Edmund Foster Mabie

1810 - 1867  (57 years)

• Name	Edmund Foster Mabie
  Census	1810	Patterson, Dutchess (later Putnam) County, New York   [1]
  	Abraham Mabee, one man and one woman over 45, two men and one woman 26-45, one woman 16-26, two boys and one girl 10-16, five boys and two girls under 10
  Birth	30 Jan 1810	Patterson, Putnam County, New York   [2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Census	1820	Patterson, Putnam County, New York   [4]
  	Joshua Maybee, one man and one woman over 45, two men 18-26, one man 16-18, four boys 10-16, two boys and one girl under 10
  Census	1830	Patterson, Putnam County, New York   [5]
  	Joshua Mabie, one man 60-69, one woman 50-59, 3 men 20-29, one male and thee females 15-19, and one boy 10-15
  Census	1840	Patterson, Putnam County, New York   [6]
  	Joshua Mabi, one man 60-69, three men and one woman 20-29, one boy 15-19
  Anecdote	1840  [7]
  	Delavan's circus history properly begins with the Mabie brothers. Edmund and Jeremiah Mabie grew up on a family farm in New York State, where they began developing a circus act in 1840. By 1847, they ran the largest circus in the nation, complete with 27 wagons, 125 horses and eight elephants. Their biggest elephant, Romeo, stood nearly 20 feet high and weighed 10,500 pounds. The Mabie Brothers Circus normally toured the Midwest and returned to New York in the winter, but something changed in 1847. As local legend has it, the Mabie brothers – en route from Milwaukee to Janesville – stopped at Delavan to hunt prairie chickens and promptly fell in love with the area. Local historian Patti Marsicano notes that Delavan Lake, "lush in its primitive state," provided the perfect spot for animals to thrive during the winter. Animal feed was important, considering that circus elephants consume up to 200 pounds of hay and 50 gallons of water per day. Marsicano adds that Delavan gave the Mabie Brothers Circus a head start over east-coast competitors who traveled to the Midwest when the season began. After the arrival of the Mabie brothers, Delavan became a magnet for other shows. By 1858, four circus acts had followed the Mabies to Delavan. This doesn't even take into account the "spin off" shows created locally. H. Buckley, for example, was a talented bareback rider with the Mabie brothers who soon formed his own show, called the "Grand Consolidated Circus and Menagerie." The Holland and Dockrill families likewise came to Delavan with the Mabie brothers and then formed their own acts. This "snowball effect" led to a booming Delavan economy and a growing population. Not all inhabitants of Delavan, though, were pleased with the change. Delavan began as a temperance colony, founded by Samuel and Henry Phoenix, who were both devout Christians. Their Temperance Inn on Walworth Avenue, for example, allowed only "strict" Christians to stay overnight. When the temperance colony dissolved in 1845, few residents expected the arrival of a circus three years later. This abrupt shift in the town's purpose upset long-time residents. The real problem was reputation. By and large, circus shows attracted the wrong type of people. Marsicano explains that "snake oil salesmen," looking to dupe the crowd or sell fake goods, often followed circus wagon trains. Long-time Delavan historian Gordon Yadon wrote that "con men and drifters" attached themselves to the circus, despite the best efforts of owners to keep them away. As the hub of 26 circuses over a span of 50 years, Delavan saw its fair share of con men. By the end of the 19th century, Delavan was dubbed not only the "circus capital of the nation," but also "the wickedest city in Wisconsin." The Mabie brothers, however, tried to run an honest show. They also put extensive time and money into the village of Delavan, purchasing the local gristmill and establishing permanent homes in the area. They bought 400 acres on Delavan Lake, which gradually expanded into 1,000 acres, all on the site of today's Lake Lawn Resort. Edmund Mabie went even further. He joined the Delavan Congregational Church, served as village president and contributed to public works. He ensured the completion of a 60-mile plank road from Racine to Janesville, which improved transportation through Delavan. Marsicano adds that both brothers "saw to the completion of the Racine-Mississippi railroad," which ran through Delavan starting in 1856. The Mabie brothers, in short, put this Wisconsin town on the map.
  Census	24 Aug 1850	Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin   [8]
  	E. F. Mabie, 25, M, Farmer, NY, $6000 M C Pierce, 30, F, IN Stephen G. Mabie, 35, M, Farmer, NY
  Witness-Probate	24 Feb 1860	Patterson, Putnam County, New York   [9]
  	Probate documents mention wife Elizabeth W. Mabie and children Sylvester Mabie and Jeremiah Mabie, both of Putnam County, Stephen G. Mabie, Edmund F. Mabie and Sarah E. Mabie, all of Walworth County, Wisconsin, and Daniel Mabie, residence unknown. Also mentioned are grandchildren Hiram Mabie of Dutchess County, William A. Mabie, Phebe Ann Dyckman, Ruth Ann Dyckman and Adeline Mabie, all of Putnam County and Charles Scott, Edmund Scott, Ferris Scott, Eliza Barrett, Annie Scott, Harriet Scott and "others whose names and places of residence are unknown. Letter of Administration was issued to Sylvester Mabie on 4/16/1860
  Census	4 Jun 1860	Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin   [10]
  	Edmond Mabie, 48, M, Farmer, NY, $20000, $5000 Laura Mabie, 26, F, PA Marlene Mabie, 8, F, WI, attended school Marian Mabie, 6, F, WI, attended school Ann Mabie, 5, F, WI Sarah Mabie, 6/12, F, WI Elizabeth Montgomery, 40, F, Domestic, Ireland Bridget Kerns, 20, F, Domestic, Ireland
  Info	Sharon M. Sova, #188,.Robert Mutrie, Frederick Secord, Royal A Mabee
  Death	26 Oct 1867	Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin   [11]
  Probate	3 Feb 1868	Walworth County, Wisconsin   [12]
  Reference Number	1713
  Burial	Spring Grove, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin   [13]
  	E. F. Mabie; died; Oct 26, 1862; aged 57 Y'rs 8 M's & 26 D's
  Person ID	I1702	Maybee Society
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024

  
  

  Father	Joshua Mabie,   b. 18 Jun 1769, Carmel, Putnam County, New York d. 30 May 1854, Patterson, Putnam County, New York (Age 84 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Elizabeth W. Gifford,   b. 13 Jul 1775, New York d. 7 May 1836, Putnam County, New York (Age 60 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Marriage	Y  [14]
  Family ID	F292	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Laura Buckley,   b. 23 Nov 1833, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania d. 29 Sep 1918, Elroy, Juneau County, Wisconsin (Age 84 years)
  Marriage	25 Nov 1850	Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin   [11, 15]
  Children	+ 1. Marline Mabie,   b. 5 Oct 1851, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 13 Nov 1884, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin (Age 33 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural] + 2. Marianne Crosby Mabie,   b. 14 Jul 1853, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 22 Dec 1917, Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Wisconsin (Age 64 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   3. Ann Mary Mabie,   b. 22 Jul 1855, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 18 Dec 1927, Hennepin County, Minnesota (Age 72 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   4. Sarah Elizabeth Mabie,   b. 29 Aug 1859, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 21 Mar 1912, Elroy, Juneau County, Wisconsin (Age 52 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   5. Matthew Foster Mabie,   b. 28 Jan 1862, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 7 Dec 1865, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin (Age 3 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural] + 6. Edmund Gifford Mabie,   b. 3 Apr 1865, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 14 May 1940, 1470 Midland Avenue, Yonkers, Westchester County, New York (Age 75 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural] + 7. Gurdon Montague Mabie,   b. 27 Apr 1866, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 21 Dec 1953 (Age 87 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]   8. Edmund Foster Mabie, Jr,   b. 23 May 1868, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin d. 31 Oct 1868, Delavan, Walworth County, Wisconsin (Age 0 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F288	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	7 Apr 2024

  
  

• Sources

  [S22] Steve Mabie, Steve Mabie, Mabie/Maybee/Mabee/Mabey Family Records; Url: http://maybeesociety.org/steve/steve.html, 1810 census. [S22] Steve Mabie, Steve Mabie, Mabie/Maybee/Mabee/Mabey Family Records; Url: http://maybeesociety.org/steve/steve.html, he is listed as 25 in the 1850 census, 48 in the 1860 census. [S380] Find A Grave; Url: http://www.findagrave.com/, Find A Grave Memorial# 7848284. [S476] United States Census of 1820 for New York, Patterson, Putnam, New York. [S22] Steve Mabie, Steve Mabie, Mabie/Maybee/Mabee/Mabey Family Records; Url: http://maybeesociety.org/steve/steve.html, 1830 census. [S22] Steve Mabie, Steve Mabie, Mabie/Maybee/Mabee/Mabey Family Records; Url: http://maybeesociety.org/steve/steve.html, 1840 census. [S192] Information taken from the Internet by John MayBee #8, atthelakemagazine.com, At the Lake Magazine, May 22, 2019, by Sarah T. Lahey. [S91] 1860 United States Census; Url: ancestry.com, Delevan, Walworth, Wisconsin; Roll M432_1007; Page: 310B; Image: 296. [S19] Steve Mabie, Chronology of records for the Descendants of Caspar Pieterse Mebie; Url: http://maybeesociety.org/steve/caspar/caspar.htm, page 52. [S91] 1860 United States Census; Url: ancestry.com, Delavan, Walworth, Wisconsin; Roll M653_1434; Page: 164; Image: 172; Family History Library Film: 805434. [S15] Maybee Society documents, Edmund Foster Mabie Bible. [S1] Ancestry.com online; Url: http://www.ancestry.com/, Wisconsin, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1987. [S380] Find A Grave; Url: http://www.findagrave.com/, Memorial ID 127594283. [S19] Steve Mabie, Chronology of records for the Descendants of Caspar Pieterse Mebie; Url: http://maybeesociety.org/steve/caspar/caspar.htm, from Pelletreau's The History of Putnam County. [S1] Ancestry.com online; Url: http://www.ancestry.com/, Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Index, 1820-1907.