Category: Montgomery

Newspaper Tales: C. W. Montgomery in Print

Posted on by spuddled

For today’s Newspaper Tales blog post, I’ve decided to take a look at various times in which my great-grandfather, Charles William Montgomery, showed up in newspapers throughout his lifetime. I’ve found that old newspapers can capture not only the important milestones, but also the small moments that help round out our understanding of our ancestors’ lives.

Charles was born 17 January 1861 in Lynchburg, Ohio, but the first newspaper mention of him that I have been able to find is from 1896, after he had moved twice: first to Richland County, Illinois, and then to Holdrege, Nebraska. Events in Charles’s life that did not make it into the newspaper (or at least not the newspapers I have seen) were his marriage to Laura Maud Walker on 22 February 1883 in Richland County, Illinois, and the births of daughters Myrtle, Mamie, Bessie, and Elta in Mansfield, Illinois, between 1884 and 1888. The family moved to Nebraska sometime around 1889. Charles’s first mention in print appears in The Political Forum of Holdrege: an article notes that C. W. Montgomery was to be appointed night watchman for the town, effective 5 February.1

There seems to have been something of a muddle over this appointment. An article appearing two days later in the Holdrege Weekly Progress also references Charles being made night watchman but noted that the former watchman whom C. W. had replaced was still “on the night turf.”2

The Holdrege Citizen similarly detailed this redundancy of night watchmen.3

Exactly what transpired next is unclear, but on 28 February 1896, The Holdrege Citizen reported that Charles had resigned his post. Interestingly, this notice appears on the same page as an account of Charles swearing out warrants the previous Wednesday against a group of men for public intoxication. The men pled guilty and were fined, and according to the article, the issue “caused considerable comment and feeling.” I can’t help but wonder if this somehow led to the resignation.4

Shortly after Charles’s resignation from his night watch post, a brief mention in The Holdrege Citizen provides information on his next employment situation. This one is night watch-adjacent.5

In all these articles, Charles appears fairly consistently as “C. W. Montgomery.” So I’m going to assume the “Chas. Montgomery” who took a car load of the mayor’s cattle to Omaha in June 1896 was a different individual. Though our Charles is back (and cattle-adjacent) in September 1897.6

Two years later, we learn, Laura’s sister, Eunice (Walker) Pilchard and her husband came to stay for “a few weeks” with Charles and Laura,7 though a later article revealed the visit had in actuality been only for 10 days.8 This later article refers to our Charles as “Chas. W. Montgomery, ” so maybe I should rethink that mayoral cattle business.

A month after the Pilchards’ visit, The Holdrege Daily Citizen coyly noted the arrival of “a handsome boy” at the home of Charles and Laura. This handsome boy was John Ward, the second of three sons born to the couple. The first son, Walter, had been born in March 1898 (10 years after the birth of Elta). John Ward, who would go by his middle name, was born 9 October 1899.9

Another bit of confusion comes next. Was it our C. W. Montgomery who was selected as “Chief Forester” for the Holdrege Modern Woodmen of America?10 Similarly, who was the “Chas. Montgomery” who attended the Nebraska State Volunteer Fire Department Association convention?11 I don’t know.

What does appear to be the next confirmed incident to befall Charles was that his employer at the Palace meat market sold the business. The new proprietor, Thomas Sword, would be assisted by his son as well as “Chas. Montgomery, the popular meat cutter.”12

The following month “the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. W. Montgomery” broke his collar bone by falling out of a swing. Was this John Ward, the “handsome boy”?13 Three months after that, Thomas Sword, the new proprietor of the Palace meat market, turned around and sold it to Chas. Hagstrom & Co. The article about the sale noted that our Charles would remain with the firm “for a month or two yet.”14

This “month or two” was an understatement. By April 1901 when the meat market changed ownership yet again, C. W. Montgomery was still working there, and would continue to do so.15 He seems to have been the one constant at that place.

Four months later another birth announcement for Charles’s family appeared in the newspaper. Though he wasn’t labeled as a “handsome boy” arriving at the house, it’s still exciting to see in print, as this was my grandfather, Lawrence Montgomery, born 26 August 1901.16

Before Grandpa was a year old, the family would move again, this time to Colorado. An article from May 1902 describes how Grandpa’s sister Mamie (then 16 years old) traveled to Sterling, Colorado, to prepare their new home for the family’s move.17

Even after his move, Charles continued to turn up in the Holdrege newspaper. Here he is connected with cattle again…18

Charles’s next appearance in print is a sad one that provides a lot of insight into the family’s history. His wife Laura was committed to an asylum in Pueblo, Colorado, and would spend the remaining thirty years of her life there. Even more poignant to me is the fact that her “youngest child” referenced here was my grandfather.19, 20

Six months later eldest daughter Myrtle, who had married in Colorado but then returned to Nebraska, came to visit “her parents.” I know from letters Mamie later wrote to her own daughter that Laura did write to her children from the asylum; perhaps Myrtle did in fact visit her there as well.21

Charles does not turn up as regularly in the Colorado newspapers as he did in Nebraska, at least at first. Interestingly, Fort Collins and Holdrege were roughly the same size (about 3000 people) in 1900, but by 1940, while Holdrege was holding steady at around 3400, Fort Collins had grown to over 12,000. Today Holdrege’s population is still only about 5500, while Fort Collins boasts about 170,000 residents.

Charles does show up in 1919 in an article concerning four acres of land he purchased. This article is tucked in between one asking citizens to buy War Savings Stamps and bread, and one advertising Bitro-Phosphate as a way to “increase one’s flesh.”22

Two years later Charles appears again, in an article noting he would be gone for several months to Cloverly, Wyoming.23 I wonder what was in Cloverly? It could not have been Buffalo Bill, even though Grandpa always said his father spent time “riding the range with Buffalo Bill,” because Buffalo Bill died in 1917.

Another less-mysterious trip was the one Charles took in December 1922 to Los Angeles, planning to stay for six months. At least it seems to be less mysterious: daughters Mamie, Bessie, and Elta would all eventually settle in California, though it’s not clear to me when each of them moved there with their families, and as we shall see, Elta, at least, was still in Colorado for a little while after 1922.24 This article also notes that Charles had lived for the past seven years at the New Antlers Hotel. This building still exists, and Mom, Dad, and I were able to see it in person in 2015.

In May 1923 a further article described Charles’s return from his trip. Though he enjoyed his time away, Colorado was still the winner in his book.25

Charles’s next appearance was in an article from September of that same year. This article tells us several important facts. Charles has returned to his prior occupation of being a night watchman, this time at the Great Western Sugar company. Also, daughter Elta was now living in Walsenburg, Colorado; Charles was taking a week’s vacation to visit her there.26

Charles was still employed at Great Western four years later, as an article describes how he was responsible for leading a class of eighth grade students from the Plummer School on a tour of the sugar company, describing the sugar-making process and answering the students’ questions.27

By 1933 both Elta and Bessie were living in Los Angeles, as in March of that year a newspaper article noted that Charles had wired both daughters but had not heard from him.28 It’s possible he was trying to reach them to relay information concerning their mother’s health; she would die in July of that year at age 70.

The following year Charles was the one with health concerns; a newspaper article from October 1934 notes he had been a surgical patient but was released back to his home at the Antlers Hotel.29

In May 1935 Elta sent Charles some freshly-picked California oranges. Charles shared his bounty with the staff of the newspaper which ran an article about this offering (the newspaper was then called The Fort Collins Express-Courier). Apparently this gift from Charles to the newspaper staff was not sufficient to prevent them from butchering Elta’s name; she is listed as “Alva” in the article.30

The following year Ward, the “handsome boy,” now 36 years old, visited Charles for a week. By this time Ward was married, had two children, and was living in Detroit.31

The following year it was Elta’s turn to visit Charles at 222 Linden Street (aka the Antlers Hotel).32

Then two years later in July 1939 Ward visited again. He was now a young widower, his wife having died in January of that year at age 31. The two young daughters, Jean and Ruth, were aged 10 and about 7.33

By this time Charles was nearing 80, but life would take at least one more surprising turn for him. In April 1941 an article in The Western Nebraska Observer noted that a marriage license had been been issued to Charles and a Lysle Cleave, both of Fort Collins.34 When they married on 27 March 1941 in Kimball, Nebraska, Charles was 80 and Lysle was 57.35 At some point I was sent a copy of a photograph of Charles and Lysle, which included notes written at the bottom of the page. It took some time to work out that “Mrs. Lyle” was in fact Lysle (Peterson) Cleave.

Part of what helped piece those details together was the final newspaper appearance we’ll look at today. As you might expect, that is Charles’s obituary, which appeared on 14 January 1942. Interestingly, the obituary states that Charles “would have been 75 Saturday,” when in fact he would have been 81.36 He died on 13 January 1942 in Fort Collins after a week’s illness. According to his death certificate, his cause of death was coronary occlusion and arteriosclerosis. So there you have it – Charles Montgomery’s life as described in newsprint. Now if only at least one article had mentioned Buffalo Bill…

  1. The Political Forum [Holdrege, Nebraska], 5 February 1896, pg. 3 ↩︎
  2. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 7 February 1896, pg. 1 ↩︎
  3. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen, 7 February 1896, pg. 5 ↩︎
  4. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen, 28 February 1896, pg. 5 ↩︎
  5. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen, 17 April 1896, pg. 5 ↩︎
  6. The Holdrege [Nebraska] Citizen-Forum, 17 September 1897, pg. 8 ↩︎
  7. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 8 September 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  8. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 15 September 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  9. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 13 October 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  10. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 8 December 1899, pg. 1 ↩︎
  11. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 19 January 1900, pg. 1 ↩︎
  12. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 1 June 1900, pg. 1 ↩︎
  13. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 13 July 1900, pg. 8 ↩︎
  14. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 12 October 1900, pg. 1 ↩︎
  15. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 19 April 1901, pg. 1 ↩︎
  16. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 30 August 1901, pg. 1 ↩︎
  17. Holdrege [Nebraska] Daily Citizen, 9 May 1902, pg. 1 ↩︎
  18. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 2 October 1903, pg. 1 ↩︎
  19. The Larimer County [Colorado] Independent, 28 December 1904, pg. 6 ↩︎
  20. The Fort Collins [Colorado] Express and The Fort Collins Review, 28 December 1904, pg. 4 ↩︎
  21. The Weekly Progress [Holdrege, Nebraska], 5 May 1905, pg. 1 ↩︎
  22. The Fort Collins [Colorado] Express, 21 March 1919, pg. 4 ↩︎
  23. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 27 January 1921, pg. 3 ↩︎
  24. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 16 December 1922, pg. 3 ↩︎
  25. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 16 May 1923, pg. 3 ↩︎
  26. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 21 September 1923, pg. 3 ↩︎
  27. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 20 January 1927, pg. 1 ↩︎
  28. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 14 March 1933, pg. 7 ↩︎
  29. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 9 October 1934, pg. 7 ↩︎
  30. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 28 May 1935, pg. 2 ↩︎
  31. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 6 August 1936, pg. 5 ↩︎
  32. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 25 July 1937, pg. 2 ↩︎
  33. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 30 July 1939, pg. 2 ↩︎
  34. The Western Nebraska Observer [Kimball, Nebraska], 3 April 1941, pg. 4 ↩︎
  35. Charles William Montgomery, Letter from Charles Montgomery (n.p: n.p, July 16, 1941). ↩︎
  36. Fort Collins [Colorado] Coloradoan, 14 January 1942, pg. 2 ↩︎

Y Is for…Yuletide

Posted on by spuddled

Only four more days until Christmas, and the season always seems too short. Though when we were children, the opposite was true, and Christmas seemed to be soooo long in coming. But either way, there are always memories to be gleaned from Christmases past. I’m bringing a sampling here of ~50 years of journals and diaries and other recorded memories. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

ca. 1936, recorded in 1994: Looking through stuff in Grandma’s [Hoffmann’s] basement once, I found a neat little compact.  Gram remembered that Grandpa had bought that for her while they were dating. He’d asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She’d listed several things, & he bought her all of them.

December 1941 Diary of Grandma Hoffmann

Sun. 7 — U.S. attacked by Japan
Mon. 8 — Work U.S. declared War on Japan.
Tues. x 16 ? — Finished ironing & mended. Went to Caldwell at nite.
Thurs. 18 x — Got telegram — left for home 12:00 noon.
Sun. x 21 — Hoffmann’s for supper — stayed at folks all nite.
Mon. 22 — Mom’s birthday — Bill [Grandma’s sister Marilyn] & Fran married. Went home w/Sam & Norm
Thurs. 25 — Christmas — stayed at Joe’s Mother’s all nite.

Christmas Memories by Mom, Recorded by Me

Christmas remembered most — so exciting. By. Nov. 25 would keep track, maybe mark off calendar — couldn’t wait to put up tree, Gram let put up 2 weeks before (in front of living room window as now). Would get box from Illinois — Gram & Aunt Leona made candy (some kind of caramels, & yummy divinity) — candy separate & opened before, but wrapped presents waited to open. Fifth grade or so, really wanted Heidi book; usually knew they’d probably get what they wanted (no real outlandish wishes).

Never went to Christmas services on Christmas; opened gifts Christmas morning; might’ve for a while chosen one to open Christmas Eve. Got quite a few presents, maybe 10 or 12, not all big. Stockings probably behind chairs, etc., in living room — always oranges and candy canes. Grandma [mom’s mom, that is] always made Christmas fun. Weren’t supposed to get up before 7 — but once Mom and Jay got up really early — Santa presents weren’t wrapped, and one year Paula really wanted a doll buggy (still there!), & Mom & Jay saw it & were really excited for her & thought it really neat she’d gotten it.

Memory, ca. 1955, Sent to Me Years Later by Aunt Linda (Montgomery) Schor

One of my favorite Christmas stories happened when Laura and I were about four and five years old respectively. It was a few days before Christmas and Deanna, Gene, and Ted were whispering and laughing. The Christmas tree was up but I don’t remember if there were any presents under it. Deanna made Laura and I go in the bathroom and shut the door and promise not to peek! We listened for a few seconds at the door and then cracked the door open just a sliver. The three of them were looking at two big packages that held the three foot dolls that were so popular that year. Laura and I had seen them at the local grocery store on one of their high shelves. I don’t remember if we had asked for these particular dolls, but Deanna, Gene, and Ted seemed very excited to be wrapping them. I remember they chose the dark haired one for me and the blonde one for Laura. I closed the bathroom door and in a few minutes Laura and I were allowed to exit the bathroom. I don’t even remember opening the doll packages at Christmas or if Laura and I acted surprised to receive them. The memory most indelible was the excitement and happiness that my older siblings experienced giving the two of us a present for Christmas.

December 1975: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Monday, Dec. 22, 1975:  Joe still didn’t feel good so went to the Dr. & his lung was collapsed again.  Put the tube in & it came up. Then started bleeding so had to take it out again. Gave him a shot of Demarol & he had a reaction to it. They wanted to operate tomorrow but couldn’t get his blood back to normal. Had a bag of plasma two pints of blood. Put him in ICU.

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 1975:  Decided to operate. Dad had quite a time making up his mind to it but finally decided it had to be. Set for 8:00 tomorrow morning. Jay & Nancy went up to trailer tonite. Will be down tomorrow. Girls were all over to see Dad tonite & will be with me tomorrow.

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1975:  Day before Christmas! Jay , Nancy, & Mike come today. Got up at 6:15—got ready to go over to hosp. Ice about 1/8 thick on everything when I went out. Saw 2 cars in median on way over—one on its top. Paula went off road twice on way over. What a day! Linda didn’t try to make it & I was glad. Got over about 10:30. All went well with surgery. Stayed till about 10:00. Jay & Nancy came about 5:00. They made it O.K. Came home & put out stockings & went to bed. Paula & Jim came & I fixed bed for them & I slept on couch.

Thursday, Dec. 25, 1975:  Got up around 8:00. Opened gifts & then Linda, Ted & kids came over. Sure missed Dad. Called over about 9:00 & they said he was doing fine. Can only go in about 10 min. every hour, so pretty tiring waiting. Had a nice Christmas except for missing Joe. Came home & had dinner—kind of a buffet—then went back & spent the evening.

Friday, Dec. 26, 1975:  Got up & had breakfast. Went over to see Dad in afternoon & stayed all evening, since Jay & Nancy, Paula & Jim went skiing. Linda kept Mike. They came over to see Dad & I kept the kids in waiting room. Then went I went home, I picked Mike up at Ted’s folks….Mike went right to sleep for me. He’s so good! A dear little boy. Dad still pretty groggy.

December 1976: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Friday, December 24, 1976:  Cleaned living room & kitchen. Brought up rest of gifts. Got supper. (Washed & put up my hair). Took shower & got ready to go to Matt & Meg’s program. Jay Nancy & Mike got here about 5:30—just in time for supper. The program was nice & Matt did just great on his piece. Really enjoyed it.

Saturday, December 25, 1976:  Christmas Day. Paula & Jim slept in camper with doggies. Carla & I downstairs & Dad and Mike upstairs. Got up about 8:30. Opened gifts. Just got a good start when Linda & Ted & kids came. Had a great time! Got the turkey in about 11:00 so ate about 6:00. Linda & Ted went home fairly early as kids were tired & Paula & Jim left about 9:00. I finished cleaning up about 10:30. To bed about 12:00. Leona called & may come Tuesday.

December 1977: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Seal – A –Meal – 10.00 – Nancy
Bean bag chair 13.00 – ?
Little lamp – 5.00 – Nancy
Jackets – 3.00 – Matt Mike
Top – 2.25 – Meg
Dishes – 54. – Linda & Ted

December 1978: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Wednesday, December 13, 1978:  Wrote letters. Mailed the bulk of my greetings. UPS. Picked up my pkg. this A.M. Ironed Matt’s robe. He & Linda came over – think the robe is going to do just fine. Fixed his beard and head scarf. Linda is going to fix his crown.

Thursday, December 14, 1978:  Got the tree – $7.00 and it’s not very big. We ate at new Red Steer and saw Mr. & Mrs. Reid there. Picked up Mattie at school. Kids came home with me for supper. Tried Matt’s robe on again since I worked it over and really looks neat. He really likes it.

Sunday, December 24, 1978:  Got up about 9:00. Fixed breakfast. Took shower & washed hair. Paula & Jim came while I was putting it up. They went to run & kids stayed here. Finished cleaning up house. Carla came. Paula & Jim went down to his folks. Linda Ted & kids left. I fixed supper. Kids came back about 6:45 & I fixed them some supper. Linda & Ted came back for them & they all went down to his folks. I got ready to go to church with Carla. Everybody came back at same time. Linda went home pretty soon & Paula, Jim & Dad played cards. Carla & I (over) went to Boise to Mass. Got home about 2:00. Paula, Jim & Dad were still playing cards. I got to bed about 3:00.

Monday, December 25, 1978:  What a hectic day! Got up about 8:15. Ted had to go on a service call. Linda & kids finally came over about 9:00. Started opening presents. Didn’t get to see anybody open gifts because Dad had to get the coffee going & I had to help. Got the turkey in about 12:00. Ate about 5:00.  Kids had a big time. Carla left around 8:00. Linda, Ted & kids around 9:00 & Paula & Jim a little after that.

December 1979: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Saturday, December 15, 1979:  Wrote letters. Got pkgs. ready to send. Jelly to Alice & Al, candy to Sams, Leona & Marie. Got lunch & supper. Meg not feeling very well in morning so suspicious. By evening she was breaking out so has the chicken pox. Cried & cried when she found out because she won’t get to go to Church program tomorrow nite. 

Tuesday, December 25, 1979:  Mike came down & woke us at 7:10. Got up & opened presents. Then had breakfast. Got turkey in oven at 11:00, then did dishes. Washed & dressed. Fixed cran. sauce & jello. Cleaned off tables & got them set. Finished up supper & ate about 6:00. Did dishes, then Paula cut my hair. Did more dishes & straightened kitchen. To bed about 12:00. Boy! Am I tired!

December 1980: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Thursday, December 25, 1980: CHRISTMAS! Up at 7:30. Cloudy, raining still. Dad & Mike up. Waited for Carla & Bill to come, then started opening presents. Got done about 8:30. Fixed breakfast. Made dressing & got turkey in oven. Made jello. ← (Washed & dressed). Did dishes. Set out lunch. Made pies. Took tiny nap. Finished up dinner. Ate about 5:00. Turkey very good. Cleared up & did dishes. Carla & Bill left, then later Linda, Ted & kids. Paula & Jim about 11:00. Got to bed about 1:00. Was a nice Christmas.

Friday, December 26, 1980: Up at 8:30. Matt & Megan over to play with Mike good part of day. To bed about 1:00. Matt & Megan stayed over & the 3 slept in sleeping bags in family room.

December 1981: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Thursday, December 17, 1981: Dad gone fishing. Tire on car low again so took Linda’s. Went to banks, ate lunch, got groc., went to Sears, MW, 88¢ store, tel. co., got Matt. Then to P.W. Drug. Forgot my list so didn’t get everything there. Darn! Picked Megan up from Brownies & took her to dancing, then went home, unloaded & put away groc. Matt stayed with me. Linda came back & we picked up Meg. Ate sandwiches at Jacks, then went to Meg’s dance program. She is very good. Afterwards came home & Dad was here. Says he couldn’t see well enough to fish. Has eye Dr. appt. Monday after Christmas so hope he can help him. Linda & Matt stayed a while. After they left Dad soon went to bed.

Thursday, December 24, 1981: Up at 8:40. Snowing! Finished getting ready for Christmas. Snowed off & on all day – about 3-4 inches. Looks like we’ll have a white Christmas for once. Got supper. Got ready to go to church program with Linda, Ted & kids. Enjoyed it. When I got home, I did dishes, read paper, (also, cleaned turkey, cut up celery & onions, & got bread ready for dressing) watched TV. Paula & Jim came about 10:30. Soon all went to bed. I finished getting stockings ready, wrapped Matt’s eagle, etc. To bed at 1:00.

Friday, December 25, 1981: WHITE CHRISTMAS Up at 8:00 – alternate sunny & cloudy, mostly sunny, really a nice day. Had coffee & rolls. Carla & Bill came. Linda soon called & kids walked over. Then Linda & Ted came so we opened gifts. They soon left to go to church. I got turkey in oven. Washed & dressed, made bed. Then I made cran. jelly, set Jello. Lindas came back, then Paula & Jim went out to Marilyns for a while. We cleared off dining room table & girls set table. Used the red cloth & my new dishes – really looked beautiful. Ate about 4-4:30. Afterwards cleared up, did dishes. Carla & Bill left. Said the roads were pretty clear when she called. Linda, Ted & kids left about 8:30 or so. Paula wanted to play pinochle so we played until about 10:00. Then they left. Beautiful Christmas. Except Jays weren’t here.

December 1982: My Diary

Friday, December 3:  Went to Kings and to see the big Christmas tree lit up.

Saturday, December 4:  Me & Ma went to a bazaar. I bought a teeny candle & a [arrow to “teeny”] picture. Me & Mommy went to King’s. Got a pen & candy canes. & Matt a Christmas present. Me & Pa picked up Matt. Ma worked at the bazaar from 4 to 5.

Saturday, December 11:  Watched cartoons. Matt’s greens came. We took them to Wendy’s & Grandma’s. Bryce came over, then Randy, Will, Mark, John, then Karl and we went to Chuck E. Cheese’s for Matt’s birthday party. Washed hair.

Monday, December 20: Went to Matt’s pack meeting. & a fake Santa was there & gave out candy.

Thursday, December 23:  Went to Grandma’s H. We watched game shows before we left. It snowed a bit. Mike came to our house. We went back And ate Supper there. Watched part of A Christm. Carol at Grandma H’s. finished it at home.

Saturday, December 25:  opened presents & then stayed at Gramma H’s all day. Stocking-stufers: piggy-bank-pendant two suits for dress-me-snoopy. orange, a fan, Spanish doll, wind-up-cradle-doll Presents: Clydsedale pretend horse, a dress-me-Snoppy a Dutch doll, Baby Snoppy, a color with yarn kit, a yarnkins kit, and a needlepoint kit, a dollhouse, and dollhouse furntle [?]

December 1982: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Wednesday, December 22, 1982:  Worked on doll house again, washed another load of clothes. Found rest of porch roof. Linda came & left Megan, Mike went with Matt. Got supper, did dishes. Linda, Matt, & Megan came over again. Jay & Nancy went downtown. I made more candy. Snowed this evening & kids were excited.

Thursday, December 23, 1982:  Clear, quite a bit of snow. Not too cold. Matt & Megan came. Linda went downtown & kids stayed here. Then Nancy & I went downtown & kids stayed w/Linda. Matt & Megan here for supper. Linda & Ted came about 8:30 & they went home about 9:00. Read paper, not much on TV.  Then I went down & worked on doll house.

Friday, December 24, 1982:  Up at 8:30.  Washed & fixed cranberry sauce. Nancy made green jello. Fixed celery, carrots, cauliflower for tomorrow. Kids went over to Lindas so Nancy & I cleaned up the house. Paula & Jim came. Jay, Nancy & kids went to church program. When they got home, Jay & Paula worked on the doll house. Got it nearly finished except for porch railing. 

Saturday, December 25, 1982.  WHITE CHRISTMAS AGAIN! Up at 7:45. Carla called & woke me. Mike & Cindy opened their presents from Santa Claus. We fixed breakfast & then Carla & Bill & Linda, Ted & kids came. They had breakfast, I fixed dressing & put turkey in oven. Then we opened rest of presents:  Kids had a big time. Made bed, did dishes, then laid down & took a nap. Got up about 3:15 & then finished up supper. Ate about 5:30. Everything tasted real good. After supper Carla & Bill left. We cleared up & did dishes. Paula & Jim left then Linda Ted & kids.

Sunday, December 26, 1982:  Matt & Meg came &, after a while, Linda & Ted. I helped Meg with doll furn. Linda fixed them some supper. Kids decided to stay all night so we fixed their beds. Linda & Ted went home. Kids finally went to sleep.

December 1983: My Diary

Sun., December 25:  Christmas! Stormy ran away very early. I got up at 3:15 am & watched the clock periodically til 5:30 AM when we got up. Opened presents. Daddy searched for Pooch & found him. Went to Gramma H’s. Worked on Macramé kit with Aunt Paula.

December 1983: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Sunday, December 25, 1983: Up at 7:45. Mike woke us. Made coffee & called Paula & Jim. Kids finally started opening presents & then Paula & Jim came. Carla called & they soon came & then Linda, Ted & kids. After we opened presents, got breakfast. Then I got turkey ready & put in oven. Did dishes & ran dishwasher, then Ted put in new garbage disposal. Drain still leaks but just needs new gasket. At least could use sink. Put my new curio cabinet together but have to redo it: door upside down. Started snowing again. Finished up dinner & ate about 5:30. All very good. Worked X-word. Carla & Bill left early. We cleared up & did dishes, then Linda, Ted & kids left. About 9:30 Paula & Jim left.

December 1984: My Diary

Thursday, December 6:  Had singing & violin program. Sang “White Christmas” & “Silent Night” played “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas”, “Jingle Bells” & “Silent Night.”

Saturday, December 8:  Marched in Girl Scout parade. Went to a craft & game things. Painted ornaments from King’s.

Monday, December 24:  Went to King’s. Matt got a Cabbage Patch Preemie. Went to the Christmas eve service. Held candles.

Tuesday, December 25:  Opened presents. Christmas presents. A snow suit & a rose petal doll from Gram H. A tote bag & a candy cane with M & M’s in it from Gram, Gramp, and Aunt Laura. Cody clothes from Aunt Paula & Uncle Jim. Orchid doll from Aunt Carla & Uncle Bill. A Playpour kit from Aunt Nancy, from Cindy a little bead pin & some other stuff. Snow on ground. Not real cold. Opened presents at our house, then went & opened them at Gram H’s. Got a grape pen, a small pen for my violin, 2 candy canes, a big sucker, some Rose Petal place doll clothes a birthday book, a science kit, Spirograph & a light for my bed, a Daffodil doll, & care bears from Mom. Turkey, dressing cranberry sauce vegetable tray & cracker, milk, water, turkey, green jello, fudge, frozen fruit

December 1984: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Sunday, December 23, 1984: Got ready & went to church, took Mike and Nancy. The program was very nice. Had coffee & cookies after church. Nancy & Mike & Cindy went out for lunch w/Linda & Ted, I came home & finished cleaning dining room & back porch. Left for Boise shortly after 6:15. Plane was a little late. Carla & Paula were there. So good to see Paul. Got his luggage, then came home. Got here about 9:30. Visited a while, looked at paper. Fixed sandwiches for kids, then they went home.

Monday, December 24, 1984: Made bed, Mike came over & soon Cindy & Nancy. They decided to go to Boise to try & get Mike’s gift. Cindy stayed with me. I cooked cranberry sauce, Linda picked up few groceries for me. She pressed her choir robe & then I pressed Carla’s skirt. Wrapped her gift, also Ted’s for Linda. Put on meat for supper, asked kids to stay, too. Ralph called. Paula & Jim came & brought gifts, then went down to his mom’s. I cleaned turkey, after supper we cleared up & I rinsed dishes. Cleaned & cut up celery & onion. Nancy & kids went home about 8:30, Paul to bed about 10:00. I emptied dishwasher, Linda, Ted & kids came a little while.

Tuesday, December 25, 1984: Woke about 6:30, went back to sleep until about 8:00. Paul was up. He had coffee, then took shower & shaved. I had breakfast, Paula & Jim came. Nancy & kids came and then Carla & Bill. Ted, Linda & kids soon after & we opened presents. Everyone seemed pleased with gifts. I got turkey in oven about 10:30, then washed & dressed. Carla tried on skirt, then helped me make bed. I fixed dips & set out veg. & crax. Also cheeses, lunch meat & bread. Rested a little, then fixed potatoes, green beans, etc. Paula & Meg set table. Ate about 5:00. Afterwards, cleared table, rinsed dishes & ran 1 load. Carla & Bill left & Linda, Nancy & Cindy went over to cemetery. All went home by about 9:30. Paul & I watched TV & I finished clean up kitchen.

December 1985: My Diary

Monday, December 9:  Had Christmas Concert at Jefferson. In orchestra, we played “Rudolph/Holly Jolly Christmas Medley”, “Candy Cane Christmas”, and “The Little Sleigh. In Christmas choir, we sang Angels we have Heard on High, Joy to the World, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, & African Noel

12-18-85:  Christmas: Every year, I give little presents to people in my family. I usually buy them at bazaars. The presents, not my family. I already owe my mom $10.08 for presents I bought with her money. The lead in this mechanical pencil keeps bouncing up & down every time I lift the pencil so it writes messy. On Christmas morning, we open presents at my house & then go over to my grandma’s & stay for most of the day. Today, I am going to buy the rest of the present for my family.

12-19-85:  Yesterday: Yesterday, my mom picked me up from school. We went Christmas shopping at Trolley Square, King’s, and Summer’s. I’m done now except for my Grandpa. Then my mom took me to piano lesson. I think the farthest Christmas back that I can remember is the year I got my furniture. All I remember is the part at my grandma’s. We went over there, and everyone was eating bacon and sausage for breakfast. I got some toy furniture. Everybody ate oranges out of their stockings. One year I got a little food cart.

12-20-85:  The weekend (14 days): After school today, I have a piano recital. I’m going to play “The Happy Fiddler”, “March of the Troll Dolls”, “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer” and “Holly Jolly Christmas”. I hope that won’t take too long. Then, since I am done with Christmas shopping, I will sleep in until noon everyday except for Christmas, Saturday, and Sunday. Saturday is the church program practice, Sun. the program, and, well, Christmas is Christmas.

Wednesday, December 25:  Went to Church after opening presents. Then we went to Gram H’s & opened more. Snow on ground Turkey Mashed potatoes corn green jello Paula Jim Carla Bill Nancy Mike Cindy Dom Buffy Ted Linda Matt Megan Gram H Uncle Paul Lil Matt Cody Josie Rafael Rachel Jaybird Melinda Travis Me: Heart Family Barbie Bed Peaches & Cream Barbie Prince, her dog Day to Night Ken Heart Family Nursery; Playset Quilt Glo shirt Jeans  Cody: Xylophone dinosaur clothes Played Michigan Rummy

December 1985: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Thursday, December 19, 1985: Drove over to see little Xmas tree at cemetery, looks so pretty.

Wednesday, December 25, 1985: Christmas I started working on turkey, Paula & Jim & kids came over so we opened presents. Carla & Bill came about the time we started. I went back & got turkey in oven about 10:30. When Linda, Ted & kids got back from church we opened rest of gifts. Kids all played Tripoli, I laid down & took nap. Sure did feel good. Got up about 3:00 & peeled potatoes for supper. Finally got everything ready about 6:00, everything real good. Ran load of dishes in dishwasher, Carla & Bill left about 7:30. After a while Paula & Jim left, too, and then the rest about 9:00.

December 1986: My Diary

Saturday, December 13: G. Scouts went to Molly’s early. We decorated their truck & were in X-mas Parade. Then we sang at a retirement home. SNOWED.

Sunday, December 14: Went to S.S. & Church. Molly, Steph Rainey, & [I] played X-mas music of violins for prelude. Cindy, A. Nancy, Mom, & I went w/S.S. to sing X-mas carols to shut-ins. Went home. Snow melted. BOO!! Me, Mike, Cindy & Matt helped Gram H. decorate for Xmas.

Tuesday, December 16: Had Xmas concert. Played “Edelweiss,” “Silent Night” , “Little Drummer Boy” & “Happy Hannukah”

Thursday, December 25: Woke up at 7:30!!! Too late. Opened stockings & presents. Went to Gram H’s. Mom & Dad went to church. Opened presents, etc. at Gram H’s. Taped people on tape recorder.

December 1986: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Saturday, December 13, 1986: Sat down & wrote letters until about 11:30. Got ready to go to Parade. Found a good place to park on Cleveland across from Odd Fellows Hall; nice parade. Snow on the ground now.

Thursday, December 25, 1986: 8:30 when I woke up again, got up & soon Paula got up too. After a while Nancy & kids came over, later on Paul came. Matt & Megan came & then Carla & Bill so we started opening gifts. Later on Linda & Ted came from church. We all had breakfast & then Paula & I worked on the turkey & got it in the oven about 11:30. Watched TV, read paper, etc., about 3:30 peeled potatoes & finished up supper. Was very good. Afterwards, cleared up & ran one load of dishes. Carla & Bill left, then Paula & Jim. Linda, Ted & kids a little later & then Nancy & kids. Paul left I guess soon after Carla & Bill. Sam [the cat] was so glad to get to come back upstairs. Got slippers, scissors set – Paula; wall decor. – Linda; games – Carla; microwave dishes – Paul.

December 1987: My Diary

Saturday, December 19:  Went to Christmas program practice. I have a big part. I have to sit up on this platform w/Greg Hopp & Mr. Navis. Me & Mom went shopping. Got presents for everyone. Martin ate a big Hersheys kiss.

Thursday, December 24:  Went to Christmas Eve service.  Matt was Gabriel, Mike Joseph, Matt S a wise man. Dumb old Matt couldn’t figure out where to turn the page. Lit candles at the cemetery. Went to Gramp & Gram M’s.

Friday, December 25:  Got up. Opened presents. Went to Gram H’s. Opened presents. Received from:  Aimee-a Japanese fan, miniature gumball machine, mini. food cans  split pea bag  Betsy-reindeer pen-holder Fob-handkerchief Mom-nightshirt 4 shirts poster stocky stuffers Mike-$3 A. Carla & U. Bill-$15 A.Paula & U. Jim-a sweater A.Nancy-4,5,6, Anne books Gram-black sweatshirt, mirror Given to:  Mom-bathroom soap-rock Dad-stocking full of candy bars Cody-cow puzzle Meara-Pound Puppies Playform Titus-chocolate Santa Mike-stocking w/assorted candy Gram H.-a thimble Gram. M, Gramp M., A. Laura-a neat box for cotton balls Aimee-ring, candy money, funny pen Molly –  Stenny-lip glosses (3) Teresa-a little doggie Betsy-a notepad w/pencil Amy F.-a notepad-chicken thing

December 1987: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Candy – 1 dbl. w/o nuts – in Nov.
1 “ w/nuts – 12/7/87

Saturday, December 12, 1987: Did my shopping at Kings, then watched parade. Never did see Cindy or Nancy, was a pretty nice parade. Went to Summers afterwards, then home. Started to put ornaments on tree, Bill & Carla came. Nancy came over, also Cindy. She helped decorate tree & put icicles on. When we finished I said something about the floor being full of needles & tinsel so she went & got the carpet sweeper & cleaned the floor.

Sunday, December 20, 1987: Woke at 7:15, had been dreaming about those songs for choir. Got ready to go to church, called Paul & asked him for supper. Left about 10:00, practiced a little downstairs. Program went pretty good & guess our songs were O.K. too. Megan & Cindy did real well, could hear them real well upstairs.

Thursday, December 24, 1987: Woke at 7:20, got up & watched VCR a while. Got turkey in, dusted in fam. room. Listened to Xmas carols, Paula called. I called Linda, baked pecan pie. Had breakfast, cleaned & washed turkey & put it back outside. Cut up celery & onions, cooked so they’re ready for tomorrow. Got ready to go to church, had supper. Read paper & watched for Linda & Ted, services went pretty good. Got home about 9:00, watched rest of original Walton program “The Homecoming”, read paper. Wrapped rest of gifts, finished stockings.

Friday, December 25, 1987: CHRISTMAS DAY Turned up heat, turned on Xmas lights & unlocked doors. Mixed up dressing, stuffed turkey & put in oven. Also put in ham. Cindy, Paul & Ruth came, also Paula & Jim. Then Matt & Megan & finally Carla & Bill. Linda & Ted came & we started opening presents. Didn’t realize Nancy & Mike weren’t here yet – he had a nosebleed & Nancy’s Dad called. After we got through opening gifts, fixed breakfast. Did dishes & ran dishwasher, talked with Judy. Set out stuff for sandwiches, veggies & dips, etc. Soon was time to finish up supper, all turned out real good. Some played games, some worked on jigsaw.

December 1988: My Diary

Sunday, December 25, 1988: Woke up around 7:00. Opened presents. Went to church & SS. No one came to SS, so we watched ‘The Little Troll Prince’ in opening w/others. Johanna gave me some nice stationery. Went to A. Paula’s around 1:00. Opened presents. Read new books & got autographs for family book, etc. Ate. Yummy. Sat about. Went home.

Presents

Mom – Shakespeare book, myth book, black pants, white/grey/black socks, earrings/pin set, family history book, candy, 
Matt – Mozart book
Dad – for me & Matt – car horn that plays songs for when we get a car
Gram H – a sweater
A. Carla – a lovely diamond ring.
A. Paula – ‘A Day in the Life of America’
Gram’s stocking – candy, plastic jewelry box, walking California raisin, little diary, chapstick
Cindy – a Miss Piggy doll, candy cane bracelet

December 1988: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

CHRISTMAS. Sunday, December 25, 1988: Set jello, made raspberry dessert. Carried all presents, etc., to the car. Got ready to go to Paula’s. Nancy, Paul, Cindy & Mike came over to see her gift – Paul & Mike carried it home. They said I might as well ride with them, so we transferred everything to Paul’s van. Roads to Boise were real [?] going over, icy when we came back. We visited, fixed the table, etc. After Carla & Bill came & then Linda, Ted & kids, we opened presents. Everybody seemed happy with what they got, was a nice Christmas. We finished up dinner, ate about 4:30. Cleared up & Paula ran load of dishes. We left for home about 7:00, made it O.K. Put away gifts, then read paper & watched TV. To bed at 12:10.

December 1989: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Saturday, December 9, 1989: Got ready & went down to Christmas Parade, saw Cindy & Nancy. Parade was pretty long, wind got pretty cold by the time it was over.

Thursday, December 21, 1989: Nancy called, wanted me to come over & see her poinsettia Paul brought down. It is huge & beautiful. Went back to wrapping gifts, Cindy came over. Later Megan & 3 friends came & brought me a “Christmas Gram,” played “Silent Night” on cello, viola & 2 violins. Was very pretty! Cindy came over, I made that marshm. divinity. Sent some home w/Cindy & they said it was good!

Sunday, December 24, 1989: Finished getting ready for church. Left about 8:50, went through program. Actual performance went real well & think everybody liked it. I called Paula, Nancy, Paul & kids came over. We all went out to J.B.s for supper, then went to church. Was a nice service, mostly carols.

CHRISTMAS DAY ‘89  Monday, December 25, 1989: Turned on all Xmas lights, put on Xmas records. Cleaned off kitchen table, put in ham to warm. Got in rolls & bread, put socks in living room. Nancy, Paul & Mike came over & took ^their candles & my candles to cemetery. Carla & Bill came. Cindy came with Ab, soon took him home. Paula, Jim & Judy came & then Linda, Ted & kids. Started opening gifts, Linda, Ted & Megan went to church. All got such nice gifts, had lots of fun. Fixed breakfast and got turkey in oven, got sleepy so laid down a while. Linda, Ted & kids went down to see Ted’s folks, when they got back we ate. Everybody played games, we ran a load of dishes. Cleared up some more. Everybody finally left about 10:30. I straightened up some. To bed at 1:15.

December 1990: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

Started snowing about 9:00. Thursday, December 13, 1990: Made a big batch of fudge, half w/nuts & half w/o. Then worked on cards the rest of the day. Got ready to go to Cindy’s concert, had supper. Nancy came about 6:45 & we went to Jewett, roads pretty slick.

CHRISTMAS EVE! Monday, December 24, 1990: Mike stopped by. Later on Meg & Cindy were here, called Linda about church. Washed & changed clothes & got ready. Had soup & salad, Linda & Ted picked me up. Church service was very nice & we sang a lot of songs, both choir & congregation. Got home about 9:00, Linda, Ted, Meg & Cindy stopped by & brought in presents. Had candy & Linda looked at cards.

CHRISTMAS Tuesday, December 25, 1990: Turned up heat & turned on all Xmas lites, played Xmas carols. Mike came over & swept my sidewalks; Nancy, Paul & Cindy came & we had breakfast. Linda, Ted & kids went to church, got here about 11:15. Rest late, too. I got turkeys in oven about noon, then we opened presents. Everyone did their thing till I got dinner ready about 4:30-5:00. Carla & Bill left about 6:00, dogs were not behaving. Ran 1 load in dishwasher, had a concert (Cindy & Megan) about 7:30. Rest played Farkle & 31.

December 1991: Grandma Hoffmann’s Diary

CHRISTMAS DAY. SUNNY DAY – NO SNOW. Gorbachev resigned. Wednesday, December 25, 1991: Turned on Xmas lights. Put ham in oven & made coffee, Carla & Bill soon came. Then Paula & Jim, Paul, Nancy, Mike & Cindy & then Linda, Ted, Matt & Megan. We opened presents, then Linda, Ted & kids left to get ready for church. I fixed breakfast, then everyone laid down & slept except me. I emptied dishwasher, then rinsed dishes. Linda & Ted came back so I fixed their breakfast, rinsed rest of dishes & ran dishwasher. Linda went home to fix Jello & Carla & Bill left. We sat & talked & then I laid down a little. Got up & changed clothes, etc., left for Bill & Ruth’s about 4:00. Everything looked so nice & was really good. Jim helped do dishes afterward! Afterwards they played Farkle. Carla & I played w/Peaches. He loved Carla –sure is cute. Came home about 9:45, Mike drove us home & we brought Judy home.

P.S. If you’ve read this far and want to read more of Grandma’s adventures, you can find them here.

U Is for…Unlikely

Posted on by spuddled

Grandpa (Lawrence) Montgomery was a great storyteller. So great that sometimes it’s hard to determine how much of his stories were rooted in fact and how much was fabrication or, perhaps, misremembering. One of Grandpa’s best stories I mentioned here briefly back in 2014, but I thought I’d take a closer look at it and the facts that might lie behind it.

The story has its roots in provable fact. Grandpa did, indeed, lie about his age and join the Army when he was 15, claiming a birth year of 1898 when he was actually born in 1901. His Army discharge papers show the erroneous age as well as confirm his military service. He first enlisted 6 April 1917 at Fort Logan, Colorado. He was honorably discharged at Camp Dodge, Iowa, two years later. The very next day he re-enlisted. His second enlistment lasted a single year, and he was again honorably discharged, this time on 18 April 1920 at Fort McIntosh, Texas. He was listed as entitled to travel pay to Fort Collins, Colorado, where his father still lived.

Grandpa had many stories about those three intervening years. He told of being stationed in Hawaii and of seeing someone walk by carrying a huge bunch of bananas still on the stem. When the banana man asked if Grandpa wanted to buy “a banana,” Grandpa said yes, and then the man handed over the entire stalk and walked away.

He also told of the soldiers burning an effigy of Kaiser Wilhelm (this was during World War I), and Grandpa being made to shimmy up the pole to cut the effigy down.

But I always thought Grandpa’s best story was the one he told of working in the movie theater on base. At that time movies were made of cellulose nitrate film and were extremely flammable, so there were strict rules forbidding smoking in the projection rooms. One one occasion (relayed Grandpa), he was at his projection duties when a couple of men came in, one with a lit cigar in his mouth. Grandpa immediately yelled at the man to put out his cigar, and the men left. Only afterward did one of Grandpa’s fellow soldiers ask him, “You do know that was General Pershing, don’t you?”

I mean, what a great story, right? And probably not one that can ever be proven or disproven. But we can certainly investigate the available facts and learn more about Grandpa’s life in the process. I still remember, years after first hearing the Pershing story, when I actually saw Grandpa’s discharge papers, one fact stood out:

There it is in black and white (or maybe white and gray?), listed under his military experiences: “Knowledge of any vocation: Moving picture Operator.” So there is at least a kernel of truth in that Grandpa would definitely have been in the projection room on base. Whether Pershing was also there at the same time is uncertain; perhaps I need to read a biography of Pershing rather than just perusing his Wikipedia article. Pershing was certainly in Texas while chasing after Pancho Villa, but this would have been before Grandpa’s time there. Maybe the incident happened to one of Grandpa’s predecessors in the projection room and Grandpa commandeered the tale?

Grandpa’s Hawaii tales (well, not specifically the banana thing) also prove to have basis in fact. His first set of discharge papers notes that he served in Company K, 2nd Infantry. The Wikipedia article for the 2nd Infantry Regiment notes that this unit never saw duty during World War I because they were on security duty in Hawaii before returning to the United States and being assigned to the 19th Division at Camp Dodge. The war ended just before those in this regiment could be sent overseas.1

What else, you may ask, did the 2nd Infantry do in Hawaii? On 18 November 1917, they were one of many groups who made up the huge procession that was part of the state funeral of Queen Liliʻuokalani, who had died on 11 November.2 Colonel Bolles, commander of the 2nd Infantry, appeared in one of numerous photographs of the funeral in the 19 November Honolulu Star-Bulletin. I’m still looking closely to see if I can see a 16-year-old Grandpa marching somewhere behind.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States) ↩︎
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_state_funeral_of_Lili%CA%BBuokalani ↩︎

R Is for…Roomer

Posted on by spuddled

One thing I’ve noticed in my genealogical investigations is that there were all sorts of variable household configurations. Whether it was the presence of grown children living at home with their parents before they married, or parents living with their grown (and married) children and their families, the occasional niece or nephew living in a household, possibly helping with farm work or childcare, there were any number of ways in which family life could be arranged.

Another type of living arrangement which I’ve seen in various census and other records is that of the “roomer.” Again, roomers might actually be family members, or they could be individuals living in a boarding house or something similar. I’ve decided to highlight a few of these arrangements uncovered in our family tree; as we shall see, sometimes our relative is the roomer living with others, and in some cases our relative is the one taking in those roomers.

First up is sixth cousin once removed, Paul Frank Bryan. A descendant of our Slatten/Sweeney line, he was born in 1903 in Oklahoma Territory. By 1930 Paul had married Gladys Virginia Bailey, and he and Gladys were living in Chicago. Paul was working as a welder for a bookbinding company, and Gladys as a “sample paster” for (I’m guessing the same) bookbinding company. Also in their household was 17-year-old Gilbert Petty, roomer, who worked as a laborer on car radiators. By 1940 Paul and Gladys had moved to Ligonier, Indiana, where they lived with their two young sons and no random roomer.1

Henry Langworthy Burdick, fifth cousin 4 times removed, was born in Rhode Island in December 1879 and at various times played both roomer and…roomee (?). In the 1900 census, Henry was enumerated with the family of Henry B. and Nancy H. Edwards at 8 Lessee Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. Henry was listed as a student and a “lodger” (close enough). Henry would graduate from Amherst College in 1903.2 In 1910, Henry and his wife Ethel were living with Henry’s parents in Westerly, Rhode Island; Henry was a lawyer.3 In 1920 Henry and Ethel were still living in the same house in Westerly (at 37 Elm Street), though Henry’s parents appear to have passed away in the intervening years. But with the couple were Elizabeth Burdick, 29 and listed as a servant, and a 29-year-old man named Guy with an illegible surname, a house carpenter listed as being a roomer in the household.4

Also born in 1879 was second cousin 4 times removed, Irvin S. Cain. In 1930 he was living in Bloomington, Illinois. In his household with Irvin at 619 W Olive were his wife, Grace; children Dorothy (20), Russell (17), Mary (14), Hazel (12), Darrel (9), John (5); as well as 5 roomers. Irvin was listed as a general laborer doing odd jobs and paying monthly rent of $25; Irvin’s wife, Grace, was explicitly described as the proprietor of a rooming house.5

In 1920 in Rockford, Illinois, fourth cousin 5 times removed, Sarah L. Chaney, was listed as a 70-year-old roomer in the household of Ella E. Wilbur. Ella was a 64-year-old dressmaker living at 402 N Fourth Street.6 In earlier years Sarah, who never married, had worked as a bookkeeper; in 1910 she was living on her own with no occupation but with her “own income.”7

Arthur R. Schlegel, first cousin 3 times removed, was born in Banks, Oregon, in 1877. In 1900, he was a farm laborer in the household of Charles and Mary Taylor, though he was listed as “servant” and not roomer.8 Ten years later he, like Henry Langworthy Burdick, was on the other side of the roomer situation. He was now living in Portland with his wife Henrietta Mae Hunter. Arthur was working as the foreman of a box factory, and in the household with him and Henrietta was a roomer named Austin Durdin, who worked in the box factory as well, as a laborer.9

There are a few even closer relations who played a roomer role. My great-great-grandfather, Anders Roberg, was widowed in 1919. By 1930 he was living in Newman Grove, Nebraska, a roomer in the household of Fred and Letta Brown. Fred was a dry goods merchant.10 Ten years later, still in Newman Grove and now listed as a “lodger,” Anders was living in the household of George and Maude Smith.11 Within our Montgomery branch, great-grandfather Charles William Montgomery was listed as a roomer in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1920, working as a farm laborer.12 In 1930 Charles was working as a watchman at the G. W. Sugar Company and was a lodger in the household of Charles and Minnie Reingold. Charles Reingold was the proprietor of a junk store, which sounds amazing.13 Charles’s youngest child (and my paternal grandfather), Lawrence Theodore Montgomery, was a widower enumerated in Winner, South Dakota, in 1930. Grandpa was listed as the driver of an oil truck and the solitary inhabitant at a home on Second Street. However, the next household enumerated, on Third Street, consisted of a furniture repairman named Henry Krugman; his wife Bertha, a laundress; their six daughters; and Grandpa’s two daughters, aunts Flo and Irene. Listed as aged 2 4/12 and 4/12 respectively, both motherless girls were listed as roomers of the Krugmans. Grandpa would marry Grandma later that year, and by 1940 he had moved Grandma, Flo, Irene, and 5 more children to Scottsbluff, Nebraska.14 I imagine their household (which would eventually include a total of 12 children) was too crowded to allow for any roomers.

Irene, Lawrence, and Flo Montgomery
  1. 1930 census; www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  2. 1900 census; www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  3. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  4. 1920 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  5. 1930 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  6. 1920 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  7. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  8. 1900 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  9. 1910 Census (n.p: 1910, n.d). ↩︎
  10. 1930 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  11. Ancestry.com, 1940 Census. ↩︎
  12. 1920 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  13. 1930 census. www.ancestry.com ↩︎
  14. 1930 census, www.ancestry.com ↩︎

O Is for…Obituary

Posted on by spuddled

Last week in our journey through namesakes in Dad’s family, we touched on Dad’s Aunt Myrtle. This week we’re taking a look at another of the sisters in this family, Myrtle’s younger sister, Bessie Bell. Third child of Charles William and Laura Maud (Walker) Montgomery, Bessie was born 20 December 1886 in Mansfield, Illinois. Myrtle, the eldest, had been born in 1884; Mary Edna (“Mamie”) in 1885; and Elta Grace would follow in 1888. After a gap of ten years, the three boys were born: Walter Dewey in 1898; John Ward in 1899; and Grandpa (Lawrence Theodore) in 1901.

Bessie was listed as 11 years old (though she was probably 13) when she was enumerated with her family in Holdrege, Nebraska, where they had moved sometime around 1888.1 In 1902 the family moved to Colorado. Shortly thereafter, Bessie’s sisters started to leave the nest: Myrtle married in 1903, and Mamie and Elta in 1905. On 9 September 1907 in Boulder, Bessie herself married Francis Marion Boyland. She was 20, and he was 27. On 11 September 1907, Bessie and Francis’s marriage was announced in local newspapers, although The Fort Collins Express and The Fort Collins Review inexplicably gives Francis’s name as Monroe Stockett. The Larimer County Independent got things correct.

The Larimer County (Colorado) Independent, 11 September 1907, pg. 15

In 1910 Francis and Bessie were enumerated in Grover, Colorado, along with a daughter, Helen, aged 2. Francis was then listed as a farmer. By 1918, when Francis registered for the draft, however, he listed his occupation as miner. His permanent home address was Nederland, Boulder County, Colorado, but he listed Bessie as his nearest relative with an address of 520 G St. NE, Washington, DC.2

I haven’t been able to locate Francis or Helen in 1920, but Bessie was enumerated that year in Washington, DC. Her occupation is listed as clerk for the treasury department. By 1928 Francis had moved to Arizona. On 5 August of that year in Wickenburg, Francis died at age 48. On his death certificate, he is still listed as married to Bessie. His occupation is noted as “miner & stock,” and his cause of death is described as pulmonary tuberculosis, with a contributing factor of “miner’s lung.” According to the death certificate, he had lived in Wickenburg for two months prior to his death, and he had contracted his illness near Tucson. He was buried 6 August in Wickenburg.3

Find a Grave Memorial #12193049

Around that same year, Bessie moved to California. In 1930 she was enumerated in Los Angeles, living at the Commodore Hotel at 1203 W 7th Street and working as the hotel auditor. Interestingly, this building still stands and now operates as the Commodore Regency Apartments, where you can rent a 294 square foot apartment for $1395 a month. The ground floor of the building also houses the Commodore Cafe.

Six years later we finally get to today’s “O Is for…” topic. On 10 January 1936 in both The Redondo (California) Reflex and the Fort Collins Coloradoan, obituaries appeared for Bessie. The California obituary is briefer. It notes that Bessie’s was a Christian Science funeral, and that she had died Monday (6 January) at her home at 903 Eighth Court in Hermosa Beach, with burial in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.

The Redondo (California) Reflex, 10 January 1936, pg. 1

Bessie’s Colorado obituary is longer but in some ways provides less information about Bessie’s later life. It does provide more information about Bessie’s surviving family, interestingly listing Grandpa as “Theodore Montgomery.” It also notes that Bessie’s father was unable to attend her funeral in Los Angeles and indicates that her cause of death was unknown.

Fort Collins Coloradoan, 10 January 1936, pg. 7

On that latter point, at least, we do have some answers. From Bessie’s death certificate we learn that she was diagnosed with carcinoma of the left breast in April 1934 and underwent an operation in June of that year. However, in September 1935 she was diagnosed with carcinoma of the right breast, and she died at 2:30 p.m. on 6 January 1936.4 Bessie, as her California obituary stated, is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.

Find a Grave Memorial #112350615

Meanwhile, what became of Bessie and Francis’s daughter, Helen? Bessie’s California obituary lists Helen’s married name as Simmons, and though I haven’t been able to find much else about her in census records, a letter from Bessie’s sister Mamie to Grandpa in September of the year Bessie died may explain why. The letter (transcribed in full in another post here) also fleshes out some of the family relationships and memories the way nothing else can.

As you know sister Bessie passed on in January. Helen came home in Feb. from Manilla it takes 20 to 30 days to make the trip. Her husband came in April had a 6 mo. vacation with pay after 6 yrs work in the Ford Auto Co. They have been living at Santa Monica. She was here 2 wks. at first. They go back Sept 15th. Because Bessie did not have a will it takes 6 mo to settle everything So Helen won’t get her money till after she goes back to Manilla. Lawrence do you remember pushing her in the go cart and upsetting her at Pierce Colo? and Auntie rather Bessie got so upset. Helen grew up quite tall 5 ft. 7 in. and rather dark like her father. But she married a blond and has blond children.

  1. 1900 Census,Phelps County, Nebraska (n.p: Phelps County, Nebraska. Holdrege Township., n.d). ↩︎
  2. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. ↩︎
  3. Arizona Department of Health Services; Phoenix, AZ; Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates ↩︎
  4. California Department of Public Health, Death Certificate of Bessie Montgomery (n.p: 1936, n.d). ↩︎

N Is for…Namesake

Posted on by spuddled

In some countries and time periods, there are specific naming conventions that determine namesakes: the first son named after the paternal grandfather, the second son after the maternal grandfather, the first daughter after the maternal grandmother, the second daughter after the paternal grandmother, etc.1 At other times, the process of selecting namesakes was less structured. Today I’m taking a look at Dad’s family to identify all the namesakes I can find there.

Grandpa Montgomery‘s name itself is something of a mystery, as I’ve covered here before. That’s the confusion over his middle name. It only just occurred to that his first name (Lawrence) may have been a tribute to his mother, Laura. Grandpa had a second cousin named Lawrence Extol Montgomery who was six years his senior, but that seems less likely to be a real namesake situation.

Charles William and Laura Maud (Walker) Montgomery and daughters (and dog)

Grandpa and his first wife, Antonia Marie Jelinek, had two daughters, Flo and Irene. Aunt Flo (Florence Marie), shared her mother’s middle name. I’m not immediately aware of anyone named Florence, Dorothy, or Irene in the family. After Grandpa’s first wife died, he married Grandma (Blanche Agnes Wilson), and they went on to have 10 children together. Grandma’s middle name, Agnes, is an anglicization of the name of her grandmother, Agnette, and in fact, Grandma’s baptismal record lists her as “Agneta Blanche.”2

The eldest child born to Grandma and Grandpa was Myrtle Charlotte. These are both family names (or variations thereof). Grandpa’s eldest sister was named Myrtle Pearl Montgomery, and his father, Charles William Montgomery, was the inspiration for Aunt Myrtle’s middle name. In later years she chose to go by Charlotte instead of Myrtle, and I remember her saying she wished her two names had been reversed.

After Myrtle came the oldest son, Morris Walter. I don’t know of any ancestral Morrises, though “our” Morris had a first cousin, Morris Frenier, who was five years his junior. Walter, though, was the name of Grandpa’s oldest brother, Walter Dewey Montgomery. After Morris came Marvin Lawrence. Similarly to Morris, I’m not aware of any namesake connections for Marvin’s first name, but Lawrence is obviously a callback to Grandpa’s first name. The third son in a row was William Clarence. Uncle Bill, unlike Morris and Marvin, had namesakes for both his names. Grandpa’s father, Charles William, we have of course already mentioned, and he, presumably, was named after his own grandfather, William Montgomery. And Grandma Montgomery had two Clarences in her immediate family: her older brother Anders Clarence died when he was two years old, and then eight years later another son born to the family was named Clarence Salmer.

The next daughter born to the family was Deanna Esther. Though Aunt Deanna had a first cousin once removed named Esther Myrtle Montgomery, I suspect that was just a coincidence, and I’m not aware of any other Esther connections in the family. Family lore (or at least the story Dad heard) was that Deanna was named not after a relative but after singer and actress Deanna Durbin. Deanna Durbin was only seventeen years old in 1939 when our Deanna was born, but her career had begun in a 1936 short with Judy Garland, so the timing is not out of the question.3

After Deanna came two more boys, Alwin Eugene and Theodore Richard. I haven’t been able to find any namesakes in our family tree for Uncle Gene or for Ted’s (aka Dad) middle name, Richard. The “Theodore,” however, shows up a couple of times. First, of course, as Grandpa’s maybe-middle-name, and then with Grandpa’s uncle, Joseph Theodore Montgomery.

Next after Dad came Gloria Blanche, who died at age five. This is another case in which the first name appears to have no precedent, but the middle name has clear family connections, with Gloria being given her middle name in honor of Grandma. After Gloria came Linda Lea; as with Uncle Gene, I’m not aware of any family links to either of Aunt Linda’s names, though when Dad started dating, and then married, Mom, also a Linda, the two Lindas became accidental namesakes, differentiated sometimes in conversation as “Linda Lea” and “Linda Jo.” Last in the family came Aunt Laura, and with her names (Laura Christine) she made up for Aunt Linda’s lack of family names, as she was named after both of her grandmothers, Laura Maud Walker and Sophie Christine Roberg.

Twelve children later, and we’ve reached the end of this look into one collection of family names and namesakes. Of course there are many more namesakes on both sides of the family tree, as well as other reasons for selecting names that don’t have anything to do with family history…at least not until the stories get told or written for posterity.

  1. https://englishancestors.blog/2020/04/01/english-naming-traditions/#:~:text=To%20recap:,after%20father’s%20eldest%20sister%20(patS) ↩︎
  2. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Archives; Elk Grove Village, Illinois; Congregational Records ↩︎
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deanna_Durbin ↩︎

M Is for…Marriage Records

Posted on by spuddled

I’m going to trust the idiom about pictures and thousands of words and focus on the former for this blog post regarding marriage records. Here are the records I have (or of which I have copies) for the first few generations of my direct ancestors.

Generation 1:

26 August 1961
Caldwell, Canyon, Idaho
Theodore Richard Montgomery and Linda Jo Hoffmann
(parents)

Generation 2:

17 September 1930
Winner, Tripp, South Dakota
Lawrence Theodore Montgomery and Blanche Agnes Wilson
(paternal grandparents)
Not a marriage record, exactly, but an article from the Bloomington, Illinois Pantagraph (which makes me wonder…do I actually have the official document somewhere in all my piles?)
12 March 1938
Peoria, Peoria, Illinois
Joseph Benjamin Hoffmann
and Velma Marie Swing
(maternal grandparents)

Generation 3:

The marriage of paternal great-grandparents Charles William Montgomery and Laura Blanche Walker on 22 February 1883 in Richland County, Illinois appears in Ancestry.com’s Illinois, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1800-1940, but this database doesn’t include images, unfortunately. So moving along…

13 March 1907
Boone County, Nebraska
Carl Ozro Wilson and Sophie Christine Roberg
(paternal great-grandparents)
7 December 1902
Fairbury, Livingston, Illinois
Paul Hoffmann and Emma Alice Slagel
(maternal great-grandparents)

Another one that’s missing (why have I not written away for these??):
18 June 1913; Peoria, Peoria, Illinois; Albert Carl Swing and Lena Agnes Hunkler (maternal great-grandparents)

Generation 4:

25 December 1858
Hamilton County, Ohio
John Montgomery and Belinda Simmons
(paternal great-great-grandparents)
15 February 1857
Noble, Richland, Illinois
Marcus Walker and Mary Ann Conklin
(paternal great-great-grandparents)
Another not-quite-document, but an excerpt
31 August 1879
Brush Creek, Fayette, Iowa
Wellington David Wilson and Lucinda Blanche Davis
(paternal great-great-grandparents)
Another one that’s more of an excerpt…
3 December 1878
Rushford, Fillmore, Minnesota
Anders Mathis Roberg and Agnette Evensdatter Lien
(paternal great-great-grandparents)
17 January 1875
Renaucourt, France
Jacob Hoffmann and Christine Schmidt
(maternal great-great-grandparents)
30 November 1875
Fairbury, Livingston, Illinois
Samuel Slagel and Mary Demler
(maternal great-great-grandparents)
17 February 1884
Fairbury, Livingston, Illinois
Albert Carl Swing and Catherine Marie Hoffmann
(maternal great-great-grandparents)
14 December 1886
Peoria, Peoria, Illinois
George John Hunkler and Maria Elizabeth Rusch
(maternal great-great-grandparents)

These are not all the marriage records I have, though they do become more sparse from here on out. I would keep adding more here, but I figure this blog post is already 13,000 words long, so that will do for now.

H Is for…Homestead

Posted on by spuddled

Today we are tracing the westward expansion of one particular branch of our family in search of the elusive “homestead.” Though the Homestead Act was signed in 1862, I don’t know that any of these family members took advantage of that particular legislation but instead were part of a more general migration west…sort of.1

This westward migration is first evidenced in the locations of birth, marriage, and death of my great-great-grandfather, Marcus Walker. He was born in 1831 in Ohio, the son of George and Sarah (Malotte) Walker. I have seen Sarah’s ancestry detailed for many generations back in numerous places online, but I have yet to feel certain enough that it is really “our” Sarah to bite that particular bullet. So we’ll just start with Marcus. He was enumerated in Batavia, Ohio, in 1850 with George and Sarah, and with his siblings Hiram, Ruth, Mary, Ezra, and Ellen.2

It appears that by 15 February 1857 Marcus had started his wandering; on that date he married Mary Ann Conklin in Noble, Illinois.3 Mary herself was also an Ohio native, having been born in Clermont County on 26 March 1835. Her parents were Stephen and Sarah (Mills) Conklin, both of whom had died in 1850, leaving her an orphan at 15.4 Between 1858 and 1877 Mary Ann gave birth to 8 children: Ella C., Eunice, Laura Maud (my great-grandmother), Minnie, Clara, William Henry, Orlando Clifton, and Bertha. Throughout those years the family was enumerated in each census in Denver, Illinois,5 6 7 and it was there that Mary Ann died on 28 April 1887 of “quick consumption” at the age of 52.

This latter fact comes to us not from official records but from letters Mary Ann’s granddaughter, Mary Edna (known as Mamie) wrote to her own daughter in 1958, and these letters provide a more colorful glimpse into the lives of these ancestors. After recounting the story of her grandmother’s death, Mamie went on to explain how her Aunt Clara and Uncles Cliff and Will had moved from Illinois to Nebraska and “taken a homestead near Holdrege.” Her Aunt Ella had also moved to the area and rented a farm. Mamie’s own parents (my great-grandparents Laura Maud (Walker) and Charles William Montgomery) then moved to Nebraska as well, following the earlier Walker migration. Charles Montgomery did not take up farming, though, instead working as a butcher. Charles and Laura had a total of seven children; the first four, daughters, were all born in Illinois; the final three, sons, were all born in Holdrege. The last of these was my grandfather, Lawrence.

Letter from Mary Edna (Montgomery) Kimble to Rozella (Kimble) Zerkle, 1 April 1958

Charles and Laura would continue their own migration farther west, to Colorado, and Grandpa would eventually end up in Idaho (because someone told him and Grandma that “the wind never blew in Idaho”). Of the other Walker kin, eldest daughter Ella and her husband Henry Marker raised four children; all are buried in Nebraska.8 Clara, the fifth child, was one of those who, along with her husband Arthur Simmons, moved to Holdrege, though like Laura and Charles, they did not remain there. In 1907 they moved to Kansas, and Clara died there in 1932.9 Though Mamie described Will (the sixth of Marcus and Mary Ann’s children) as having moved to Holdrege, it’s possible this was during the knowledge gap caused by the destruction by fire of the 1890 census, as by 1897 he was in Illinois when he married Grace Heikens,10 and he was enumerated in Piatt County, Illinois in 1900.11 Ten years later he and Grace were living in Kansas and remained there for the rest of their lives. Youngest Walker son Orlando Clifton “Cliff” married Lillie Maude Genoway in Passport, Illinois, in 1900;12 it appears he, too, had migrated westward and then returned to Illinois. By 1920, though, the family had moved on again, this time to Wisconsin, where the family would remain.13

The remaining three Walker offspring didn’t participate in the family migration wave to Nebraska, but after second child Eunice married Cyrus Pilchard in Richland County, Illinois in 1882, she and her new family did eventually move to Webster City, Iowa.14 Minnie Walker, child #4, married Joshua O. Bateman in Richland County in 1885. The family did move to Piatt County, Illinois, but no further. Joshua died there in 1930, and Minnie nine months later.15 The baby of the Walker family, Bertha L., was born in Richland County in December 1877 and died there in October 1878,16 with no opportunity either to migrate or to decide to remain.

  1. Sharon S. Iamele, Conklin Cousins: the Many Children of Joseph and Mary (Cory) Conkling, 2014 Kindle Version (2014), ; kindle, Purchased through Amazon, Amazon (https://read.amazon.com/?asin=B00IMQ2A7A&ref_=kwl_kr_iv_rec_1 : My Kindle Library 24 September 2024. ↩︎
  2. 1850 Census (n.p: www.ancestry.com, n.d). ↩︎
  3. Various Illinois County collections, “Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940,” marriage indexes, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 6 November 2024), Marcus Walker/Mary A. Conklin. ↩︎
  4. Iamele, Conklin Cousins: the Many Children of Joseph and Mary (Cory) Conkling. ↩︎
  5. 1860 Census (n.p: www.ancestry.com, n.d). ↩︎
  6. 1870 Census. ↩︎
  7. FamilyHistory Search and/or www.ancestry.com, 1880 Census, Denver, Richland, Illinois; Page 1, Sup 7, Enum 171. ↩︎
  8. www.findagrave.com, www.findagrave.com. ↩︎
  9. “Clara Walker Simmons Obituary,” obituary, Council Grove Republican, 6 June 1932, obituary; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : online 27 November 2024). ↩︎
  10. Various Illinois County collections, “Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940,” marriage indexes, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 December 2024), William Henry Walker/Grace Edna Heikens. ↩︎
  11. 1900 Census. ↩︎
  12. Various Illinois County collections, “Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940,” marriage indexes, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 December 2024), O Clifton Walker/Lillie M Genoway. ↩︎
  13. 1920 Census. ↩︎
  14. Various Illinois County collections, “Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940,” marriage indexes, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 12 November 2024), Eunice Walker/Cyrus R. Pilchard. ↩︎
  15. Various Illinois County collections, “Illinois, County Marriage Records, 1800-1940,” marriage indexes, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 November 2024), Minnie Walker/Joshua O. Bateman. ↩︎
  16. Iamele, Conklin Cousins: the Many Children of Joseph and Mary (Cory) Conkling, . ↩︎
F Is for…Fort Collins

F Is for…Fort Collins

Posted on by spuddled

Fort Collins, Colorado is the county seat of Larimer County. It was founded in 1864 as an Army outpost, and the town itself was laid out in 1867. It is the home of Colorado State University. As of 2020 it had a population of 169,810.1 Our family’s connection to Fort Collins began in around 1902, when the city’s population was somewhere between 3000 and 8000. Around that year, my great-grandfather, Charles William Montgomery, moved to Fort Collins from Holdrege, Nebraska, where the family had been enumerated in the 1900 census and where my grandfather was born in August 1901.2

The Montgomery family consisted of Charles William, born in 1861; Laura Maud (Walker), born in 1862; and children Myrtle Pearl (born 1884); Mary Edna “Mamie” (born 1885); Bessie Bell (born 1886); Elta Grace (born 1888); Walter Dewey (born 1898); John Ward “Ward” (born 1899); and Grandpa, Lawrence Theodore (or Lawrence Conklin?), born 1901. Myrtle does not appear to have made the move to Fort Collins, as she worked as a schoolteacher in Holdrege and married in Brush, Colorado, in 1903, then continued to be enumerated in Holdrege until her death there in 1931 at age 47.3

From about the time the family moved to Colorado, Charles worked as a watchman at the Great Western Sugar Factory. The first sugar factory in the area was built in 1901 in Loveland but a number of separate factories, including one in Fort Collins, had opened by 1905 and were consolidated under the Great Western Sugar name.4

In December 1904 Laura Maud, sadly, was institutionalized in the state hospital in Pueblo. From the stories and letters that have been passed down, it’s possible she may have suffered from something similar to paranoid schizophrenia. Charles remained in Fort Collins; Laura Maud’s admission records notes his address at that time as 627 Edward Street.5

The following year Elta, then 17, married William Gladstone Freeman in Fort Collins. They had moved to Waring, Kansas, by 1910, as they were enumerated there in that year’s census. Younger brother Walter was living with them at the time. Three months after Elta’s wedding Mamie married Harley Kimble in Fort Collins. She remained in Fort Collins for a number of years (she was in Fort Collins for both the 1910 and 1920 censuses) before moving to California; she was enumerated in Bakersfield in 1930. Bessie married Francis Marion Boyland in Boulder, Colorado, in 1907. She was in Weld, Colorado, in 1910; she later lived in Washington, DC, and then Los Angeles. She died in Hermosa Beach, California, in 1936 at age 49. Ward was also living in Kansas during the 1910 census, boarding with a family formerly from Fort Collins.6

Where, you may ask, were Charles and Lawrence in 1910? I’ve been asking myself that for probably 25 years. Grandpa used to tell us that he was raised in an orphanage (or more than one?) and helped break in women’s shoes while he lived there. The orphanages, according to notes I took while Grandpa was still living, were in Denver and Aurora. Grandpa also said that his father was unable to care for him because he was “riding the range with Buffalo Bill.” I have yet to corroborate these stories, but I keep trying. And I have yet to locate Grandpa or his father anywhere in 1910, though a 1908 Fort Collins City Directory lists “CW Montgomery” as a driver for Mt. Ave. Livery Co. and residing at 127 E Mountain Ave.

By April 1917 Grandpa (then only 15) had joined the Army (adding 3 years to his age in order to enlist). After his military service Grandpa made his way to South Dakota, then back to his home state of Nebraska, then eventually to Idaho. Charles, however, would remain in Fort Collins the rest of his life. He was enumerated there in 1920, 1930, and 1940. In 1920 he was listed simply as “Laborer, Farm,” though he was living in the city limits of Fort Collins. In 1930 his duties at the sugar factory are corroborated: his occupation is listed as “Watchman, J. W. Sugar Co.” In 1940 he was living in the Antlers Hotel on Linden Street.789 This building still stands, and still with the “Antlers Hotel” name at the top, or at least it did in 2015 when we passed through Fort Collins on a cross-country trip.

Charles’s wife Laura passed away in the State Hospital in 1933 of cancer with “other contributory causes of importance” listed as dementia precox.10 In March 1941 Charles remarried; his second wife was a widow named Lysle (Peterson) Cleave. The two were married in Kimball, Nebraska. Less than a year later Charles died (in the hospital in Fort Collins) of a coronary occlusion due to arteriosclerosis; on his death certificate his residence is listed as 257 Linden, Fort Collins.11 He is buried in Grandview Cemetery there. While on that cross-country trek in 2015, Dad, Mom, and I stopped at the cemetery so Dad could pay his respects to the grandfather who died three months before he was born.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Collins,_Colorado ↩︎
  2. Year: 1900; Census Place: Holdrege, Phelps, Nebraska; Roll: 936; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0151 ↩︎
  3. The Holdrege (Nebraska) Progress; 24 December 1931; Page 1 ↩︎
  4. https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/great-western-sugar-company ↩︎
  5. Pueblo, Colorado, Colorado State Insane Asylum Admission Records, Laura Montgomery, 23 December 1904. ↩︎
  6. Year: 1910; Census Place: Waring, Ness, Kansas; Roll: T624_448; Page: 9a; Enumeration District: 0112; FHL microfilm: 1374461 ↩︎
  7. Year: 1920; Census Place: Fort Collins Ward 1, Larimer, Colorado; Roll: T625_166; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 150 ↩︎
  8. Year: 1930; Census Place: Fort Collins, Larimer, Colorado; Page: 5B; Enumeration District: 0041; FHL microfilm: 2339980 ↩︎
  9. Year: 1940; Census Place: Fort Collins, Larimer, Colorado; Roll: m-t0627-00467; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 35-46 ↩︎
  10. State of Colorado Standard Certificate of Death; Laura Montgomery; 16 July 1933 ↩︎
  11. State of Colorado. Death Certificate of Charles William Montgomery. n.p: Registrar’s No. 9 Dist. 129 (?), n.d. ↩︎

A Is for…Apoplexy: Laura Belle Montgomery

A Is for…Apoplexy: Laura Belle Montgomery

Posted on by spuddled

Happy New Year! As I’ve been hinting, one of my resolutions is to continue weekly blog posts here in order to share my genealogical findings. This year’s theme will be an alphabetical one – two consecutive trips through the alphabet. So for this first week of 2025, we start with the letter “A” and…apoplexy.

I’m familiar with “apoplexy” as the old medical term for a stroke, but I did not realize that the word was used more generically in even earlier days to refer to any sudden loss of consciousness resulting in death. So what was listed as apoplexy in some genealogical records might have referred to other types of medical afflictions such as an aneurysm or heart attack. 1

We have quite a number of causes of death attributed to apoplexy in our family history, but today I’ll focus on my first cousin three times removed, Laura Belle Montgomery. Her father was David Montgomery, and her grandparents were William and Mary Ann (Extell) Montgomery. She was the fourth of six children born to David and his wife, Lydia (Agnew). Laura Belle was born on the 13th of either March or May, 1868, in Ohio, or possibly in 1869. She was enumerated with her family in Highland County, Ohio, in 1870 and 1880.

On 31 December 1894 in Clinton County, Ohio, she married William Alonzo Charlton, who went by his middle name. They appear in the 1900 census in Salem, Warren County, Ohio. With them are children Charles (born October 1895), Curtis (born January 1897), and Alvareta (born February 1899). Alonzo is listed as a day laborer born in January 1872. In 1910 the family is in Union, Warren County, Ohio, and to the household three more daughters have been added: Bessie, 5; Edith, 3; and Ethel, 2. About 1911-1912 Laura Belle gave birth to another son, William, as this son appears in the 1920 census, and the Find a Grave website lists two additional children (John William and Roy), for a total of nine children born to Alonzo and Laura Belle.

By the time of the 1920 census, however, Laura Belle was no longer living. She died on either the 14th or 15th of July 1914 in Warren County, Ohio. She was 45 or 46 years old. Her death certificate2, available on the FamilySearch website, notes her cause of death as apoplexy with a duration of 3 hours, with heat prostration of 5 days as a contributing factor. She was buried on 17 July in Deerfield Cemetery in South Lebanon, Ohio.

Between 1915-1916 Alonzo had remarried; his second wife was Viola Belle Sawyer, and they had eight children of their own, according to Find a Grave. Alonzo died in 1952, and Viola in 1970. Both are also buried in Deerfield Cemetery.

3
  1. https://www.geni.com/projects/Apoplexy/31111 ↩︎
  2. “Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8XX-P5X : Tue Mar 05 03:56:10 UTC 2024), Entry for Laura B Charlton and David Montgomery, 15 Jul 1914. ↩︎
  3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13392994/laura_belle_charlton ↩︎