Elijah "Eli" Taylor Sweet (1790-1885)

Elijah Taylor Sweet was born to John Sweet and Alpha Lewis on the 10th of May 1790 in New York.

I want to stress again that there is an article on the Internet that he was born in Oswego, Oswego County, New York. This is a false fact at the time of his birth, as Oswego was not a town in that time period. It may have been when the article was written for the magazine then circulated on the Internet. I lost my notes, but I found this out at the Genealogy Library when Oswego became a town.

Elijah resided with his family to Leeds & Landsdowne, Rear of Leeds Twp., Ontario, Canada in 1807 and remained a resident until 1843.

He married Emma Ann Sly in 1817 and they had 6 children: Lydia, Elijah Judson, Arnold Lewis, Myron, Hiram, and Ella.

In 1844 Elijah and his immediate family moved to Wisconsin. Records show them living in Dayton, Green Lake, Wisconsin in 1860 and in 1861 residence in Portland, Dodge, Wisconsin when Elijah's wife, Emma Ann died on the 11th of November 1861.

I would be curious on the cause of death of Emma just because it strikes me that during that era women lived longer than the men unless there was something misunfortune.

Elijah had 4 Land Patents in the State of Wisconsin, which were:

Accession/Serial#: WI2660__.052NamesPatenteee: Eli T SweetTitle TransferIssue Date: 01 August 1844Land Office: 09Cancelled: NoMineral Reservations:NoAuthority: 24 April 1820 Sale-Cash Entries (3 Stat. 566)SurveyState: WisconsinAcres: 145.3900Metes/Boundes: NoDocument NumbersDocument Nr.: 9606Misc Document Nr.: Aliquot PartsSec./BlockTownshipRangeFract. SectionMeridianStateSurvey Nr.NW2/8 N11 E FourthWisconsin

Accession/Serial#: WI2760__.213NamesPatenteee: Eli T SweetTitle TransferIssue Date: 01 February 1848Land Office: 09Cancelled: NoMineral Reservations:NoAuthority: 24 April 1820 Sale-Cash Entries (3 Stat. 566)SurveyState: WisconsinAcres: 80.0000Metes/Boundes: NoDocument NumbersDocument Nr.: 14746Misc Document Nr.:
Aliquot PartsSec./BlockTownshipRangeFract. SectionMeridianStateSurvey Nr.W??SW26/9 N11 E FourthWisconsin

Accession/Serial#: WI2760__.214NamesPatenteee: Eli T SweetTitle TransferIssue Date: 01 February 1848Land Office: 09Cancelled: NoMineral Reservations:NoAuthority: 24 April 1820 Sale-Cash Entries (3 Stat. 566)SurveyState: WisconsinAcres: 40.0000Metes/Boundes: NoDocument NumbersDocument Nr.: 14747Misc Document Nr.: Aliquot PartsSec./BlockTownshipRangeFract. SectionMeridianStateSurvey Nr.SENE27/9 N11 E FourthWisconsin

Accession/Serial#: WI3100__.088NamesPatenteee: Eli T SweetTitle TransferIssue Date: 01 January 1850Land Office: 09Cancelled: NoMineral Reservations:NoAuthority: 24 April 1820 Sale-Cash Entries (3 Stat. 566)SurveyState: WisconsinAcres: 40.0000Metes/Boundes: NoDocument NumbersDocument Nr.: 31683Misc Document Nr.:

Aliquot PartsSec./BlockTownshipRangeFract. SectionMeridianStateSurvey Nr.NWNW27/9 N10 E FourthWisconsin The pre-1908 Wisconsin Land Records documents the transfer of land ownership from the federal government to individuals. This data can help genealogists associate an individual with a specific location, date and time to authenticate the title transfer and find clues to their family line. Individuals described in this set would be patentees, assignees, warrantees, widows or heirs of the transfer. The legal land description location is given, along with the issue date of the title transfer.

On the 19th of October 1864 Elijah remarried to Fanny Knapp in Walworth County, Wisconsin. Their residence was in Town of Bristol, Dane, Wisconsin. The 1870 Census show Elijah as a retired Farmer up to the time of his death on the 31st of May 1885.

Elijah Taylor is buried at Sweet Cemetery, Town of Bristol, Dane, Wisconsin, which is located on County Hwy West near the intersection of Stone Quarry Rd and County Hwy West. Also known as Quarry Cemetery.

In the Sun Prairie Countryman, dated June 4, 1885 Elijah's obituary read:

The venerable father of Mr. Lewis Sweet died at the house of his son last Friday and was buried on Sunday. The deceased was ninety year of age and was one of the earliest pioneers of the state.

Eli T. Sweet was born May 10th, 1796, in the state of New York. When a mere lad he removed with his mother to Canada. After residing there for several years he emigrated to southern Wisconsin about the year 1840, locating first in Jefferson County and subsequently in Dane. For several years past her has lived with his son, A. L. Sweet on the old homestead in the Town of Sun Prairie, near the Bristol boundary. Four sons and two daughters survive him; of the former Elijah is the eldest, living near Reedsburg, Wisconsin. A. L. residing as aforesaid, Myron, of Bristol, and Hiram, recently removed from the Town of York, to southern Dakota. One of the daughters is a resident of Canada, the other of Northern Dakota. Up to a year or two ago the old gentleman was well preserved and remarkably vigorous and active, but for several months preceding his death was very feeble and almost helpless. Four score years and ten-truly a long and well-fought span.

Thanks to other genealogist who were a direct line with Elijah Taylor, I was able to obtain quite a bit of information on him, but I am sure there is more.

Elijah Taylor and his sister, Lydia were twins.