| The Foster Family |
| The Fosters were pioneers. It is through this line that I can trace the family to some of the earliest European settlers of New England, including Stephen Hopkins, who sailed on the Mayflower. And it is through this line that I am connected to the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. Eliab Foster was twice a pioneer, moving from his native New York first to Kenosha County, Wisconsin, and then to Ford County, Illinois. His family was recognized as one of the first to settle Lyman Township, and his son, Bela, wrote articles about the history of the township in The Roberts Herald. Eliab Foster married twice, to sisters. After the death of his first wife, Jane Rebecca Clark, he sent for her sister, Martha, to come to Wisconsin to look after his sons Robert and Arista. Soon after, they were married. Since Jane and Martha had been orphaned at an early age and "farmed out" to relatives and friends, I am sure they looked upon moving to Wisconsin as an adventure. One interesting side note: Eliab and his wives were cousins, having common ancestors in Capt. William French and Samuel Stratton. |