Otis Wescott's Family

Grandma Libby's father Otis H Wescott was the grandpa who "went to the drug store and never came home". I finally know for sure who his family was.

His parents were Jarvis H and Patience Wescott (sometimes spelled Westcott). Jarvis was born in Dec 1828 in Massachusetts. He was an iron moulder (as was Otis). Patience was born about 1832 in New Hampshire.

Otis was born in Connecticut in Oct 1851. By 1855 the family was living in Wisconsin, where Emma (1855) and Grace (1866) were born; they moved to Mpls in 1867, where Martha (1869) was born.

The following records were found:

1850 Jarvis (age 28) and Phila (sic) (age 20) living in New Hartford Connecticut.

1860 James (sic) and Patience Westcott in Janesville WI with Hosea H (sic) (8), Emma E (5) and Elida (1) [Eliza??].

1875 Javis (sic) and Patience Wescoot (sic), Grace (9) and M B (6) in Minneapolis. (Minnesota State Census)

1880 Jarvis H, Patience, Grace and Myrtle C Wescot in Minneapolis, at 1901 Washington Avenue. He is a foreman in an iron foundry. Grace is attending school and Myrtle is "at home." (Is "Myrtle" the same person as "Martha"?)

1885 Jarvis, Patience, Grace, Martha (is this Myrtle???) and OTIS are living at the same address in Mpls. This is just after the divorce. Martha is 16 and is listed as being blind.

1890 [Minneapolis Directory] all at 1901 Washington Avenue:
Jarvis Wescott - molder
Grace M Wescott - no occupation
Miss Myrtle B Wescott - musician

Otis Wescott - molder Listed with business address at 47th avenue north and Queen

1895 Jarvis, Patience, Myrtle and a Martha Levine at the same address on Washington Avenue. (Martha Levine is not a married daughter. Perhaps she is a boarder or a relative.)

1900 Jarvis and second wife Mary S [Osmer] Wescott and her son Melvin Osmer (age 10) living at 3610 21st avenue south in Mpls. They are just married.

1900 Otis H Wescott and his second wife Sarah (!) and daughter Azalia are living in Los Angeles CA. He is a moulder in an iron works.

By 1910 Otis must have died, because Sarah (now calling herself Sadie (!!) and Azalia are listed living together, but Sadie is a widow. Sadie lived until 1950. Azalia married Harold Broad in 1929 and either died prior to 1938 or they divorced and she remarried. (Up until 1936 Azalia Broad was listed in the California Voter Registration Records.) Jarvis also seems to be deceased by 1910.

I cannot be 100% sure that the Otis H Wescott in California is the man who was divorced by Sadie (Grandma Tomlinson) but he has the same date of birth, the same state of birth and the same occupation (iron molder), so I think it's him. (There are almost no other Otis Wescotts in the census records.)

Another interesting thing I found: in 1880, Otis and Sarah are listed TWICE in the federal census. Once in Mpls with their four children, and again in MILWAUKEE - just the two of them - living as boarders. Perhaps they went there for a job opportunity that ended up not working out. (Their ages, middle initials, his occupation, and their states of birth are the same, so I am fairly sure it's them.)

How interesting that after deserting his first family he lived for a time with his parents, then ended up in California and married to a woman with the same name as his first wife. Not only that, but both women (Sarahs who later went by "Sadie") were born in Maine. His second wife was 15 years younger than his first wife.

Also interesting is that Otis' sister was named Grace. I wonder if Grandma Libby (Agnes Wescott) and her siblings had a relationship with their father's family. Is it possible that Agnes and Edward's first daughter (Grandma Lohman) was named after Agnes' aunt?

And I wonder what kind of musician Otis' sister Myrtle was???