More Notables: Ancestors in the Military and Politics

This is a follow up to my last post about notable relatives in my family tree. It was written for my children, since they seem to be primarily interested in famous ancestors. I read the post to my kids, and they deemed it fairly interesting, but too long. In my daughter's words, it was a "seven out of ten, and it would have been an eight if it was shorter." Note taken.

In this post, I'll highlight a few politicians and American military notables in my children's family tree.

Commodore Robert F. Stockton

Robert Field Stockton, 4th cousin 7x removed

"Robert Field Stockton (August 20, 1795 – October 7, 1866) was a United States Navy commodore, notable in the capture of California during the Mexican–American War. He was a naval innovator and an early advocate for a propeller-driven, steam-powered navy. Stockton was from a notable political family and also served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey." (Wikipedia) 

Robert was the grandson of Richard Stockton, signer of the Declaration of Independence. The cities of Stockton (California), Fort Stockton (Texas), and Stockton (Missouri) are all named after Robert Stockton. Robert's son, John P. Stockton, also became a U.S. Senator representing New Jersey. Robert was offered the role of U.S. Secretary of the Navy by President John Tyler in 1841, but he turned down the appointment in order to manage construction of an advanced steam warship, the USS Princeton, which he later captained with great success during the Mexican-American War. He was a delegate to the Peace Conference of 1861 that unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the Civil War. When that war began, he commanded a Union militia in New Jersey.

Robert's 3x great-grandparents, Richard and Abigail Stockton, are my tenth great-grandparents. I descend from their son John Stockton (b. 1674). The Stocktons married into our Bellangee line in the early 1800s.

Portrait of Matthew Clarkson by Gilbert Stuart (ca. 1794)

Major General Matthew Clarkson, husband of 1st cousin 7x removed

Matthew Clarkson "entered the Army to serve in the Revolutionary War, first on Long Island, subsequently under Benedict Arnold. He was at Saratoga and, later, on the staff of General Benjamin Lincoln, was present at the surrender of Burgoyne, at Savannah (1779) and at the defense of Charleston (1780). He was also present at the surrender of Cornwallis. After the war, Clarkson was commissioned brigadier general of militia of Kings and Queens Counties in June 1786 and Major General of the Southern District of New York in March 1798. For a time, he was engaged in merchant business with John Vanderbilt under the company Vanderbilt & Clarkson." (Wikipedia) 

When the war ended, Clarkson became the assistant to General Benjamin Lincoln, who had been named the Secretary of War. He served as a Federalist member of the 13th New York State Legislature in the New York State Assembly, where he introduced a bill for the abolition of slavery in the state. He was presented at the court of the French King Louis XVI, served as State Senator representing both the 17th and 18th districts in the New York State Legislature, and as president of the New York City hospital. He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate but was defeated by DeWitt Clinton. "Clarkson was married to Mary Rutherfurd (1761–1786), the daughter of Walter Rutherfurd and Catherine (née Alexander) Rutherfurd and the sister of U.S. Senator John Rutherfurd. Through her mother, she was the niece of William Alexander, Lord Stirling, and the granddaughter of James Alexander and Mary Alexander Provoost." (Wikipedia)

Clarkson's wife, Mary Rutherfurd, is my 1st cousin, 7x removed. Her grandparents, John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland, are my 7th great-grandparents, on the adoptive line belonging to my great-grandfather, George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd. 

The Honorable Ogden Livingston Mills

Ogden Livingston Mills, husband of 5th cousin 3x removed

"Ogden Livingston Mills (August 23, 1884 – October 11, 1937) was an American lawyer, businessman and politician. He served as United States Secretary of the Treasury in President Herbert Hoover's cabinet, during which time Mills pushed for tax increases, spending cuts and other austerity measures that would deepen the economic crisis. A member of the Republican Party, Mills also represented New York in the United States House of Representatives, served as Undersecretary of the Treasury during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge, and was the Republican nominee in the 1926 New York gubernatorial election." (Wikipedia) 

Mills was highly critical of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, and campaigned for President Hoover when Roosevelt ran against him for President. Ironically, Mills and Roosevelt were college friends and neighbors, so their differences appear to have been largely political. Mills was also the owner of Wheatley Stable, which raised race horses. His stable produced the champion Seabiscuit, as well as Bold Ruler, the father of Secretariat. Mills married his first wife, Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd in 1911. She is such a fascinating character that she receives her own paragraph below, despite not being a politician herself. 

Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd

Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd, 5th cousin 3x removed

"Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd Murat (November 11, 1891 – February 10, 1976) was an eccentric American heiress, dancer and sometime actress. Margaret was born on November 11, 1891 in Manhattan. She was the second daughter of Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Jr. (1859–1901) and Anne (née Harriman) Sands Rutherfurd (1861–1940). After her father's death in 1901, her mother remarried to William Kissam Vanderbilt, the first husband of Alva Erskine Smith. From her mother's marriage to Vanderbilt, she was a stepsister of Consuelo Vanderbilt (wife of Charles Spencer-Churchill, the 9th Duke of Marlborough), William Kissam Vanderbilt II (husband of Virginia Fair Vanderbilt), and Harold Stirling Vanderbilt (wife of Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt). Her paternal grandparents were astronomer Lewis Morris Rutherfurd and Margaret Chanler (née Stuyvesant) Rutherfurd, the niece and adopted daughter of Peter Gerard Stuyvesant. Her paternal uncle was Winthrop Rutherfurd. Her maternal grandparents were Oliver Harriman and Laura (née Low) Harriman." (Wikipedia)

Margaret's exploits are so numerous that it's difficult to condense them into a short paragraph. She was married six times to four different men. One of the men she married twice was Prince Charles Michel Joachim Napoléon, a direct descendant of the former King of Naples, who was also the brother of Napoléon. She was a devotee of Oom the Omnipotent. She danced on stages in New York, London, Paris, and Monte Carlo. She lived in Morocco. She dyed her hair pink.

Margaret is not to be confused with her aunt, Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd (b. 1854), who married American diplomat Henry White, settled with him in London, and was a popular socialite there. She was a favorite of Queen Victoria and was immortalized in a portrait by John Singer Sargent.

The common ancestors in this line are, again, John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland, my 10th great-grandparents.

Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherfurd White, in a portrait by John Singer Sargent, which hangs in the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.

I am not doing a good job of making this post shorter than the last. Apologies, kids! The mention of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt above made me think that I should include another relative here, who was not a politician, but had a huge impact on the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Lucy Page Mercer Rutherfurd

Lucy Page Mercer, wife of 4th cousin 4x removed

Lucy Page Mercer (1891-1948) is known primarily for being the longtime mistress of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was born in Washington, D.C. and in 1914 became Eleanor Roosevelt's social secretary. Her affair with Franklin Roosevelt likely began in 1917, and continued for the rest of his life. She was with him at his death in 1945. Much has been written about the toll this took on the Roosevelt marriage, and how it may have propelled Eleanor into the social and political work for which she is revered. Lucy married Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd, who is best known for being the true love of Consuelo Vanderbilt, who was forced into an unhappy marriage to the ninth Duke of Marlborough and became the grandmother of Winston Churchill. Winthrop is my 4th cousin 4x removed, on the same Rutherfurd line descending from John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland.

Last but not least, kids, let's turn to your father's line. While the trees we saw at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City predicted many presidential connections on my side of the family, the only one I'm somewhat close to proving is our relationship to John Adams, second President of the United States. On your father's side, you have a proven Presidential connection.

President Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr., my husband's 3rd Cousin 5x removed

Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from New England, born in Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of Massachusetts. His response to the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight and gave him a reputation as a man of decisive action. The next year, he was elected the 29th vice president of the United States, and he succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative and also as a man who said very little and had a dry sense of humor, receiving the nickname "Silent Cal". He chose not to run again in the 1928 election, remarking that ten years as president was (at the time) "longer than any other man has had it—too long!" (Wikipedia) 

Coolidge was opposed to Prohibition and in favor of giving women the right to vote. He was pro-business and a fiscal conservative. "He signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted US citizenship to the indigenous peoples of the United States, and oversaw a period of rapid and expansive economic growth in the country, known as the "Roaring Twenties", leaving office with considerable popularity." (Wikipedia). However, it is quite possible that Coolidge's conservative policies set in motion the stock market collapse of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression, one of the most challenging periods in the history of America.

Calvin Coolidge's mother, Sarah Almeda Brewer, was the great-granddaughter of Jonathan Brewer (1689-1752) and Arabella Goulding (1693-1774) of Framingham, Massachusetts. They are my husband's 7th great-grandparents. He descends from their son Moses Brewer. Sarah Almeda Brewer was the daughter of Moses' brother, Eliab Brewer.

My children are not going to be happy about the length of this post, but I hope they'll find the stories interesting. There are more to come!

Notable People In Our Family Tree

This series is for my children. My family history research has never been about finding connections to famous ancestors. I fell in love with genealogy while sitting with my grandmother, listening to her tell stories about her parents. For me, this has always been about knowing who the people who came before me were, and honoring all the paths that they took in life. I have never been much concerned with whether my ancestors were born wealthy or became famous. The relatives that interest me the most tend to be the ones with humble origins who made interesting decisions when challenged by a particular moment in history. I share their stories with my kids all the time.

Last summer, we visited Salt Lake City and the Family History Library. My kids, whose eyes typically glaze over when I try to engage them in family history, were suddenly dazzled by the multimedia displays connecting them to notable ancestors. My 8-year old daughter asked me to take photos of her in front of some of the more illustrious family lines illuminated on large screens. I looked at the long list of famous people FamilySearch suggests I'm related to and was puzzled. These connections were largely unfamiliar to me. Am I really related to 10+ American presidents? I do not have any of these individuals sourced and confirmed in my tree. The glee with which my kids greeted the possibility, however, made me think a little about famous relatives. Is it so wrong if a notable relative is the one that initially attracts someone to genealogy? If my children get excited about being related to a president, might it guide them to an interest in our less celebrated ancestors?

After that trip, I tried to track down some of the notables the FamilySearch database had suggested are my kin. When I could make the connections, they were typically pretty distant, down lines of my tree that go beyond what I feel can be proven and sourced. I have not added all these individuals to my tree because I'm not completely comfortable with those relationships yet, but clearly FamilySearch users think they're a match. I did find many "famous" ancestors, on both mine and my husband's sides of the tree, that are reasonably well proven, and so I also made a list of those people for my kids. Most of them are fairly distant relations, or in-laws of those distant relations, so I'm not entirely sure I see a lot of value in the connection. My kids find it interesting, though. I'm going to share a bunch of those names here in hopes that those larger-than-life stories provide a gateway to curiosity about all the other, fascinating stories contained in our tree. I will begin with my side of the tree.

The Early Americans

Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War Hero, 3rd cousin 8x removed

"Ethan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga early in the Revolutionary War." (Wikipedia) Allen was also the leader of an attack on Montreal which led to him being captured and imprisoned on a British Naval ship. He was known far and wide as one of the most dedicated American patriots during the Revolutionary War era, and remains an oft-referenced hero in the state of Vermont. Yes, the furniture store is named after the man.

This connection is on our Smith line. Our common ancestors are Henry Burt, Jr. (b. 1595, Harberton, Devon, England; d. 1662, Springfield, Massachusetts) and Eulalia Marche (b. 1601, Sherford, Devon, England; d. 1690, Springfield, Massachusetts). They were Ethan Allen's 2nd great-grandparents and they're my 10th great-grandparents. Henry and Eulalia's daughter Elizabeth Burt married Samuel Wright, Jr. The Wrights married into my Smith line in the mid-1700s.

Ethan Allen

John Jay, American Founding Father, father-in-law of 2nd cousin 6x removed

"John Jay was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, Founding Father, abolitionist, negotiator, and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783. He served as the second governor of New York and the first chief justice of the United States." (Wikipedia) Fans of the musical Hamilton will also remember the mention of John Jay in the song Non-Stop. In 1788, Jay joined forces with Alexander Hamilton and James Madison to write a series of articles encouraging New York state convention members to ratify the proposed Constitution. Jay wrote five of these articles, which became known as The Federalist Papers. I should also note that despite his work on behalf of abolition, John Jay was in fact, a slave owner, a paradox that is confusing and infuriating. We cannot discuss the good Jay did for our country without also acknowledging his abhorrent decision to enslave human beings. He is not the only slave-owning Founding Father in our tree (see also Richard Stockton), unfortunately. 

We are connected to John Jay via our Rutherfurd line, which begins with my great-grandfather George Rutherfurd's adoptive father, Malcolm Rutherfurd. Mary Rutherfurd Clarkson (1786-1838) married Peter Augustus Jay, the son of John Jay, in 1813. Mary was the great-granddaughter of John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross of Edgerston, Scotland. They are my 7th great-grandparents.

John Jay

Lewis Morris, American Founding Father, father-in-law of 1st cousin 7x removed

"Lewis Morris was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continental Congress from New York." (Wikipedia) We have two other signers in our tree, Richard Stockton and Dr. Benjamin Rush. Upon being warned of how dangerous it would be to sign the Declaration of Independence, Morris famously replied, "Damn the consequences. Give me the pen." There were, in fact, a lot of consequences. The Morris family lost much of their wealth and property during the war, and struggled to rebuild after America's victory.

Lewis' daughter, Helena Morris, married John Rutherfurd, my 1st cousin 7x removed. Rutherfurd was a lawyer in New York City who was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 1788 and then to the United States Senate in 1791. The Rutherfurds, originally from Edgerston, Scotland, are my maternal grandmother's line. As with John Jay, the common ancestors here are John Rutherfurd and Elizabeth Cairncross, my 7th great-grandparents, and the grandparents of John Rutherfurd, who married Helena Morris.

Lewis Morris

These connections are both distant and, in the case of Jay and Morris, on an adoptive line and involve in-laws, and are thus not biological relationships. I've never set much store in them, but they may be interesting to my children.

FamilySearch also says we're related, on my side of the tree, to American Presidents George Washington, James Polk, John Adams, Millard Fillmore, William Howard Taft, Richard Nixon, William McKinley, Franklin D. Roosevelt, James Buchanan, Franklin Pierce, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. I can find no substantiation of any of this.

I have not yet written much about my husband's family tree, which is fascinating and includes a great cast of characters, including many interesting early Americans. My husband's paternal line is English, and many of his ancestors arrived in America in the early-to-mid 1600s. They were often the founders of New England towns and held leadership roles in local governance. Here is one standout ancestor from that time.

Philip Sherman, Founding Father of Rhode Island, my husband's 10th great-grandfather

"Philip Sherman (1611–1687) was a prominent leader and founding settler of Portsmouth in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Coming from Dedham, Essex in southeastern England, he and several of his siblings and cousins settled in New England. His first residence was in Roxbury in the Massachusetts Bay Colony where he lived for a few years, but he became interested in the teachings of the dissident ministers John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson, and at the conclusion of the Antinomian Controversy he was disarmed and forced to leave the colony. He went with many followers of Hutchinson to establish the town of Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island, later called Rhode Island. He became the first secretary of the colony there, and served in many other roles in the town government. Sherman became a Quaker after settling in the Rhode Island colony, and died at an advanced age, leaving a large progeny." (Wikipedia) Wheelwright and Hutchinson were devotees of Puritanical minister John Cotton, and their beliefs, which came to be known as Antinomian or Anabaptist, argued that one's spiritual condition had no bearing upon one's outward behavior. The established religious conventions of the time centered around the Holy Spirit, and the idea that an individual's salvation is demonstrated by righteous behavior and the good they do for others. Philip Sherman was dedicated to the Antinomian beliefs, which led to his ostracization and the co-founding of Rhode Island.

The Shermans married into my husband's Wheeler line in the mid-1700s. Many of Philip's descendants were, by that point, back in Massachusetts, specifically in Berlin, where my father-in-law was born a couple centuries later.

Among the many descendants of Philip Sherman and his wife Sarah Odding are former United States Presidents George H. W. Bush (9th cousin 1x removed of my husband) and George W. Bush (9th cousin 2x removed of my husband). Other descendants include James S. Sherman, US Vice President in the administration of President William Howard Taft (6th cousin 3x removed of my husband), Susan B. Anthony (5th cousin 4x removed of my husband), Janis Joplin (9th cousin of my husband), Sir Winston Churchill (8th cousin 1x removed of my husband), Mamie Eisenhower, Taylor Swift and possibly even Marilyn Monroe. This is a very interesting line that is peppered with well known names.

The Philip Sherman House in Portsmouth, Rhode Island

In future posts, I'll share notable names from other moments in American, British, and Scottish history. We will see if my kids find any of this compelling.

More Recollections of Life in Douglas, Wyoming

George Rutherfurd (top row, fifth from left) with his high school class in Douglas, Wyoming

In my last post, I quoted from a paper written by my grandmother, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith. In it, she recalled memories of her father's childhood in Douglas, Wyoming.  George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd lived in Douglas from his birth in 1895 until his stepfather's untimely death in 1913. In Douglas, he encountered Civil War heroes and notorious cattle rustlers, among other notables. Here, I will continue to transcribe my grandmother's notes.

Three of the Rutherfurd children at their Douglas ranch in 1905. At back, George Rutherfurd. Child seated is likely Archie Rutherfurd. Child to the right is likely Malcolm A. O. Rutherfurd.

One of the characters in ranch life was "Coal Oil Billy." During roundup and branding time Coal Oil Billy came to the ranch to cook for the hands. He apparently did a good job of preparing the meals but spent most of the rest of the time with a bottle. I have forgotten specific episodes, but he managed to cut quite a figure.

School days for the young Rutherfurds at the ranch were overseen by a teacher who came from Omaha each Fall to conduct the "school." In addition to four Rutherfurds old enough to attend school there were about three other students. At Christmas and at the close of the school year little recitals and programs were presented by the children. In looking over some of the programs, I see that they consisted of recitations of poetry, songs and performances on musical instruments. Though the family lived in a very rural situation, education was important. Both parents were well educated and the wish was for the children to be the same.  There was always an abundance of books in the house.

A story that was told to me by Aunt Grace (Mrs. Will Dickson) was of a trip [by young George Rutherfurd] to visit her in Omaha. There was a little girl there who was given a pony.  Everyone was saying how fine to have a little pony. When eight year old George was asked if he wouldn't like to have a little pony too, he said, "Oh no. I have a big horse at home."

On the Rutherfurd ranch in Douglas, Wyoming. 1910.
Figure to the right is most likely Malcolm B. O. Rutherfurd.

Grandmother Annie [Dickson] Rutherfurd had been a nurse before her marriage and many times she was called on to help with a delivery or tend someone ill. She told me she just saddled up a horse and rode to the ranch of the person who needed help.

One of Dad's poignant stories involved a trip into town (Douglas) for a dance at the high school. He attended high school in Douglas during the week and stayed at the home of his grandparents, Mary Elizabeth [Bellangee] and George Dickson, but went home for the weekends. On this particular weekend he had to ride a horse to catch the train to go into Douglas thirty miles away. Just as he came in sight of the train stop he saw the train leaving the station. There was a girl he was disappointed to miss seeing at the dance.

Douglas High School (courtesy WyomingTalesandTrails.com)

Mortimer Jesurun, "Doc Four Eyes," delivered George R. Rutherfurd on a cold January day, 23 January 1895, in Douglas at the hospital owned by his aunt [Elizabeth Dickson]. Many stories were told about this doctor who was thought to have a very colorful past. During the delivery, reportedly, the doctor said it was unfortunate that the baby had softening of the brain. It was a breach birth.

Sometime later, Doc Jeserun droped out of sight. On his return he was thought to be dying.  He came to Auntie's [Elizabeth Dickson's] hospital where Dad [George Rutherfurd] was recovering from an appendectomy. The two patients played chess constantly. A Douglas woman, Peg Stockett, had been reportedly engaged to the doctor. When he reappeared (they were in their sixties), she reappeared. They were married and opened a pharmacy.  He died shortly thereafter of heart problems. Auntie found the ebony and maple chess set that had been used at the hospital and gave it to Dad.

My grandfather, Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd contracted pneumonia in 1913 and died within a few days. My distraught grandmother [Annie Dickson Rutherfurd] packed up the boys and her husband's body and left on the train for California. She buried Grandfather in Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Her parents were then living in Los Angeles.

Thus ended the Douglas, Wyoming chapter in the lives of the Rutherfurds. I'm so glad that my grandmother took the time to write down these memories that her father had shared with her. These stories and those colorful characters might be lost to history, otherwise.

Douglas, Wyoming in 1909. (courtesy WyomingTalesandTrails.com)

Recollections of Life in Douglas, Wyoming

General Henry Blanchard Freeman, an early hero of my great-grandfather George Rutherfurd.  Source

In sorting through my grandmother's family history files, I found a number of short biographies and mini-memoirs compiled by her and in various forms of completion.  My Grandma, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith, was a writer, too.  She wanted to leave behind personal accounts of family life, and I'm so glad she did.  As all family historians know, we can usually find names and dates, but it's the stories that get lost.  My Grandma was good at preserving stories.

I recently found one document that relates the memories of her father's youth in Douglas, Wyoming. George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd lived in Douglas from his birth in 1895 until his step-father's sudden death in 1913.  Here is what my grandmother wrote about those formative years in her father's life.

Growing to manhood on a cattle ranch in Wyoming left vivid and treasured memories that stayed with my Dad all his life.  He was interested in the Indians and admired their careful preservation of nature.  One of his regrets was leaving behind a fine collection of arrowheads when they left Wyoming so unexpectedly.  I will try to remember some of the things he told me.

As a very young boy he met a retired Army General Henry B. Freeman who told Dad tales of his life in the Army.  He recounted many experiences with the Indians and my Dad relived them all.  General Henry B. Freeman enlisted in the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War.  He became a Major (Brevet Major.  His true rank was 2nd Lieutenant).  He received the Medal of honor for bringing a wounded comrade off the field of battle at Chicamauga.  He spent two hitches in Libby Prison (Confederate).  The first time he escaped.  A sentry spotted him in the river and kept him there for two hours in the icy water before taking him back to prison.  He escaped a second time.  As he was being pursued he approached a southern plantation.  The daughter of the house hid him and when he returned after the war, he married her (Sarah).  He was later assigned to Indian posts in Wyoming.

Freeman served as commander of a military guard getting out timber to build Fort Fetterman.  Freeman and his wagon were ambushed by Cheyennes and Dakotas of the Sioux tribe.  They were surrounded for three days in a southeastern valley before rescue.  Freeman's was the first detachment sent out to rescue Fetterman.  He was also the first unit sent out to help General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn and was the first on the field after the battle.  In both cases Fetterman and Custer were decoyed by Indians until out of range of help and were then cut down.  (Freeman said Custer was an insufferable martinet).

A string of forts was set up from Cheyenne, Wyoming into Montana to protect settlers from the Indians during the 1870s and 1880s.  Freeman spent the balance of his military career in those forts.  He was so taken with the beauty of the country that he homesteaded there after his retirement.  He lived formally with his lovely southern wife in that open country.  It was during his retirement that he related his adventures and taught Dad [George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd] the game of chess.

Dad's aunt Elizabeth Dickson, his mother's sister, owned the hospital in Douglas.  She was a very proper lady but when Mrs. Pike, a rustler's wife, became ill, she managed somehow to allow her husband in to visit her.  He was not supposed to be there because the sheriff was looking for him.  Auntie [Elizabeth Dickson] let the nurse go and eased him in the back door before the night nurse came on duty and then she herself left.  The night nurse told the sheriff Pike wasn't there because she didn't know he was, and Auntie was away and couldn't be questioned.

Famed cattle rustler George Pike.
Image courtesy of the Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum, the Douglas Historic Preservation Commission, and the National Park Service.

Some wealthy cattlemen started out as rustlers, among them George Pike who could not reform.  He was always in trouble for picking a good-looking animal to call his own. The sheriff usually had a warrant out for him.  He was brought by friends to Auntie's hospital for treatment of "cowboy's bellyache."  (It was appendicitis!)  Dad was about eleven years old at the time and visiting in town.  Doctor Jesurun was summoned, very hush hush, and surgery was performed.  The patient did not survive.  The rustler's friends gave a very large funeral for a well-loved scallywag.  a large fence was built around his grave but it was decided he needed more than an iron fence, so they sent to Denver for a large stone and had it inscribed as follows:

GEORGE PIKE

Underneath this stone in eternal rest

Sleeps the wildest one of the wayward west.

He was a gambler and sport and cowboy too

And he led the pace in an outlaw crew.

He was sure on the trigger and staid to the end

But was never known to quit on a friend.

In the relations of death all mankind is alike

But in life there was only one George W. Pike.

To be continued...

The Adoption of George Roscoe Griffin

George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd, formerly George Roscoe Griffin

On April 12, 1898, Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd filed paperwork to adopt his wife's son from her first marriage.

Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd

George Roscoe Griffin was born on January 23, 1895. He was the son of Anne Amelia Dickson and John T. Griffin.  His parents' marriage lasted a very short time. They were separated soon after their honeymoon and divorced a year after their nuptials. George never met his biological father. Annie Dickson married a second time, on April 29, 1897. Her second husband, Malcolm Rutherfurd, petitioned to adopt his stepson one year later.

The signature of Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd on the adoption document

The adoption paperwork is very interesting, since it sheds light on the relationship between Annie Dickson and John T. Griffin. While this account comes from Annie's point of view entirely, it's the most comprehensive account of the reasons for her divorce.

Comes now Malcolm B. O. Rutherford [sic], a citizen of the United States and citizen and resident of Converse County, Wyoming, and for the purposes hereinafter stated, would respectfully represent to the Court and Judge thereof,

FIRST:  That he is a married man, a farmer and stock raiser, by occupation, is 24 years of age and is fully able, competent and willing to provide for and assume the relation of parent to the minor child hereinafter named.

SECOND:  That your petitioner, the said Malcolm B. O. Rutherford [sic] doth hereby appear and doth hereby offer to adopt said minor child George Roscoe Griffin, a male child aged about four years, as his own, and to assume the relation of parent, that of a father to said minor child.

THIRD:  Your petitioner would further represent that the father of said minor child is John T. Griffin, and the mother of said minor is Annie E. Rutherford [sic], the wife of your petitioner, formerly the wife of the said John T. Griffin.  That the said John T. Griffin has been heretofore by this honorable court adjudged and found guilty of extreme cruelty; and for that cause has been divorced from his said former wife, Annie, the mother of said child; and the said mother thereafter married and became the wife of your petitioner, and is now a resident of said County and State; and at the time of said decree of divorce, said John T. Griffin, the father of said child, was found to be a cruel and vicious person and unfit to have the care and custody of said minor; and he was there and then, by this Court, judicially deprived of the custody or care of said child; and the Court judicially awarded sole care and custody of the said minor child to Annie E. Rutherford [sic], formerly Annie E. Griffin [sic].

This statement tells us that (a) the Converse County, Wyoming court processed Annie's divorce from John T. Griffin, (b) Annie claimed that John T. Griffin was extremely cruel, vicious and unfit to parent a child and (c) the court agreed with her. Of course, we know that John T. Griffin had already raised five children with his first wife, Ellen Pearsall. While no claims of abuse are on record from that marriage, or his last and final marriage to Elizabeth Rice, we cannot know whether abuse did or did not exist in his relationships. Annie claimed that John T. Griffin was cruel to her, and that's the only account we have of their marriage.

The document goes on to state that Annie Dickson Rutherfurd gives her consent to the adoption. It also decrees that henceforth, George will be legally and for all purposes considered the child of Malcolm Rutherfurd, capable of inheriting his estate, and that his name will be changed to George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd.

Malcolm was not the father George might have wished. He disliked Malcolm's strictness, religious beliefs and use of corporal punishment. However, this adoption gave him the only father figure he would have in his life and put him on equal legal footing with his four half-brothers.

Winchester '73 Rifle

An example of a Winchester 1873 Rifle [source: Winchester Guns]

I recently told the story of my second great-grandmother, Annie Dickson.  After Annie's second husband, Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd, died suddenly of pneumonia in 1913, she moved from Wyoming to Los Angeles with her five sons.

My late grandmother, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith, left me her genealogy files and family photos. Among her paperwork, I found a letter from her cousin.  This cousin, a child of Annie's son Archie Rutherfurd (1899-1972), relates in his letter a story about events that occurred after Malcolm Rutherfurd's death.  Here is the letter in full:

Upon the death of Malcolm B.O. Rutherfurd in April of 1913, his widow, my grandmother, Annie Amelia Dickson Rutherfurd, made arrangements to leave Douglas, Wyoming with her five young sons and go to Los Angeles, California to be closer to her family.

Ferris Bruner and his father took them to the railroad station.  Ferris was about 14 years old and a very good friend of my father Archie.  They had all of their personal belongings in several large trunks or crates, and strapped to the outside of one of the trunks was Malcolm's Winchester rifle.  This was done probably because it was too long to fit inside.  The station agent told them they could not ship the rifle that way, so they left it with Ferris to be reclaimed when they returned to Wyoming.

In July of 1962, my father, Archie and I made a trip to Douglas.  This was my first time there and his too, since leaving in 1913.  We went to the Ranch that Malcolm and his brother Archie owned and met the current owners, the Pextons.  We asked if Ferris Bruner was still in the area and they said he was and gave us directions to his place.  We looked him up and had a very nice visit for two days.  As we were visiting one evening, Ferris said, "I think I have something that belongs to you" and went in the back room and came out with the rifle, and related the story to us.  I am sure that my Dad had forgotten about it and was rather surprised.  Ferris said that he had never used it and had just been storing it for all those years and insisted that we take it.  I had the rifle appraised about 10 years ago and it was worth about $1700 at that time.

The Rutherfurd ranch in Douglas, Wyoming

I hope someone in the Rutherfurd family still has this rifle, which is over 100 years old by now.

The Rutherfurds in Douglas, Wyoming

Malcolm Rutherfurd (back), his brother Archie (center) and two farmhands in Douglas, Wyoming

I've been writing about my Dickson and Rutherfurd ancestors and the years they spent as ranchers in Douglas, Wyoming.  Recently, I found a newspaper clipping amongst the files of my grandmother, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith.  It reveals interesting information about the lives of those ancestors in Douglas, including some anecdotes I'd never previously heard.  People mentioned include my second great-grandmother Anne Amelia Dickson, her second husband (my step-second great-grandfather) Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd, and Malcolm's brother Archibald Aymer Oliver Rutherfurd.  The entirety of the article is posted below.

November 11, 1992
Douglas Budget

The Search for Roots Never Stops
[Column: The View From Pex's Pasture by John Pexton]

The search for one's roots never stops.

As one travels down the family tree, the trail usually weaves all over the country; and on occasion, some interesting stories and events turn up.

Connie and Claude Sipe of [removed for privacy], California were in Douglas last week.  They were hot on the trail of Connie's ancestors, the Rutherfurd family.  I had the honor of helping them climb down their family tree looking for the roots.

We started by going out to where her grandfather, M.B.O. Rutherfurd and his brother Archibald Aymer Oliver Rutherfurd lived.  The Rutherfurd ranch was located on Reid Creek (also called Rutherfurd Creek) 30 miles south of Douglas.  Charles and Gene Pexton are the present owners of the property.

The Rutherfurd trail really starts in Scotland where the brothers were born.  They evidently were from a wealthy family because in reading Archibald's will it mentions a trust.  It is thought that they came to America because of an invitation from the Foxton Family who were also from Scotland.  The Foxtons settled on land presently owned by Jerry Sober and where Tim Pexton lives.  The Rutherfurd name was really Oliver-Rutherfurd as evidenced in the brothers' names.  The "Oliver" has since been dropped.

Buying the ranch from Charles Reid, Sr. (Beef Bolin's grandfather) in 1892, they continued to live there unitl 1909 when the ranch was sold to J.C. Saul.  Do any of you readers know where the M.B.O. Rutherfurds lived between 1909 and 1913?

Connie read for the first time a story about Archibald Rutherfurd.  Since it is the Halloween season, it is a very fitting story to be retold.  Laura Reid, a daughter-in-law of Charles Reid, Sr., recalled the story in an article about Pioneer Cemeteries several years ago. She wrote:

"Archie Rutherfurd was numbered among the early day ranchers of the Laramie Peak region.  In order to get to his ranch, he had to cross a sandy creek bed, which at times had a trick of water, sometimes dry, and occasionally went on a rampage.  Among Archie's friends, perhaps his closest, was a sheepman by the name of Vetter.  While tending his sheep camp one day, Vetter was shot and killed by sheepherder John Koch, an employee of another sheepman.  Koch was apprehended and jailed in Douglas; but upon being made a trustee until the spring term of court convened, he fled the country never to be heard of again.  A short time after the incident, Archie bought a mowing machine in Douglas and loaded it on a wagon to be hauled to his mountain ranch.  Nearing home towards evening, the heavy load pulled by the tired team felt the jar of crossing the narrow creek.  Archie looked back to see if his machinery was okay.  Much to his great surprise and shock, he saw the ghost of his good friend, Mr. Vetter sitting on the seat of the mowing machine."

Mrs. Reid doesn't explain what happened after the sighting, but she does go on to say that, "From that day to this, the creek has been called 'Ghost Creek.'"

Archie (a bachelor) died in 1899 at the age of about 32 in Douglas after a winter's ride to town.  He was found dead in the morning after retiring to his room in the Reid house on North 2nd Street.  He had complained the night before of not feeling well.  Pneumonia was determined to be the cause of death.  Archie is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery.

M.B.O. (Malcolm Brakspear Oliver) died in 1913 and his body was shipped to Los Angeles for burial.  He had married Mrs. Annie. A. Griffin on April 29, 1897 in Douglas. George Dickson and Dr. Mortimer Jesurun were the witnesses.  The new Mrs. Rutherfurd was the former Annie Dickson, a sister of George Dickson who owned a hardware store and Elizabeth Dickson who built and owned the first hospital on North 6th Street.  After her marriage, Annie used the name Annie Oliver Rutherfurd.

Connie never knew where or when her grandfather M.B.O. had died.  You can imagine the look on her face when we found his obituary in the files of "The Douglas Budget."  Connie's dad's name was also Archie.  She said because of personal circumstances and not because of the kind of person he was, his mother always called him by the nickname of "Odd."   He is buried in northern Utah.

The family story goes on and on.  It was such a delight to meet such nice people like Connie and Claude.  I had the opportunity to smell the roses with them as they dug out their family history.

Anne Amelia Dickson

Anne Amelia Dickson

Anne Amelia Dickson was my second great-grandmother.

Annie was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada on October 27, 1870. Her parents were Mary Elizabeth Bellangee and George William Dickson. Anne was named for her aunt, Anne Amelia Bellangee, sister of her mother, Mary Bellangee.

Annie was the second of the four surviving children of Mary and George.  Their first child, Mary, died as an infant in 1866.  Annie grew up with an older sister, Elizabeth Davock Dickson (b. 1868) and two younger brothers, George William Dickson, Jr. (b. 1872) and Wilfred Bellangee Dickson (b. 1875).

Annie Dickson in 1879 (age 9)

Sarnia is located directly across the St. Clair River from Michigan.  Annie's father, George, was a sailor on the Great Lakes, and the Dickson family had moved from Buffalo, New York to Sarnia some years earlier to support George's career.  Life in Sarnia focused on the river.  "Located in the natural harbour, the Sarnia port remains an important centre for lake freighters and oceangoing ships carrying cargoes of grain and petroleum products." [Wikipedia] Annie surely watched the ships come and go along the St. Clair, and had fond memories of playing on the beach in Sarnia with her siblings during her childhood.

My grandmother, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith, knew Annie well and spent quite a bit of time with her grandmother during her childhood years.  She described Annie as rambunctious, opinionated and impulsive.  She told a story about Annie paddling out onto the Great Lakes in a small boat, right in the path of large freighters, and needing to be rescued.  Annie found this incident amusing and exhilarating.  Annie's mother, Mary Bellangee Dickson, was a very refined woman; a true lady.  By comparison, Annie was a bit of a loose cannon.  This is not to say she was not responsible.  She had five sons and was fiercely devoted to them.  She was simply spirited and adventurous in a way that other women of her circle were not.

As a young woman of 23, Annie Dickson was working as a nurse in a hospital in Detroit, Michigan when she met John Griffin. John was thirty years older than Annie, a widower with five children.  Family lore has it that John was a patient at the hospital where Annie worked, and a May-December romance bloomed.  On January 2, 1894, Annie and John were married in Sandwich, Ontario. My grandmother, LaVerne Smith, told me that Annie and John's honeymoon involved a long boat trip to Florida. The specifics of this trip are unknown. What is clear is that the romance quickly faded. John and Annie separated after the honeymoon, and were divorced in less than a year. However, by the time of their separation, Annie was pregnant.

Annie’s parents and siblings had recently moved from Canada to Douglas, Wyoming. It is said that one of Annie’s brothers took a job at a telegraph station there and the rest of the family went with him. The Dicksons were a close bunch who preferred to stay near each other.  Pregnant and separated from her husband, Annie joined her family in Douglas in 1894.  She moved back in with her parents and her sister Elizabeth, who had helped build the Douglas hospital and was working there as a nurse.

Annie (at right) with her sister, Elizabeth Davock Dickson.

Annie and John's son, George Roscoe Griffin, was born on January 23, 1895 in Douglas, Wyoming. There is no indication that he ever met his biological father.

On April 29, 1897, Annie married Malcolm Rutherfurd, a Scottish immigrant. Malcolm and his brother Archibald had moved from Jedburgh, Scotland to Wyoming and were running a ranch in Douglas.  A year after the marriage, Malcolm adopted young George, who was known to most as “Roscoe.” His name was legally changed to George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd. Annie and Malcolm then had four boys of their own, Malcolm, Archibald, Robert and Arthur, before Malcolm’s untimely death from pneumonia in 1913.

Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd

After Malcolm's sudden death, Annie moved with her boys to Los Angeles, California.  Her parents and sister Elizabeth had moved there several years previously, and Annie thought it was best to join them.  She also sent Malcolm's body to Los Angeles via train and had him buried at Evergreen Cemetery in East Los Angeles.

My grandmother recalled that Annie's home in Los Angeles, shared with her sister Elizabeth, was always full of books.  The Dicksons, Annie's parents, were great readers, and this love of literature was passed down to their children and their grandchildren.  George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd was quite a reader, and this trait continues with his descendants.

Annie Dickson Rutherfurd in 1925

By 1940, when Annie was 69 years of age, her heath had declined.  In 1940, the census shows her living at Woodcraft Home in Riverside, California. This was essentially an assisted living facility for the elderly.  I'm not sure what the circumstances were surrounding her stay there, or how long she lived there in total.  She had been living with her sister, Elizabeth, for many years, but sometime between 1930 and 1940, Elizabeth went to live with other relatives and Annie went to Woodcraft Home.  Later, Annie moved north to Oregon, for reasons that are also unclear.

Annie died on August 29, 1952 in Hood River, Oregon.  She died just 24 days after her beloved sister Elizabeth.  She was survived by four of her five sons (her second son, Malcolm, died in 1937) and several grandchildren.


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I've previously written about Annie's mother, Mary Elizabeth Bellangee, and her son, George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd. I also wrote briefly about Annie's relationship with her sister, Elizabeth.

George Rutherfurd

George Rutherfurd was my great-grandfather; the much-beloved father of my Grandma, LaVerne Rutherfurd Smith.  For the first two years of his life, his name was George Roscoe Griffin.  His parents were Anne "Annie" Amelia Dickson and John T. Griffin, and he was the only child of their very brief marriage.  George was born on January 23, 1895 in Douglas, Wyoming, months after his parents separated.  There is no indication that he ever met or communicated with his natural father, John T. Griffin, who lived in Detroit.  When his mother, Annie, married Malcolm Brakspear Oliver Rutherfurd in 1897, George was adopted by his step-father.  His legal name became George Roscoe Oliver Rutherfurd.¹

George as a baby in 1895

George spent the first seventeen years of his life in Douglas, Wyoming.  His mother Annie's family had settled there just a few years before George's birth, when one of Annie's brothers took a job in the Douglas telegraph office.  His stepfather, Malcolm, had arrived in Douglas as a Scottish immigrant intent on owning a cattle ranch.  After Malcolm and Annie were married, they had four boys of their own: Malcolm Archibald Oliver Rutherfurd (b. 1898), Archibald Dickson Oliver Rutherfurd (b. 1899), Robert Leslie Oliver Rutherfurd (b. 1903) and Arthur William Oliver Rutherfurd (b. 1906).  Apparently, George got along well with his half-brothers, but my grandmother always said that he was gentler than his younger siblings; more interested in academic and artistic pursuits.

George and his brothers

The ranch where George was raised was a busy place, and George and his brothers were expected to earn their keep.  From his earliest days, George was riding horses, doing chores and working with the cattle.  However, he liked to sneak away and visit with his maternal grandmother, Mary Bellangee Dickson, who read him poetry and encouraged his interest in literature. 

Mary Bellangee Dickson with her grandsons, George (left) and Malcolm (right)

There is some indication that George may have disliked the strictness of the household in which he was raised.  My uncle Tom Smith said that George, known to him as "Pappy," spoke of being beaten regularly for childhood misbehavior.  He claimed that Malcolm would beat or whip all five boys, something he described as "being beaten on Saturday for all the things they did wrong during the week."  Whether this was corporal punishment typical of its time or rose to another level is unknown, but it seems George objected to it.  George also told his grandson Tom that Malcolm's strict Presbyterian teachings put him off religion for life.

George in 1905, at age ten

George told his grandson, Tom Smith, a tale about growing up on the ranch in Douglas.  One day, Malcolm and Annie were away from the ranch, and a fox approached the family's chicken pen.  When the fox jumped up on the fence to attack the chickens, George grabbed a rifle to defend them.  He knew he was not allowed to use the rifle, but he also knew that he had to save the chickens.  He killed the fox.  When his mother and stepfather arrived home, Malcolm congratulated George on the kill, but then punished him for using the rifle.

The Rutherfurd ranch in Douglas, Wyoming

Malcolm Rutherfurd died suddenly on April 12, 1913.  He contracted pneumonia and was dead within days.  He was thirty-eight.  This unexpected loss had major consequences for Annie and the Rutherfurd boys.  Annie sold the ranch and took her children to Los Angeles.  Annie's parents, George and Mary Dickson, and her sister, Elizabeth Dickson, had moved to Oregon a few years before Malcolm's death, and shortly thereafter had moved again, to Los Angeles.  Upon the death of her husband, Annie decided to join her family in California.  Her parents and sister were soon reunited with Annie and the boys in Los Angeles and helped them settle into a new life.

Life on the ranch.  Malcolm Rutherfurd is second from the left in this photo.

This major life change occurred at a critical time in George's adolescence.  He was seventeen, on the verge of manhood.  Now, he was suddenly partially responsible for supporting his family.  He might never have had the opportunity to go to college had his stepfather lived, but once Malcolm died and the weight of responsibility became clear, that door was conclusively shut.  By all accounts, George was a very bright young man, one who would have loved academia and flourished at a university.  Beyond his passion for literature and poetry, George was fascinated by the sciences.  He had an endless curiosity for botany and geology.  He liked to paint and became interested in photography.  Arriving in Los Angeles, George set those interests aside to focus on earning a living.

At first, young George got work riding a horse in Western movies.  He'd grown up riding, so this was a natural fit for him. However, he soon became disenchanted with the treatment of the horses on set.  In those days, trip wires and prods were still being used to manipulate the animals, and George found it cruel.  Then, he took a job at Pacific Telegraph and Telephone.  He would remain there for the rest of his career.  This choice of employment had huge ramifications.  It would determine which branch of the armed services George entered during World War I, and it was the place where he would meet his wife.

Click to continue reading about the life of George Rutherfurd.

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1 A note about the Oliver Rutherfurd surname:  In the 1700s, the Scottish Rutherfurd family found themselves with only a female heir.  That heir, Jane Rutherfurd, married William Oliver in 1771.  The surnames were then combined, so that the Rutherfurd name would live on, and both were given to all the children in this family for many generations.  While the surname is technically Oliver Rutherfurd, in modern times only Rutherfurd is used on legal documents.^↩

Magdalene Barrett

Magdalene Barrett

I would like to preface this post by stating that I’m sure others in my extended family will know more information about Magdalene than I do. This will be only a brief profile of my great-grand aunt, but I would love to hear from other family members who can share more details about her.

Martha Magdalene Barrett was the only sister of my great-grandmother Julia Ellen Barrett. Known as Magdalene, she was born on February 17, 1897 in Granite City, Illinois. She was the second of five children born to Albert Patrick Barrett and Helen “Nellie” O’Hare. After a move to Pennsylvania in 1906 and the death of her father in 1910, Magdalene, her mother and siblings settled in Los Angeles, California.

With her dark hair and sweet smile, Magdalene was the beauty of her family. In 1917, at the age of twenty, she married Lawrence Gilbert Cook. On July 24, 1918, their only child, Lawrence Gilbert Cook, Jr., known as Gil, was born in Los Angeles.

On September 12, 1918, Lawrence Cook enlisted in the military. The United States had entered World War I the previous year. His draft card lists Magdalene as his wife and their address as 3088 Eighth Avenue in Los Angeles.

In 1920, according the US Census, Magdalene was living with her mother, Nellie Barrett, her son Gil, and her three brothers. Her occupation was listed as being a telephone operator at the telephone company. On the census form, Magdalene is noted as being married, although her husband was not living with her. World War I had ended in June of 1919, but Lawrence and Magdalene had not resumed living together after his return from service.

Sometime in the early-to-mid 1920s, Magdalene and Lawrence Cook were divorced. Magdalene, like the rest of her Barrett family, was a Catholic, but the divorce effectively separated her from the church.

Magdalene remarried Robert “Bob” Leslie Rutherfurd. Bob was the half-brother of Magdalene’s brother-in-law, George Roscoe Rutherfurd, husband of her sister Julia. Magdalene and Bob’s daughter, Patricia “Patty” Mary Rutherfurd, was born on May 16, 1928, making her ten years younger than her half-brother, Gil.

The family eventually moved south of Los Angeles. In 1934, Magdalene, Bob and the children were living in San Pedro, and then in 1935 they were living in Wilmington. In 1940, the census shows them in Long Beach.

On February 27, 1941, Magdalene’s son Gil enlisted in the military. The United States entered World War II on December 8, 1941, and Gil served in the 436th Bomber Squadron, stationed in the South Pacific. On October 28, 1943, at the age of 23, his plane went down near Burma and he was killed. Magdalene was informed that her son was missing in action via a telegram, and it took many months before she learned the circumstances of her only son’s death. I will discuss this further in future blog posts.

Magdalene died on March 5, 1970 in Sierra Madre, California. She was the grandmother of eleven children born to her daughter Patty.