William Crowe, departed Ireland from the port of Limerick in April of 1838 as a mere sixteen yer old and landed three months later, in Quebec, Canada, in July of 1838. On the 21st of April,1845, he filed his application of Intent for Naturalization at the District Court in Iowa County, Territory of Wisconsin, as a current resident from there. On November 8, 1847, he and Miss Mary Ryan were married st St. Paul's Catholic Mission Church in Mineral Point, Wisconsin by Father V. Journault and witnessed by Alex. McCormick and Mary Cominsky.

William was a Blacksmith by trade and Farmer. A few years after William and Mary Ryan married in 1841, William joined the many others who struck out west in the Gold Rush Years to California, leaving Mary and their first born, a daughter,, Johanna, among good friends and neighbors, who included the well known Scotchman, nicknamed as "The Giant of Cottage Inn", having been passed down orally in our family since.


The above FAG Memorial Death date was taken from: 1)William Crow's Lafayete County, Wisconsin Testate Probate File Case #1619, specifically the APPLICATION TO PROBATE which states: "The Petition of Mary Crow & John F. Martin of said County respectfully represents that William Crow, late of said County, deceased on the 26th day of December 1871, Kendall, in said County, died testate, as petitioners believes, that the instrument in writing herewith presented to this Court, is the last will and testament of said deceased, as petitioners believe; and that the said petitioners are the identical persons named and appointed in and by said last will and testament as executors thereof; that the heirs at law of said deceased are all named in said will , as petitioners believe, and that the said heirs reside at Kendall, aforesaid.,...Dated at Darlington this 8th day of January A.D. 1872 PM., Presence of P.A. Orton, Jr., County Judge.* Mary made her mark(X)between her given and last names, written by a Court clerk. John F. Martin wrote his own name (no mark). This document is considered a Genealogical Primary Source.
2) The Republican Journal, Darlington, WI, 6 Jan 1872
(p.3/c.1): "Wm. Crowse [CROWE], a respected farmer of

Kendall township died Tuesday evening,December 26, 1871, leaving a large family.
3) There were Guardianship papers that I once viewed ca 1997-2000 when they were still within the old 1800's document file drawers of the Probate back room that also confirmed William's date of death as December of 1871 (not 1872). Sometime between then and 2008 these Crow Guardianship records, along with any others that existed at that time, were taken out and destroyed by the Lafayette County Probate Court,in conjunction when that room was renovated. Sadly they were no longer available when I went back in 2011 to obtain copies. The year (1872) on both the original tombstone and small Flat Marble stone is incorrect, most likely due to the original stone not being erected until the spring, following December 26, 1871. The engraver failed to recall that the death date was actually the previous year (easy to happen within a new year and is known to have happened. I hope this long time error can finally be corrected, if only from here. I will post a copy of that court document and newspaper death notice when I get a new printer. This Source: Susie # 47375864

* Close connection to to Johannah Hickey in 1860 Census. See the 1910 Census where Johannah is listed as Patrick Deary's Grandmother in-law, which makes his wife, Hannah Deary, a granddaughter of Johannah Hickey's.

Nina (White) Dahl's Gr. Gr. Grandfather, Burton Drake was on Written p.#676 on Aug 30th) and my William Crow was on written p. 673 on Aug. 29th= 3 census pages away from each other within Kendall Township of Lafayette Co., Wisconsin. Nina and I would like to know how far away in miles, did our our ancestors reside from each other? I know that my Crow homestead house was located on Burr Oak Road, not far from the intersection of Burr Oak and Cottage Inn roads. Thank goodness my Ryan/Crow cousin, Mary Marguerite (Nordof) Keyes showed me where the house was located, where only three trees now mark that area. Burton was born ca 1815 in the state of NY. I wonder if William and Burton met prior to their Kendall Twp. days, since William's brother Timothy, resided in NY prior to emigrating to WI from NY and William had made his way from Quebec sometime from July 1838-Nov 1847 that I know of, for sure.