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Note: Time line: The Melbourne Cemetery Book shows that William was born in 1822 in Pennsylvania. He married Mary Barnheisel there some time before 1848. John, the first son of William and Mary, was shown as being born in Pennsylvania and was age 2 in 1850. If true, it would indicate that they lived in Pennsylvania until, at least, 1848. Frank, William's next son, was born in Niles, Trumbull Co., OH from several sources so we know that they had moved back to Ohio by 9 Mar 1850. The "History of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties" states that they moved back to Franklin, Pennsylvania again in 1859, and they appear in "Sugar Creek" Township, Venango Co., PA in the 1860 census. We find them back in Ohio when Addison Fee was born in 1864. Yet, in 1870, the census finds them again in Venango Co., PA. This movement back and forth is easier to understand when the fact that Venango Co, PA and Trumbull Co., OH are side by side is taken into account.
"The East Coast of Florida" by Nance says that William lived in Warren, Trumbull Co., Ohio next door to the parents of President William McKinley. It states that William Fee delivered all of the McKinley children including the President. The fact is that William McKinley was born in Niles, Trumbull Co., Ohio in 1843 when William Fee would have been but 21 years old. He was the seventh of nine children so William certainly could not have delivered all of these children. There is no record of William Fee living in Niles at that time; however as noted above, they often moved back and forth and were there by 1850. I consider this story suspect.
John Fee, William and Mary's first son, is in the 1850 census and was 2 years old. He is missing in the 1860 census, and I have found no trace of him anywhere after the 1850 census. We can probably assume that he died between 1850 and 1860, but there is no proof of that. By 1860 the family was nearly complete. Only Addison was yet to be born. Interestingly, a William G. Fee was living with the family. He was 18 years old and was listed as an "Oil Miner". He was also marked as being born in Canada which leads credence to the idea that there was a connection between the Fee family of Ohio/Pennsylvania and the Fees living in Canada.
By the 1870 census, Addison had been born. Emma had married a second cousin, Thomas, and was no longer found with the family, but Frank, Nellie, William and Addison were living with their parents. Frank was listed as a laborer, and William was shown working on a farm.
In 1880, William and Mary had moved their family back to Niles, Trumbull Co., OH where William was listed in the census as an "Oil Speculator". Frank had left home, but Nellie, William, and Addison were still living with their parents. William (the son) was listed as an Attorney at Law. Addison was still in school. Also living with William (the doctor) were Laverne, age 9, and Wynona, age 4. They are the children of William's daughter, Emma, and are thus listed as grandchildren of William and Mary on the census. Their father, Thomas, was born in Canada and their mother, Emma, in Ohio. (See notes on Thomas and Emma Fee for more details).
The 1890 census was destroyed, but we know from other sources that Dr. William Fee moved to Florida in 1883 or 1884. When E. P. Branch moved to Melbourne in 1886, he found only 6 houses and the small hotel run by the Goodes on the north side of Crane's Creek. Hector's trading post was on the point on the north side of the mouth of the creek. Branch estimates that there were about 50 people total in Melbourne on both sides of the creek. William Irwin Fee wrote that the senior William moved to Melbourne for his health. We know that a lawyer from Niles and Warren, Ohio named Metcalf was instrumental in persuading a large number of people to move to Melbourne during the early days and perhaps he convinced William to com
When he arrived, he was the first medical doctor in Melbourne, and was the sole practioner until Dr. H. D. Brown opened a pharmacy there several years later. When Branch came ashore at Melbourne to relocate, he fell ill. William treated him and probably saved his life. Another story was told about a group of Seminole Indians that picked up a tin of what they thought was baking powder. It turned out to be arsenic left by a trapper, and when the Indians fell sick, they rushed to William's house where he treated them for several days. He was able to save all but one of them. They reportedly went south and killed a large bear which they brought back to William to repay him for his help.
Land Patents show that when he came to Melbourne, William and Mary purchased as patents from the US Government 200 acres of land in Melbourne. This land purchase was in the shape of an "L" with one leg of the "L" lying between Fee Avenue on the north and New Haven on the South. It ran from Hickory Street west 3/4 of a mile to the line that marks the center of the Melbourne Golf Course if it were square. The other leg of the "L" lay to the south of New Haven. It consisted of what would be the eastern half of the current Melbourne Golf Course if it were a square. Thus it is bordered on the north by New Haven and the south by Edgewood Drive. The western line is about where Fairway Drive is and the eastern line is Country Club Drive. These were William and Mary's major land holdings, but other deeds for smaller parcels also exist. William I. Fee wrote that their homestead was at the southeast corner of New Haven Avenue and the "little ravine that runs south into Crane Creek west of the 'Campbell' place". I have not been able to determine where this location is.
William divided 40 acres that extended from Crane Creek to New Haven into 1 acre lots. This sub-division and consequent building coincided with the arrival of a party of 50 people from Warren and Niles, Ohio arranged by Metcalf.
On December 22, 1888, 23 qualified voters met to incorporate the Village of Melbourne. The new village extended from Cranes Creek to the dividing line between townships 27 and 28 (Hibiscus Ave) and from the Indian River to what is now known as Babcock Street. The first officers were: Mayor � C. J. F. Campbell; Clerk � E. C. Thomas; Marshall � T. H. McCoy; Alderman � E. P. Branch (President), John B. Beach, Addison Morrison, D. W. McQuaig, and William M. Fee. After six months, Campbell resigned as mayor and E. P. Branch was elected. William M. Fee was made President of the Board of Aldermen (soon called Councilmen).
William died in Melbourne in 1895 and Mary died in early 1900. Unfortunately, from a genealogy standpoint, they both died before they could be included in the 1900 census.
[The above was extracted from several Melbourne Histories - most notably "Pioneer Settlers of Melbourne, Florida" by Fred A. Hopwood.]
1850 Census for Liberty Twp., Trumbull Co., OH: William F. Fee, 28, Physician, $350, PA; Mary, 22; John M., 2; Francis H., 2/12; Arcana Grotsinger, 12, F.
1860 Census for Sugarcreek Twp., Venango Co., PA, p. 613: William, 38, Physician, $11,000, $1075, PA; Mary, 30; Francis H, 10; Emma A., 8; Wm T., 6; ?illy May, 4; Wm G., 18, Oil Miner, Canada.
1870 Census for Sugarcreek Twp., Venango Co., PA, p. 34: William, 47, M, W, Physician, $15,000, PA; Mary M., 41, F, W, Keeping House, OH; Frank, 20, M, W, Laborer, OH; William, 16, M, W, Work on Farm, OH; Nelly J., 13, F, W, OH; Addison, 5, M, W, PA.
1880 Census for Niles, Trumbull Co., OH, p. 441: Wm M., W, M, 58, Oil Speculator, PA; Mary, W, F, 53, Keeping House, OH; William, W, M, 26, Son, Attorney at Law, OH; Nellie, W, F, 23, Daughter, OH; Addison, W, M, 15, Son, At School, PA; Lavern, W, M, 9, Grandson, PA, Canada, OH; Wynona, W, F, 4, Granddaughter, PA, Canada, OH.
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