Thursday, August 14, 2008
William Boerum Wetmore
Son of Samuel Wetmore born 7 Dec. 1849 (in London? Not confirmed) admitted to West point 1 July 1876 (at age 17?) West Point and graduated 1872. He advanced to rank of Major and resigned in 1876
Samuel Wetmore (1812-1885) married SarahTaylor.Boerum. (1820-said 1899)
Sarah Taylor Boerum was daughter of USN Commander William Boerum (died 1842 at sea at one time acting commander USS Constitution) and Emily Brown.


William B. Wetmore was not a known artist but a well known art and coin collector.

Father of William B. Wetmore is also named as David Wetmore which is wrong.


Issue of William Boerum Wetmore and first wife Annette Butler

1)Louis H. Wetmore said 19 Sept. 1889
“22 March 1934 Louis H. Wetmore dies at 45 years son of Mrs. James Markoe succumbs to heart disease” He (perhaps secretly) married Eugenia Philbin 17 Feb. 1915, she app. Divorced him by Nov 1916; she mar. 27 Sept. 1923 somebody called Capt. Huck in Paris.( Not Capt. Hook)
“25 Nov. 1916” L.H. Wetmore sues for 25.000 a gossip writer who wrote about him and his wife.
Louis was a Sergeant in the Army in 1918 and made head of a Swiss Bureau.
“18 Nov. 1919”. Louis H. Wetmore was held in American military prison in Paris, because of his involvement in irregular army contracts in Switzerland.
No known issue

2)Dagmar Wetmore. Marr. 9 May 1912 in NYC Charles Sprague Sargent Jr.( of Charles S. Sargent from Brookline Mass.) The Bride’s mother was in mourning, therefore a small wedding.The only bride’s attendant was Miss Annette Markoe. (NY times) This could mean that her said sister were not alive??

3) Wanola Wetmore (only source is from contributor on genealogy.com message board)
(No further data)

There is no marriage record for William B. Wetmore and Annette Butler.
William B. Wetmore and his wife appear frequently in the NY Times.
“14 Sept. 1892 W.B.Wetmore a collector owns the cargo of the ship South Portland from Venezuela which is held at Ellis Island”
“20 July 1884 a large party at Newport R.I. was attended by W.B. Wetmore and Mrs. Wetmore his wife.”





“28 Mar. 1885 will/death of Samuel Wetmore leaves widow and only son William B. Wetmore. He died at age 73.”
Samuel did not die in 1851. In 1894 there is a newspaper reference to mother of William B.Wetmore, Sarah Taylor Wetmore objecting to the attempt of Mrs. Markoe to force the trust fund to pay out her claimed alimony. She is also rec. naming her dau. In law Katherine B. Wetmore trustee in 1896. It is said she died 1899.

Annette Wetmore arranged divorce proceedings in April 1892, the alomony issues were decided and revised several times until final settlement in 1902. (original payments of $ 3000, a year for her and $ 1000 for each child (3 children)
Mr. Wetmore did not pay any of those monies later before the Supreme Court explained that his only money was interest from a trust fund, and since Annettte re-married quickly
a very wealthy physician he needed the 3000 Dollar more than she. See NY Times “15 June 1899 Decision for W.B.Wetmore Alimony allowance for his former wife cut down one-half by Justice Scott” Also Case argued 9/10 November 1904 and decided 19 Nov. 1904.
“11 May 1906” … One Katherine B. Wetmore.. petitions the court… to appeal the appointment of the Continental Trust Co. as trustee of her husbands estate, she shows
Notice of Mrs. Sarah T. Wetmore in 1896 as last surviving trustee for estate of Samuel Wetmore appointing Mrs. Katherine B. Wetmore as trustee… This legal proceedings are difficult to follow (all on Google book search several in Lawyers report p.710, Northeastern Reporter et al.) it appears that appallent failed to serve those trustee papers
Timely and serving them 10 years later was not accepted also there was a failure to give notice to the next of kin (children) for William B. Wetmore as they were beneficiaries.

Apparently the sum of several hundredthousand Dollars was left to William by his father Samuel in a trust fund for his benefit from the New York Life Insurance Company.
Mrs. Makoe persued the right to retrieve that support money from the trust fund.


“2 Aug. 1905. William B. Wetmore caused the arrest of a negro man named Smith, because Wetmore claimed the negro man was spying on him to find information that
could be used against him for suit to obtain the legacy from his trust fund namely in connection to his divorced wife now Mrs. Markoe or to later detest and break his will.
The is mentioned a Mrs. Wetmore, his second wife Katherine Averkamp.”

The is no further detail on Katherine Averkamp.

Later that same year Mrs.Wetmore also had that man Smith arrested for following her, he claimed he was working for Jay & Cardin (?) to watch Mr. Wetmore’s health.






William B. Wetmore died 24 March 1919 I have not found details or if there was a will/administration for his estate.
Or what happened to his trust fund.


Annette Butler has no further details.


Annette Butler Wetmore marr. 2) Dr.James Wright Markoe 22 Nov. 1894
They had one daughter Annette Markoe born 1897. She marr. Lt. William Jay Schiefferlin 5 May 1918 in NYC. Son of William Jay Schieffelin.
She died about 100 years old in 1997 in NYC.

Dr. James Wright Markoe born 19 July 1862, son of Thomas Master Markoe
Of Francis Markoe 1774 (born in St. Croix WI) died 1848, of Francis Markoe and Elizabeth Hartman.
Dr. James W. Markoe died 18 Aug. 1920. He was shot to death during a church service.

NY Times estate sale 21 Dec. 1923 a house sold for Onehundredthousand Dollars for James W. Markoe estate.

(NY Times. In “Matthew’s American Amoury, 1904” The names Robert Elmer Booraem and William Boerum Wetmore appear (and elsewhere claiming a Coat of Arms like “Crozier’s General Armory”) Both belong to the original family and descendants of William Jacobse van Boerum.
There is no evidence the Boerum family is entitled to a Coat of Arms.
There are numerous Wetmore families in America.
I could not say if any Wetmore families have a Coat of Arms, the proposed ancestral nobility for one Sir William Whitmore as High Sheriff (in England, I suppose) is said to lack documentation.(“ Matthew’s Complete American Armory and Blue Book”?)
It appears to be highly unlikely.

The concept and guidelines of Mathhews book are questionable and do not adhere to European heraldic rules. He allows people to claim a Coat of Arms if there were only American residents for 3 generations etc.
“This absurd book….a disgrace to our literature and..makes American heraldry a target for ridicule of Britishers…” (“The Pitfalls of Genealogy, several authors in “The Nation” p. 14)

“The Wetmore Family of America by James C.Wetmore 1861”
says American ancestor Is Thomas Wetmore (born 1615) arrived in Boston (perhaps from Bristol) in 1635.
He names a Coat of Arms and says it connects to Rev. James Wetmore of Rye (NY) who went to London in 1723 and prob. Brought it with him. (No source how he found it or why he thought it was his)
“We have been unable to find any trace of the Engslish ancesters of Thomas Wetmore/Whitmore.” (The Wetmore family….)


Thomas Wetmore (arrived 1635 say perhaps (not confirmed with brothers John and Francis)) he lived in Wethersfield Massachusetts, moved to Middletown Connecticut. He was perhaps acarpenter as well as a a farmer (his will 1681 age 66 spelled Whitmore)




A family line for William Boerum Wetmore (from above source and records of Middletown, Connecticut v.1 by Samuel H. Parsons and many church records, wills and administrations for Wetherfield, Ms.,Middletown, Middlefield Ct. et al.)

William Boerum Wetmore 7 Dec. 1849-24 Mar. 1919
m.1) Annette Butler m. 2) Katherine Averkamp ab. 1896

Samuel (Wyatt) Wetmore 31 Aug.1812- 28 Mar. 1885.
m. 12 Jul. 1848 Sarah Taylor Boerum

Samuel Wetmore 5 Oct. 1775-1851
m. 19 May 1804 Elizabeth Wyatt

Seth Wetmore 1743-1810
m. Mary Wright

Seth Wetmore 1700-1778
m. 30 Sep.1730 1) Margaret widow of Samuel Gaylord; m. 2) Hannah Whitmore ;
marr. 3) 1745 Hannah Edwards

Izrahia Wetmore 9 Mar. 1656-1743
m. 2) Rachel Stow marr. 2) Hannah

Thomas Wetmore 1615-1681
m. 1) Sarah Hall 11 Dec. 1645; marr. 2) Mary Platt wid. Atkinson 3 Jan. 1666
m. 3) Catherine Leeke Widow Robords (Roberts?) 8 Oct. 1673