Farm near Apple River
William Levitt came to America with his parents. By 1838 he had purchased land in Grant County in Wisconsin Territory, later Monticello Township. The History of Jo Daviess County says he "came to this county in 1838, and to this town in 1839; there were but few living here at that time, and there was not a house on either side for a number of miles."
Farm near Apple River
He was 48 years old when he married Cynthia Stone, then 37. Born in Canada, Cynthia had accompanied her parents to Monticello Township, where she met William. William and Cynthia had two boys, George and William, both of whom died during their first year. Cynthia died in June, 1855 following the birth of the second baby.
About two years later, William married Ann Arthur Maynard, widow of Richard Maynard. Richard and Ann had been married in England, and their first child, Elizabeth, was born there a few years before they came to America. Richard and Ann had three daughters and one son after moving to Wisconsin. Richard left his family to travel to California during the gold rush, returning to Wisconsin in the early 1850s, where he died of consumption in 1853.
William was a Justice of the Peace and held other offices in Apple River, Illinois, just across the Wisconsin border. William and Ann had no children. William died in 1886. Ann, however, lived until 1912. Her obituary (from the Warren, Illinois, Sentinel-Leader) tells her fascinating history.
Ann Levitt and daughters
"GRANDMA LEVITT DEAD
Lived to The Remarkable Age of More Than One Hundred Years
Ann Arthur was born in Cornwall, England, July 24, 1812, and died At Apple River, Ill., Thursday, July 17,
1912, aged 100 years, 11 months and 23 days. In her native country she married Richard Maynard in 1834 and
came to Lafayette County, Wisconsin, in 1840, settling on what is now known as the George King farm in
Monticello township where her husband passed away in 1853. To this union was born one son and four
daughters, T. H. Maynard of Chicago, Mrs. E. A. Woodward and Mrs. Fannie Irvine of Apple River, Mrs.
Joseph Miller and the late Mrs. Joseph Hicks of Warren, all of whom are living, except the latter who
passed away in August, 1910.
In 1857 she was united in marriage to William Levitt of Monticello township. A few years after their
marriage they moved into the village of Apple River where she has since resided. In 1888 Mr. Levitt
passed away after which she and her daughter, Mrs. Miller, continued house keeping until about ten years ago when she went to live with her daughter, Mrs. Fannie Irvine, where she has since made her home.
This venerable old lady has been the oldest citizen so far as known, in southern Wisconsin and
northern Illinois. With her husband they commenced life in the "New World' on the line where virgin
forests and virgin prairies met. Permanent buildings of stone were erected for dwelling and barns and
other conveniences. The new and substantial structures attracted the attention of the travelling public,
William Levitt gravestone
who at that time had only the stage coach as a means of contact from the lake to the Mississippi river,
hence the place came to be known as the "Maynard Tavern." In 1849 Mr. Maynard, attracted by the golden
reports from California, crossed the plains to seek a fortune in the gold fields of that country.
During his absence his wife and little family managed the farm and cared for the wants of the traveler."
William and Ann are each buried with their first spouses.