Big Store”. The 14 carat gold ring was in excellent condition – the gold was unpitted and the diamond setting appeared to have lost none of its brilliance.

Twenty five years ago the Flaggs sold their farm and moved to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, where they built a new home. Eight months later, on Thanksgiving Day, Stryker passed away with a heart attack. Mary Flagg still lives there along and does all of her own housework, although a married daughter lives within a few blocks. She is alert, physically fit, and has a good sens of humor at age 85. Her nine grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren provide interest visits and happenings. She has many memories of Greenwood and asked to be remembered to all her friends who are still there.