These News articles tell the story and features the KOSKETT surname. More research being done, by L. Ziemann

 

William M. Foskett
Mar 1845 – 22 Mar 1913
Re-interred
LeMars City Cemetery
Block 7, Lot 11

Married to Melvina Vanornum in 1868.
Children:
Elsie Foskett 1869-1887 (buried LeMars)
Elmer Foskett 1874-1880 (buried LeMars)
Etta May Foskett 1876-1952
Etta became Mrs. Z. J. Sears on 15 Nov 1892 at Redwood Falls, MN.

 

Yester Year Stories, Backed with Today's Research

F*O*S*K*E*T*T

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, April 4, 1913

DEATH OF A MISER
William Foskett Lived in LeMars in Pioneer Day

William Foskett, who was in business in LeMars in pioneer days, died last week in Chicago.  The Chicago Record-Herald tells of the circumstances as follows:

A dozen policemen of the Warren avenue station searched the West side last night in hunt of  a mysterious “treasure trove” following the death in the pauper ward at the Cook County hospital of William Foskett, a recluse.

Papers found in his tattered clothes and in a dingy office at 526 Fulton street indicate that the miser owned property in Cook county, Kansas City, and in South Dakota worth thousands of dollars.  He is also believed to have money of considerable value hidden away.

Letters show large transactions with banks and describe recent transactions in which he had bought and sold thousands of dollars worth of real estate.  No mention is made of a relative in any of the missives and not a person who had been intimate with the recluse has been found.

From the letters and papers found in the little office, it was learned that Foskett had written numerous treatises on “free thought” topics, was a graduate of the University of Minnesota, of Northwestern University Law School and of the Chicago College of Law and was licenses to practice at the bar.  He was also an inventor and claimed to have invented and patented the first combined harvester and header.  Papers showed that he had obtained letters patent to such a contrivance on March 14, 1876.  He then lived at LeMars, Iowa.

Foskett was taken ill last Saturday.  He was taken to a hospital from a rooming house owned by Felix Lownick, 2130 Washington boulevard.  He had lived at that place for two weeks in a $2.75 a week room.  His apparent wealth was not disclosed until after his body had been placed among those of the paupers at the county morgue.

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, April 18, 1913

LEFT A LARGE FORTUNE
Wm. Foskett’s Remains Brought Here for Burial.

The body of William Foskett, who died about three weeks ago in Chicago, was brought here for burial last evening.  William Foskett was in business in LeMars in pioneer days.  He lived the life of a recluse for many years.  He is believed to have kept a large fortune but many of his papers and documents relating to deals and property could not be found.  Chicago parties are making investigation in the matter.  A nephew has been located in Missouri and a daughter of Mr. Foskett’s has been found in Pipestone, Minn.  Her name is Mrs. Etta Sears.  Attorneys in Chicago have been in correspondence with G. L. Wernli and R. J. Koehler in regard to Mr. Foskett’s relatives and information regarding his life when a resident of this city.

The Sioux City Journal, Saturday, April 19, 1913

RICH MAN IN A PAUPER GRAVE
TRUTH NOT LEARNED UNTIL THREE WEEKS LATER.
QUEER END OF FORMER IOWAN.
William Foskett Rated to be Worth $150,000 to $200,000, Lived in a Cheap Lodging House in Chicago—Body Reinterred at LeMars.

LeMars, Ia., April 18, --Special: 
William Foskett, a former resident here, possessor of a fortune of $200,000 died three weeks ago in Chicago in the Cook county hospital, and was buried in a paupers grave.

Finding of important papers in the clothing of Foskett in a cheap Chicago lodging house led to his identity being learned, and his body was disinterred and brought here today and given a respectable burial.

Foskett was a recluse.  He was well educated, being a graduate of the University of Minnesota and the Northwestern University law school.  He lived in LeMars in pioneer days, where he practiced law and conducted an undertaking establishment.

While a resident of LeMars, Foskett became miserly in his habits, which led to his estrangement from his family.  He drifted from here to Chicago, where it has been learned he lived in cheap boarding houses, taking care that no one learned of his wealth.

Foskett also was an inventor and claimed to have invented and patented the first combine harvester and binder.  Papers found on his person showed he had obtained a patent on the invention on March 14, 1876, while a resident of LeMars.

Foskett, while here, speculated in real estate, and it is thought that the bulk of his large fortune was obtained here.  He owned many farms in Dakota and Kansas.

Papers in his pocket which mentioned the name of his daughter, Mrs. Etta Sears, of Madison, S.D., led to an investigation.

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, April 22, 1913

MANY CLAIMANTS APPEARED
When It Was Learned Dead Man Had Left Property.

The funeral of the late William Foskett, who died recently in Chicago, was held on Friday morning from the Beely undertaking parlors.  A daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Z. T. Sears, of Madison, S.D., L. H. Foskett, of Tarkio, Mo., Mrs. Chas. Bellman and Mrs. Harriet L. Bellman, of Cherokee, Attorney R. J. Cooney, of Chicago, and Attorney H. H. Holdridge, of Madison, South Dakota, came to attend the funeral.

Mr. Foskett is stated to have left a large amount of property and the attorneys mentioned above while here were looking up papers and documents which bore reference to his life while a resident of LeMars.

Mr. Foskett was in business in LeMars for about ten years, leaving here about 1883 or 1884.

While a resident of LeMars, he was divorced from his wife in 1881. She left him, taking the younger daughter with her, leaving the elder with him.  The eldest daughter, Elsie, died some time in the nineties.

At the time of Mr. Foskett’s death in the county hospital in Chicago, it was thought he was a pauper until papers were found which showed he had large property interests.  Members of a free thought federation in which he was interested knew of his wealth and thus inquires were started.

About 150 persons by the name of Foskett bobbed up in Chicago, claiming to be relatives, after it was known that he died possessed of wealth.

It is expected that a Will will be found among his papers, which were kept in a strong box in a security institution in Chicago.

Cresco Plain Dealer, Cresco IA - May 9, 1913, Pg 2, Col 4

William Foskett, a former resident of LeMars, died in Chicago and was buried in a pauper’s grave. It was later learned that he possessed a fortune of $200,000, and his body has just been brought to LeMars for burial.

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel, May 13, 1913

CLAIMS HE WAS ROBBED.
Acquaintance of Wm. Foskett Says Dead Man’s Clothing Was Stolen.

E. C. Reichwald, a Chicago commission merchant, writes J. R. Street, who is one of his customers, the following letter concerning the death of Wm. Foskett, who was buried in LeMars last month:

J. R. Street Gro. Co.
LeMars, Ia.
Gentleman:  About ten days ago the writers sent to your city a former citizen of LeMars, who died in our city hospital, Wm. Foskett.  He had his office in my place of business.  Last February he went South for his health and upon his return he met with a railroad smashup and was severely injured, which finally ended in pneumonia and death.  The papers did not treat Mr. Foskett fairly; they claimed he was a miser, etc.
The facts are:  He was rooming in a fashionable neighborhood on West Washington Boulevard near Hoyne Ave.  He had been there only a couple of days when he got pneumonia.  When the landlady found him, he was unable to speak and as he was stranger to her, she notified the police and they sent for the city ambulance and he was taken to the hospital, where he died the same night.  After his death his clothing was stolen, and dirty, wornout put in their place.  Everything of value was stolen, consequently the man could not be recognized.  Only by chance I learned of his death and saved him from being buried in the potter’s field.  It was the intention of Mr. Foskett to invest all his fortune in home for free thinkers.  Mr. G. L. Wernli, of the First National Bank, has investigated his family relations for us when he was a resident of LeMars.
Yours Truly, 
E. C. Reichwald.
P.S.  Wm. Foskett always carried several hundred dollars in his pocket, which was stolen either in the rooming house or by the parties who took him to the city hospital.  His gold watch was also stolen.  There never was any excuse for his being taken to the city hospital.  I enclose for you one of his catechisms, which will explain itself.

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