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View Tree for Alfeus OldfieldAlfeus Oldfield (b. December 25, 1849, d. January 13, 1919)


Picture of Alfeus Oldfield
Alfeus with Ernest & Ben Rinehart

Alfeus Oldfield415, 416 was born December 25, 1849 in Liverpool, England417, 418, and died January 13, 1919 in Eau CLaire, Wisconsin419, 420. He married Ada Stroud on September 22, 1879 in Eau CLaire, Wisconsin421, 422, daughter of Morrell Stroud and Hannah.

 Includes NotesNotes for Alfeus Oldfield:
[Kosmo Family2.FTW]

According to grand daughter Virginia, Alfeus Oldfield was a citizen of the world. Born in Liverpool, England in 1849 Alfeus' father was an auctioneer and owned a furniture store. He and his wife had 22 children of which 19 reached adulthood and several were twins, including Alfeus. The family may have been of modest means inasmuch as the children all attended private schools and in later years it is said that they returned home to receive an inheritance.

When Alfeus was 10 years old he was sent to the cloak room at school for some misdemeanor. At the end of the day the school master forgot the young boy locked in the closet and left for the day. Alfeus got out of the closet, broke a window and left the school. The next day the school master refused to admit him back into class. He was labeled unmanageable and expelled. His father found a place for Alfeus aboard a sailing vessel with a job as a cabin boy. Alfeus spent the next few years working aboard ships. He was a small man, barely over 5' tall with jet black hair and grey-blue eyes. Somewhere in his sailing days he learned to play the accordian and in later years had his own band that played for man public events in Wisconsin.

After his years at sea Alfeus came inland and joined the circus as a clown. The circus was headquartered in Iowa but, as many circuses did at that time, made its winter home in southern Wisconsin near what today is the Wisconsin Dells. One year while the circus was wintering in Wisconsin Alfeus me a young horsewoman whose family owned an inn at Lodi, WI. When the circus left during the night Ada Stroud, the young horse rider, slipped away with them. She became Adrienne, the bareback rider and tightrope walker. In time the little clown fell in love with her and they were married. They left the circus but Ada's parents had disowned her and apparently never forgave her for going into showbusiness.

They moved to Eau Claire, WI where they purchased land west of the city and became farmers.


More About Alfeus Oldfield:
Fact 1: Clown in Burr Robbins Circus (Barnum & Baily).423, 424
Fact 2: Wife was bareback rider in same circus.425, 426
Fact 3: One of 22 children.427, 428
Fact 4: Father owned furniture store & was auctioneer.429, 430
Fact 5: Kicked out of school as "unmanagable".431, 432
Fact 6: cabin boy on ship.433, 434
Fact 7 1: played consatina & accordian.435
Fact 7 2: played consatina.436
Naturalization: March 13, 1915, Eau Claire, WI; Doc. # 48833, Petition Volume 2, No. 240.

More About Alfeus Oldfield and Ada Stroud:
Marriage: September 22, 1879, Eau CLaire, Wisconsin.437, 438

Children of Alfeus Oldfield and Ada Stroud are:
  1. +Bess Gay Oldfield, b. November 06, 1894, Eau CLaire, Wisconsin439, d. December 06, 1973, Eau CLaire, Wisconsin439.
  2. Emily Oldfield, b. 1882439, 440, d. date unknown.
  3. Hannah Oldfield, d. date unknown.
  4. Thomas Oldfield, b. May 10, 1890441, 442, d. date unknown.
  5. Florence Oldfield, d. date unknown.
  6. Ray Oldfield, b. September 02, 1897443, 444, d. date unknown.
  7. Percy Oldfield, b. May 30, 1901445, 446, d. date unknown.
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