The tale of two women, Marie Keeler Ingalls and Bessie LaPean Patnode. These two women were my Grandmother’s and their lives were intertwined as adults in a way neither of them could have expected. As children their lives so very different from each other.
Bessie was born Elizabeth Emma LaPean June 18th, 1897 in Pepin WI. to Steve and Mary LaPean. They were not wealthy by any means and her childhood would be typical for the time but difficult. The women of the farm were expected to keep the chicken coops, gather the eggs, tend the garden, keep the house and all of the meals were made from scratch. She had 6 siblings, 4 of them girls so there was plenty help around the house once they got old enough. Their farm was 40 acres but very remote. There were no roads, no water, and no neighbors close by. During the growing season her father worked the farm but in the off season he went and worked with his parents at a blacksmith shop they owned. Bessie was the oldest child so she was expected to help with the younger children also. As Bessie got older she blossomed into a beauty. She had a very French look and was stunning with an extremely small waist. When Bessie was 18 years old her father was struck by lighting while working in the hay loft. Sadly it was Bessie that found him.
Marie Isabel Keeler born December 13, 1903 in Farm Hill WI. Marie was born to Will and Flora Belle Keeler. Will’s parents were immigrants from Ireland so he is the first generation American. His family moved onto the Keeler Place when Will was just 4 years old. Flora Belle was from a family that would have been considered upper middle class. Once she gave birth to Marie she fell ill and to the point that her and Will agreed it would be best if she moved with the baby to live with her parents, Nicolas and Mary Marson. Flora Belle passed away at 34 years old in June of 1913 when Marie was just 9 years old but Marie continued to live with her Grandparents her entire childhood.
This is where the tale of these women begin to intersect. Five years after Flora Belle passed Will married the beautiful and young Bessie LaPean. Will was 51 years old and Bessie was just 21 years old. Bessie was now Marie’s stepmother. Between 1919 and 1932 Bessie and Will would bring 7 children into this world. During this time the Great Depression hit and the farmers of this era felt the impact extremely hard. Will had moved onto the Keeler Place when he was just 4 years old and now it seems he could lose the place. Together Will and Bessie were able to raise the foods needed to sustain their family but there was nothing left over but even if there were foods or livestock left over, no one had the money to purchase those items so no funds were left to pay for the mortgage on the farm. The banks at the time were taking so many farms but for some reason they didn’t take the Keeler Place. In 1938 Will passed away leaving Bessie a widow with 7 kids and a farm to run. It was difficult but she had to do it. The bank made the decision to gift the farm to Bessie. I believe it was because she was now a widow and had 7 children at home to care for. Her stepdaughter Marie was now married and had a family of her own. During the growing season the local farmers would help each other out and in the case of Bessie being a widow the locals were ready and willing to step up and help her. In turn if when she could she would pay the ranch hands what ever was left. One of them was a very handsome man also a widower by the name of Wilford. It was clear to everyone that the two of them were smitten with each other and soon after working together their courtship began. They met in 1940 and after two years of seeing each other they decided to get married. Wilford moved himself and his 4 children from his first marriage into the Keeler Place with Bessie. The blending of the two families was not easy but Bessie’s stepdaughter Marie no longer lived with her and some of her own 7 children were leaving home as well. Wilford had been looking around for another farm that was larger than what the Keeler Place was. Eventually he found 2 farms connected that covered almost an entire valley. Wilford wanted those two farms and he put the Keeler Place up for sale. The Keeler Place sold quickly and Wilford and Bessie were moving forward purchasing the other two farms when Marie stepped in. Marie said the Keeler Place had been in her family since her father was 4 years old. She believed she was entitled to some of the monies from the sale of the farm. Not sure what to do Wilford decided to talk to the bank and ask them what should be done in this case. According to Wilford that bank said that during the depression the farm’s value had fallen to zero and the bank had gifted the farm to Bessie, for those reasons Marie would not be entitled to any of the monies. This caused a problem between them for years and it may never have been resolved except for the marriage of my parents. The relationship is a little difficult to understand but here is how each of these people are related to me.
Will Keeler is my Great Grandfather and the father of my Grandmother Marie
Flora Belle, is my Great Grandmother and the mother of Marie
Marie is my grandmother but also the step daughter of Will’s second wife Bessie.
Bessie is Will’s second wife, stepmother to Marie and the mother of 7 children with Will.
Wilford is Bessie’s second husband and the father of 4 children. He is also my Grandfather. One of his 4 children from his first marriage is Fern, my mother.
Fern is my mother and she and my Dad Gene married and had 8 children. I am one of them.
Gene is my Dad, Fern’s husband and the son of Marie. Complex, I know. This is one of the many reasons I find family history so interesting! Family is Everything!