Miles Babb & His Search for Gold

Where this was printed (Burlington, Iowa), where it was found (Illinois), the other photograph found with it marked “W. I. Babb,”  Mt. Pleasant, Iowa … all of these things combined, led me to the story of  Miles Babb.

There is only one problem … the back mark and the rounded corners on the cdv appear to date it to the 1870’s and in 1870 this particular Miles Babb had been dead for 18 years.

A bit of an issue, I’ll admit, and at present the only way I can see to explain it, is if this were a copy of an earlier image.

Regardless of the photos, the story is fascinating.  The search for Miles Babb took me from the farm lands of Iowa, to the California gold rush, to the first woman licensed to practice law in the United States. Unfortunately for Miles Babb his search for gold did not end in the riches he was anticipating.  

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John Babb, father of Miles, was of German descent and was raised and educated in Pennsylvania.  He married Susanna Miller, Dec. 14, 1804 and was among one of the earliest families to settle in Iowa.

In 1837 he moved his wife and 8 children to Des Moines County and “there he entered land from the government and purchased additional property until his holdings embraced 1200 acres at Sperry Station.  In his business affairs he prospered, becoming one of the most successful and extensive farmers in his locality.”  - (Biographical Review of Henry County, Iowa / Chicago: Hobart Publishing Company, 1906)

Miles Babb, who was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 1818, acquired his education in the public schools of Pennsylvania.  His father was owner of a coal mine and there he became connected with mining interests.

In 1837 he accompanied his family on their move to Iowa and on Dec. 3, 1843 he married Mary Moyer.  Miles and Mary had 2 children; a son, Washington Irving Babb, born Oct. 2, 1844 and a daughter Belle Aurelia Babb, born May 23, 1846.

Miles continued farming until 1850 but on April 10, 1850 he left his wife and two young children behind on the family farm and joined the Flint River Company wagon train, bound for the California gold rush. The wagon train arrived at its destination August 7, 1850 and from there Miles and several of his companions made their way to the Mameluke Mine near Georgetown, El Dorado County where Miles took a position with the Bay State Mining Company as superintendent (or foreman) of the Mameluke Hill Mine.

Millions of dollars in gold were removed from this small hill just north of Georgetown, beginning with surface claims; moving on to tunnels into the gold bearing gravel streams beneath a lava cap.  Two partners Ben Keiser and J. Klipstein were the first to work the hill.  In 1851 the two men found gold.  News of their find traveled fast, bringing others and by 1852 a thriving settlement had formed.

That same year a miner’s meeting was called to establish claim boundaries. At the meeting it was suggested that a formal naming of the community would be appropriate. Charles Kelsey, a great reader suggested that it be named “Mameluke Hill” for the fourteenth century mercenary soldiers brought into Egypt to act as palace guards.

No dance halls or saloons were to be allowed in this new community as they were thought to be the type of places that would distract men from their work, but it was not all work and no play; private dances were held in the boarding houses and hotels.

For its size, Mameluke Hill was possibly the richest hill in California. One of the largest finds was by Klipsein and Keiser who removed 20 pounds of gold in less than three hours. William Pratt purchased a claim for $150, and during one afternoon’s work, removed 96 ounces of gold dust, plus another $2000.00 in nuggets from the gravel he pulled from his new tunnel.  The Mameluke Mine was described as the “most famous gold mine in the world” and an estimated $6.5 million in gold was taken from it.

Miles Babb’s dreams of gold ended in the Mameluke Mine on Dec. 23, 1852 in a cave-in.  According to family lore they were using concrete to shore up the tunnel without adequate timbering.

Babb’s death was reported in the Alta California newspaper, and though he is identified as C. S. Babb, the remainder of the article is considered correct.

--Alta California, Jan. 1, 1853
“At Mameluke Hill in El Dorado County of the 23d inst., two miners, named Wm. Robinson and C. S. Babb, were at work in the Bay State Tunnel, when a quantity of dirt above gave way, killing the latter instantly.  The former was injured severely but not dangerously.  Mr. Babb was from Des Moines county, Iowa, where he leaves a wife and two children.  He was about 35 years of age.”

Miles Babb is buried in the Georgetown Pioneer Cemetery in El Dorado County, CA.

Some fellow travelers that he’d traveled to California with returned to Iowa to give Mary Babb the news of her husband’s death.  She made arrangements for a grave marker surrounded by an iron railing to be installed in the Georgetown cemetery.  Many years later her son Washington & daughter Belle, would make the trip to Georgetown to visit the place where their father was buried.  They brought back branches from a Manzanita tree that shaded his grave and gave them to their mother.  It is said she kept the branches with her wedding dress.

Miles set out instructions in his 1849 will that gave Mary the power to apply the proceeds of his property to their two children and to their proper education and schooling and she did exactly that.

Mary and her children remained on the farm until 1860 when she sold it and moved to Mount Pleasant, Iowa to take advantage of the better schools available there.

Her children would remain close their entire lives; both entered Iowa Wesleyan College. The Civil War interrupted Washington’s education but he returned to school after the war ended and graduated in the same class as his sister.  Belle as valedictorian, Washington as salutatorian.

The following year Belle began studying for the bar with her brother at the Ambler Law Office and in 1869 she became the first woman admitted to the Iowa bar and the first woman licensed to practice law in the United States.

Della Fox

A few days after writing the piece about photographer A. J. Fox, I came across this cabinet card of his daughter, actress Della Fox and decided it would make a nice addition to my Fox file.  Judging from the articles I found regarding Miss Fox, this is a story that has been told many times, just never here.

Della May Fox was born Oct. 13th, 1870 in St. Louis, Missouri, the sixth and youngest child of Andrew J. Fox and Harriett Ann Swett. Her father, A. J. Fox, was a leading St. Louis photographer with a specialty in theatrical subjects.

Della Fox had four brothers; Frank D. (1856), Charles A. (1858), William H. (1860), Wymar (1863) and one sister, Lillie Graham Fox (1867).

“Child stars are an American tradition,” says professor and author John Hanners, “but no period surpasses the mid-1800's for the sheer number of children appearing in live theatrical events or the degree of seriousness with which they were taken."

Della made her first appearance on stage in the H. M. S. Pinafore and subsequently played children's roles with Marie Prescott's company.

In the 1870's and 80's it was a popular trend to cast operettas with children and send them on tour through the Midwest where they were popular with audiences.

In 1880 Della appeared as Adrienne in A Celebrated Case and caught the attention of playwright Augustus Thomas.  He engaged her to play the leading role in Editha's Burglar.  The play toured the Midwest and Canada from 1883 through 1885.  Della’s parents wanted her to attend boarding school but she was determined to become an actress and instead was tutored by Thomas and chaperoned by leading lady, Nellie Page.

In the late 1880's Della appeared with Comley Barton and the Bennett and Moulton Opera Company, playing soprano roles in operettas.

In Feb. 1889 she appeared for the first time at Niblo's Garden in New York.  Her light opera roles had brought her to the attention of Henrich Conried, who engaged her to play Yvonne in The King's Fool.

The diminutive Fox was known for her childlike persona and her bobbed hairstyle.  She was a tiny woman, considered to be slightly plump, not particularly beautiful, of ordinary voice, and yet possessed of an incredible charisma.

The girl with the curl, the “Della Fox curl,” was a style found on girls all across America.

Her voice and small size made her the perfect choice to play Blanche, opposite the tall, bass-voiced DeWolf Hopper, in the 1890 operetta Castles in the Air.  It was well received, but her first big success occurred in 1891 when she played Prince Mataya together with Hopper in the production of Wang.  This was followed by Panjandrum in 1893, and Lady or the Tiger, 1894.

Miss Fox’s first true starring role came in The Little Trooper at the Casino Theatre, New York, Aug. 1894.  That and subsequent performances brought her to the pinnacle of success.

Beginning in 1899, Miss Fox suffered from ill health due in part to the effects of alcohol and drug abuse.  On October 28, 1899, she was reported to be dying of peritonitis, but she survived and returned to the stage. In June 1900 she suffered a nervous breakdown.  She returned to the stage September, 1900 for The Rogers Brothers in Central Park.

In December 1901, Della Fox married Jacob David Levy, a Broadway gentleman in the jewelry business known affectionately as “Diamond Jack” Levy.

After her marriage Della appeared mostly in vaudeville houses. In 1904, she was committed to the Brunswick Home, a private institution for epileptics, paralytics, alcoholics, and the feeble-minded, on Long Island. She recovered and made two more appearances on Broadway:  The West Point Cadet (1904), and her final performance, Rosedale in April 1913.  She died at a private sanatorium in New York City on June 15, 1913, aged 42, and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, Saint Louis, Missouri.

Many critics professed to be baffled by her popularity, seeing her as possessing very little real talent or beauty and attributing her popularity to magnetism.  Nevertheless, for ten years Della Fox remained one of the principal attractions of the American musical theater.

Rebecca Gunn Scroggins

Both the Gunn and the Scroggins families have been well researched and Rebecca was easy to find and like most people Rebecca was …

born: July 21, 1860, the daughter of farmer Thomas Gunn and his wife Susannah.

And then she married: Oswald S. Scroggins of Salisbury, MO on Feb. 5, 1880.

“Ollie” was described as a democrat and an “energetic and prosperous” farmer, owning 240 acres of fine land in Chariton and Howard Counties.

Together they raised 5 children, all born in Salisbury, MO:

1. Leslie Francis b. Nov. 12, 1881 
2. Rheba Virginia b. May 19, 1885
3. Orin B. b. July 23 / 25, 1890
4. Oswald Sweeney Scroggins Jr. b. July 12, 1893
5. Arthur Evander b. May 13, 1899

Rebecca was widowed on Sept. 5, 1932 in Dodge City, KS.  Her husband, Ollie, age 76 was killed when a train stuck his automobile as he drove across the railroad tracks.

And then she died …
Aug. 26, 1940 and was buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Dodge City, KS.

What I find most interesting about Rebecca Gunn Scroggins is what is written on the reverse of her photo.

There are 2 notations in 2 different hands.

In ink is written:

Rebecca Gunn Scroggins
age about 40 yrs.

and in pencil:

Aunt Becky
She was mean! 

Phoebe Jane (Smith) Romick

The description said simply :

SIGNED :

MRS. RONICK

Kurtz Studio

Manhattan, Kan.

But on the reverse I could see more:

Phoebe Smith … k. a. c. … ‘97 …

and I thought Ronick might actually be Romick … as in this article that appeared in the local paper.

"W.S. Romick, a popular LaVerne,California orange grower and one of the directors of the LaVerne Orange Growers Association is believed to be at San Diego on his honeymoon this week. Mr. Romick went away without publishing his plans, and his friends have been doing a lot of guessing. Our guess may be all wrong, and if so Mr. Romick may have space to correct it next week, but we guess that Mr. Romick got his new Buick Six ahead of turn because there was a wedding in the case, and we guess the bride is Miss Phoebe Smith of Los Angeles, and we guess that it was a good choice on both sides, and we rather guess that Rev O.W. Reinius of Rialto,CA. performed the ceremony, that is providing Mr. Reinius was at home, which the long distance operator said he was not. We guess the wedding was intended to be a surprise, and that we hadn't better say any more until we know more about it."
~ Lordsburg Leader (1915)

Two years later W. S. Romick would take part in another marriage ceremony … one that proved he had a sense of humor.

Lordsburg, California was the ‘Heart of the Orange Empire’ in 1917 when residents voted to change the name to La Verne.  Embarrassed and frustrated with the name “Lordsburg,” citizens had petitioned for a name change and that caused a confrontation between Lord, the founder and the townspeople.  Even the college students joined in the fight.  But Lord did not take the change lightly, he took the issue to court and won.

And so Lordsburg residents endured the name until he died in 1917.

They’d hardly finished burying him when an election was held and the name was officially changed to “La Verne” with a vote of 239 to 81.

Lord didn’t make a fuss this time.

“He wasn’t beloved as you would think a founder of a town might be,” says Heckman, who has researched the name change. Known as “fair, fat and 40,” Lord did not even live in his town, but instead in Alta Loma, commuting to Lordsburg by train.

Newly renamed after the northern orange-growing district, La Verne it was, but after years of being the talk of the town, the residents of La Verne were not done.   Like “celebrating revolutionaries they whooped it up” with a symbolic marriage ceremony to commemorate the town’s new name.

On Sept. 27th, 1917, in the hotel auditorium, with an orchestra playing, “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight” on hair combs,  the ceremony was held.

Carrying a bouquet of orange blossoms, “Miss Lordsburg” portrayed by local barber Oscar W. Raley walked down the aisle to exchange vows … and names … and was married to “Mr. La Verne,” played by Phoebe’s husband and citrus grower, W. S. Romick.  Harvey Nichols presided over the ceremony.  The event was homespun vaudeville, a type of  live entertainment enjoyed before the age of radio.

Phoebe was a teacher before her marriage to W. Scott Romick.  

She graduated Kansas Agricultural College in 1897 and spent the following year as a student at Kansas State Normal School, a school dedicated to the education of teachers in Emporia, Kansas.

From 1899 - 1900 Phoebe taught school in Manhattan, Kansas but from 1900 - 1908 she was a teacher for Pueblo (Colorado) City Schools.

In  1908 Phoebe relocated to Pasadena, California.  She was a student at the Throop Institute from 1908 - 1909,  before taking a position as a Teacher of Home Economics at Intermediate High School in Los Angeles, CA.

In 1915, Phoebe Jane Smith, 40, married 54 year old Winfield Scott Romick, a Lordsburg (La Verne), California citrus grower recognized as one of the pioneers of the La Verne citrus industry.

In 1890 Lordsburg agriculturists W. Scott Romick and L. H. Bixby had each planted about five acres at the same time.  Marcus L. Sparks set out 10 acres of orange trees and for nearly a century the citrus industry in La Verne would prosper.

I was able to locate 2 photographs of W. Scott Romick …

One photograph of him at work - Scott Romick with a wagonload of Boxes
and
A more formal portrait - W. Scott Romick

In later years Scott and Phoebe Romick can be found on several passenger lists  …

In 1928 aboard the S. S. California sailing from Havana, Cuba.

In 1936 and again in 1948 (at which time they were 86 and 72)  sailing on the S. S. Lurline from Honolulu, Hawaii.

It would seem they enjoyed a long life.  Winfield Scott Romick born May 19, 1861 lived to be 100 years old and died Oct. 15, 1961. Phoebe Jane Smith born June 3, 1875, died June 9, 1962, age 87 years.

1864 CDV by Photographer A. J. Fox

I wish I knew the story behind the man who sat for this photograph in 1864.  

The photographer, A. J. Fox was a man with a well known clientele and this young man has one of those faces I feel like I should recognize.

A. J. Fox was one of the earliest and most prolific photographers in St. Louis, Missouri. A daguerreotypist, ambrotypist, photographer and portrait painter, he was active in St. Louis from 1852 until sometime after 1887, and during those 35 years his studio occupied several locations, usually on or near North Fourth St., the most prestigious area for studios and galleries in St. Louis.

Fox’s studio changed location at least a dozen times over the years and the various addresses can be helpful in dating his photographs. I've put together a list of the dates and various addresses and included it below.  I’ll add corrections and additions as I find them.  I do realize 1863 needs some tweaking.  I don’t think even Mr. Fox could have operated that many studios at one time but I don't know what information is correct and what isn't, so for now, it all stays.

Fox was a talented artist.  At the 1867 St. Louis Fair, he won first prizes in the categories of life-size portraits in oil; photographs in oil; pastel or chalk on photographs; and best collection of photographs in imperial, cabinet or 4x4 size.  He won second prizes for cartes de viste and best collection of imperial card size photographs.  In addition Fox won a $50 “private premium” offered by W. H. Tilford in the category of “Best Imperial Card Photograph made in Missouri.”  The official report of the 1867 fair noted that Fox’s collection included a “beautifully done” portrait of the late artist-ambrotypist Carl Wimar.  A newspaper review of the 1868 St. Louis Fair singled out Fox’s exhibit as “brilliant.”  Fox received first prizes in the categories of miniatures on ivory, cartes de visite, photographic composition, photographs in oil, and imperial, cabinet, or 4x4 photographs.

In September 1870 A. J. Fox became president of the St. Louis Photographic Society.

Andrew Jackson Fox and his wife, Harriet A. Swett had 6 children; two daughters, Lillian Fox, the wife of Nat Roth, general business manager for the Schubert Family in New York and Della Fox, an actress, and four sons; Charles A., Frank D., William H., and Wymar F. Fox.

Andrew J. Fox, passed away at the age of 93, at his residence in St. Louis on April 21, 1919.  The cause of death was listed as an illness due to old age.   He was survived by four sons: Wymar F. and Charles A. of St. Louis; Frank D., of Philadelphia; and William H. of New York, and one daughter, Mrs. Lillian Roth of New York.  His wife Harriet and daughter Della both predeceased him.  

Below is the list of the dates and locations of A. J. Fox’s many studio addresses in St. Louis, MO.   Please leave a comment if you see something that needs to be added or corrected.

1852 - 57 North Fourth St.

1853 - 99 Fourth St. between Pine and Olive Sts.

1854 and 1855 - southwest corner of Chestnut and Fourth Sts.

1857 and 1858  - 43 North Twelfth St.

1858 - 35 North Fourth St.

1858 and 1859 - the corner of Fourth and Chestnut

1860 - Fox had two locations (1) 93 Washington Ave. and (2) at the southeast corner Fourth and Chestnut Sts..

1863 - One source says he had a studio at the southeast corner Fourth and Chestnut Streets
1863 - 1864 Another source gives Fox’s location as 66 North Fourth Street
and the St. Louis city directories list his studio at
1863 - the southwest corner of Fourth and Olive

1864 -  the corner of Fourth and Olive (this is the address on my cdv written: A. J. Fox, Artist, Cor. Fourth   and  Olive Sts., St. Louis Mo.)
           
1865 - 60 Olive Street

1866 - the southwest corner of Fourth and Olive

1867 and 1870 - 406 Olive St.

1868 - Fox operated 402 and 404 Olive, corner of Fourth, in 1868, during 1868 William M. Guay, formerly a New Orleans photographer became his assistant

1869-1871 -  406 Olive
1870-1871 -  408 Locust St,

1872-1879 - 205 North Fifth St, (known as the Ground Floor Gallery and Frame Store)
1880-1884 - 916 Olive St.
1884 - also 918 Olive St.
1886 - 215 North Fourth St.
1887 -  304 North Sixth St.

A. J. Fox and Sons
826 North Ninth St.  1892
301 North Ninth St.  1894 
110 North Eight St.  1900
401, 808 Olive St.  1910

E. Louise Smith

My 2nd Smith pic has been much more of a challenge.

This is what I know …
The photograph is 4 x 7.
It was found in Muskogee, OK.
Beneath the vignette is the photographer’s signature in pencil “Wheat.”
At the end of the cross of the t in Wheat, are two tiny numbers, 04.

On the reverse is written, what looks to me to be "E. Louise Smith."

Do you know what happens when you enter “photographer Wheat” into a search bar?
You get hundreds, if not thousands of photographs of wheat fields.
It is almost as frustrating as searching for a Smith.

As of now I have only found two photographers with the last name of Wheat who fit the right time period … one in Michigan … another Calvin Wheat in Texas.

But while running down leads, I ran across the first article below and decided that since there were so many Smiths listed in the Arlington Journal in 1904 and since some of the articles covered Muskogee and other parts of Indian Territory, I would separate these (for the most part unlucky) Smiths and save them for future reference.

This is how some of the Smiths around here fared in 1904 ...

Thursday January 7, 1904 - Twasn’t Loaded as Usual.
Muskogee, I. T.:  The only casualty that has occurred in the vicinity of Muskogee happened Tuesday at Enterprise, I. T.  Will C. Davis and Miss Lulu E. SMITH went to the photographer to have their pictures made, carrying a target gun, which as usual was not loaded.  In some way the gun was exploded, the ball entering the breast of the young man, and as a consequence he is in a precarious condition.

Thursday January 28, 1904 - Call Boy Drops Dead.
Denison:  While engaged in the discharge of his duties as caller for the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway, Henry Klein, aged 18 years, fell dead Monday from heart failure, at the residence of Engineer Edward SMITH.  He had signed Mr. SMITH to go out on a run and walked to the front gate of the SMITH residence when he was overcome by heart failure, fell and expired instantly.

Thursday February 18, 1904 - Watson Community.
Henry, the little son of Mr. and Mrs. Bob SMITH died Tuesday and was buried in the Ford Cemetery.

Thursday March 3, 1904
At Cleburne James SMITH was seriously and it is thought fatally injured by a vicious horse which kicked him in the stomach, on the head and in the face.  He was unconscious when found and physicians say his chances for recovery are slight.

Thursday March 10, 1904 - ALL OVER TEXAS.
At Sherman the jury in the case of Mary Gilmore, a negro woman charged with the murder of Hanna SMITH last fall, returned a verdict finding the defendant guilty of manslaughter and assessed her punishment at two years in the penitentiary.

Thursday March 17, 1904 - Preparing to Hang SMITH.
Waxahachie:  Preparations for the hanging of Brozier SMITH, the convicted wife slayer, will begin here this week.  The hanging will not occur in the jail, which has no suitable place, but will probably take place near the National Compress, on the outskirts of the city.  The rope with which Fred Sawyer was hanged here about five years ago, and which has been used in sixteen hangings in the State, will be used by Sheriff Binnick in this execution.

Thursday March 17, 1904
Wood SMITH was tried in the Dallas County courts in 1898 on a charge of having murdered H. J. Spillers, a Garland merchant.  SMITH was adjudged insane and ordered sent to the asylum at Terrell where he has remained until he escaped Thursday night.

Thursday March 24, 1904 - EVENTS OF EVERYWHERE.
Last Sunday some boys were throwing stones at some quail, near Graham, when Ottie SMITH accidentally struck and killed Luther Moore.

Thursday March 31, 1904
DeWitt, Ark.:  Five negroes who had been arrested as a result of the race troubles at St. Charles, this county, were taken from the guards by a crowd of men last night and shot to death.  The five victims were Jim SMITH, Charley SMITH, Mack Baldwin, Abe Bailey and Garret Flood.  This makes nine negroes that have been killed within the last week within the vicinity of St. Charles in connection with racial troubles, arising over a trivial quarrel.

Thursday March 31, 1904 - UXORCIDE HANGED.
Brozier SMITH, Negro Wife Murderer Hanged.
Waxahachie, Tex., March 26. – Brozier SMITH, colored, was legally hanged here yesterday for the murder of his wife in this city on the night of Feb. 24, 1903.  SMITH maintained his nerve and composure to the last, and was one of the coolest persons on the scaffold during the preliminary work of preparing for the execution.

Sheriff Minnick and party arrived at the scaffold with the prisoner at 11:25 o‘clock in the morning.  Upon arrival SMITH calmly mounted the scaffold steps unassisted, and asked for a cigar, which was given him.  He smoked this as he listened to the religious services, and, when his pastor, Rev. (unreadable) ... upon his knees and joined in the prayer.  (unreadable) ... the negative and signified his readiness for the preparation for the execution to begin.  He stooped and pulled off his shoes and stepped upon the trap, when he was bound and the noose adjusted around his neck.  After the black cap was placed he told all the officers and friends present good-bye, shaking hands with them.  Just before the trap was sprung he asked Rev. Hill to tell his mother good-bye for him.
 
Sheriff Minnick sprung the trap at 11:37 and SMITH shot down to his death.  Though there was a seven and one-half foot fall, his neck was not broken, but he died of strangulation.  After hanging for ten minutes, County Physician Simpson announced that he was dead and after hanging for nineteen minutes he was taken down and the body delivered to his mother and friends for burial.
 
A large crowd, estimated at 1500, was present around the enclosure, though only those who had permission were admitted within.

The rope used belonged to ex-Sheriff W. A. Stewart of Cleburne, and was (unreadable) ... Cleburne, about six years ago, since which time it has been used in the execution of seventeen men, one of whom was Fred Sawyer, hanged in this city in January, 1899.

Thursday April 14, 1904 - Two Babes Burned.
At Candon, four miles north of here on last Saturday morning at ten o‘clock, the five months old twin babies of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. SMITH were burned so severely that both died in a few hours.  The family were living in a tent and while all were out the tent caught on fire from the stove pipe, and in a few seconds fell down on the bed where the babies lay, with fatal results.  A Mrs. Collins was the first to reach the burning tent and succeeded in rescuing the babes, before life was extinct; she herself being severely burned about the hands and face.  The pathetic sadness of such deaths can but touch the heart of every father and mother specially.

Thursday May 19, 1904
A negro named A. D. SMITH, aged 48, a cook in a Fort Worth restaurant, took an opiate through mistake Wednesday and died in the afternoon.  The doctors worked on the patient for five hours but were unable to ascertain what the poison was, the patient being unable to speak.

Thursday June 16, 1904 - FLOODS IN THE TERRITORY.
Crops Damaged, Trains Stopped and Lives Lost.
Antlers, I. T., June 13. – The flood situation just passed has been the worst in the history of Antlers.  At this point the river was nearly two miles wide, and for a time communication of all kinds has been cut off.  Antlers has had no mail since Saturday, the 4th inst., and it is hard to say when service will be re-established.

A section crew in from Wadena reports the drowning of a family by the name of SMITH at that place.  The father, mother and three children were caught and could not be rescued.

At Kosoma the water is reported to have risen fifteen feet in fifteen minutes.  Deputy Cal Berry and Constable F. D. Copping crossed the river Monday at this place.  Firing and shouting had been heard on the other side and they found a negro family on an island, badly frightened, but safe.  In getting to the river they passed through the tops of the trees, and myriads of insects and vermin crawled into the boat.  In mid-stream the velocity of the current was almost beyond belief, trees, a foot thick being snapped like pipe stems by the water.

The water is rapidly receding, and every effort is being made by the railroad company to repair the track. Northbound No. 6 on the Frisco, which has stood in the water near Tuskahoma since Saturday, came back Sunday night and went to Paris.  The train was loaded with passengers, many of them bound for the World‘s Fair.

The damage to crops and other property can not be estimated.  Scores of horses and cattle are drowned, and practically all the hogs that were in the bottoms.

Thursday June 23, 1904 - ALL OVER TEXAS.
While on their way to the picnic at Walnut Springs, a number of young men were trying the speed of their horses when the horse ridden by Geo. SMITH, a young man about 18 years old, fell, fatally crushing young Mr. SMITH.

Thursday June 23, 1904 - With Unloaded Weapons
Cameron:  On the farm of Hon. Hillary F. SMITH, a few miles south of here, a negro by the name of James Jones left his children at home Wednesday while he and his wife were at work on the farm, and on hearing the discharge of a gun, they returned home, to find that their thirteen-year-old boy had been shot to death by their eleven-year-old boy.  The parents thought the gun was unloaded and left it and a pistol where the children could get them and after they had left the house the children thought they would have a fight with the gun and pistol.

Thursday July 21, 1904 - EVENTS OF EVERYWHERE
Francis Willis, 11 years old, a farmer‘s son, was shot and killed after returning from a fishing trip near Guthrie.  John SMITH, aged 11 years, has been arrested and jailed at Cordell.

Thursday August 4, 1904 - ALL OVER TEXAS.
Al Brite, a negro farmer, was shot and perhaps fatally wounded at a rent house on his farm, near Lockhart.  Joe SMITH, colored, the renter, is in jail charged with the shooting.

Thursday September 22, 1904
The grand jury has indicted Mayor T. W. SMITH and Sheriff A. D. Rogers of Huntsville for dereliction in duty in allowing a mob to lynch Horace Maples a few days since.  Other prominent citizens are also under indictment for participation in the act.

Thursday September 29, 1904 Johnson Station.
Mr. and Mrs. Meek and Mr. Drury SMITH, were attendants at the bedside of their kinsman Mr. Wiley SMITH, who died at Arlington Monday night.

Thursday September 29, 1904
W. W. SMITH who has been running a delivery wagon here for some time died Monday night after a short illness from Meningitis.  Mr. SMITH was highly respected by all who knew him, and his death was much deplored.  The body was embalmed and prepared for shipment by undertaker, J. P. Jones, and accompanied by the bereaved and little children, and a brother, left Tuesday evening for Tennessee, his old home, where the body will be laid to rest.  The brother arrived from East Texas Monday night just after he died.

To read more articles from the 1904 Arlington Journal …
https://www.arlingtonlibrary.org/files/journal1904.pdf

Joe & Mabel Smith - Cottage Grove, Oregon

I was born a Smith.  There is a story in my family, told when my mother and her best friend (an unrelated Smith) were young.

They were out for a drive when they were stopped by a police officer.  The officer asked for their names, and they told him … Judy Smith and Della Smith.

To which he replied, “Ladies, surely you can do better than that.”

I know first hand how challenging it can be chasing down a Smith and I’d tossed around the idea of collecting some of the more interesting Smith photographs I ran across.

I was already taken with the image on this postcard when I flipped it over and to my delight saw …

Joe and Mabel Smith

Cottage Grove, Ore.

And there it was …
My first Smith Pic.

Joe Smith.
I would be hard put to find a name more common.

And yet because he spent most of his life in the Cottage Grove area he was surprisingly easy to find. But I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across this … from the Family History Library Catalog …

SMITH
SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE FAMILY OF JOE T. SMITH
OF COTTAGE GROVE, OR.

COMPILED AS A CHRISTMAS GIFT
FOR HIS SONS,
KIRK STEVAN SMITH AND PAUL ANDREW SMITH
BY RICHARD K. SMITH
DECEMBER 1, 1995

It was written by Joe’s son and contained ancestral charts, theories, photographs and stories of his parents and other family members. It included childhood memories, fishing stories and stories of his father’s WWI experiences. It was a treasure trove of information.

The document was a little over 140 pages long.  In the introduction the author states that the booklet was not copy righted and could be reproduced by anyone who so desired,  so  I sat down to read the story of the man and woman in my photograph and to copy a few of their stories.

Joe and Mabel were both teachers on April 6, 1917 when war was declared on Germany.  When the war broke out, Joe enlisted and Mabel agreed to marry him.

In June 1917, Dr. John Eberle Kuykendall of Eugene called for volunteers to form an ambulance company to go to France that summer.   Among the 81 required to organize the company was Joe Smith.  The men assumed that they constituted a Red Cross Ambulance Company but instead of being under the Red Cross they were to become the 361st Ambulance Company of the 91st Division, U. S. Army.

~ From the Cottage Grove Sentinel, 17 July 1917

Smith-Veatch

A wedding of unusual interest to people of Cottage Grove was that of Joseph Thomas Smith and Miss Mabel Preston Veatch, which took place at Albany on Friday, July 13. The wedding came as quite a surprise to the many friends of the couple. It was solemnized in Albany in order that the ceremony might be performed by Rev. McGee, who is an uncle of the bride and who twice served as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in this city. It was hastily arranged because of the probable departure at any moment of the bridegroom, who is a member of Dr. Kuykendall's ambulance corps, which is expected to see immediate service on the battlefields of France. Both parties to the marriage are among the best and most favorably known of Cottage Grove's young people. The bride is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Veatch. She graduated from Cottage Grove high school with highest honors and since then been a successful teacher in the schools and will continue to fill that position until the return of her husband from France. Mr. Smith is a son of Mrs. Mary Smith and has for several years been active in the business and social life of the community. He is a graduate of the Sparta, Illinois, high school and has been engaged in teaching here. Mr. Smith was instrumental in a large degree in making the recent Chautauqua a success, being chairman of the ticket committee.

Among documents Richard Smith included in his narrative are several photographs of Joe and Mabel.  One of those is the same image I have.  Underneath is written Joe and Mabel fall of 1917.  It was probably taken shortly before Joe left for Camp Lewis.  He and Mabel had only been married 6 weeks.

During Joe’s absence he and Mabel wrote almost every day.  His son, Richard writes of the day he found several letters written by his mother in September of 1917.

“The big news is that I found 15 letters written by Mother to Dad. They were all written in September of 1917 shortly after he had gone to Camp Lewis which is referred to as American Lake. I was surprised by the affection which they contained. Much more expressive than I would have thought and very much more so than the rather factual reporting on the days activities in Dad's letters. Her loneliness was real and expressed in many ways. She was living with her parents who provided room and board for Scott Martin and Edwin Redford so they could go to school in Cottage Grove. I felt a sadness for my mother, this young bride whose husband of but a few weeks was off to the army leaving her to adjust to her new status, resume her teaching career, be solicitous of her husband's need for communication, share in household chores, sew her own clothing, keep up morale with her husband's family, and take part in the life of the church.”

On his 28th birthday, October 4, 1917, Joe writes, “I am just back from the front and will answer your two good letters I received this morning. George had them for me and gave them to me while I was still in bed in the Ford Ambulance. I got to sleep from about midnight until 9 A.M. and so feel lots better. We have had eight days and nights of it so feel pretty tired out. We have had some wonderful work and thrilling experiences. I have been under shell fire most of this time and saw lots of everything torn all to ____ and it sure seems cruel. I am anxious to hear when the war is over. I have had my fill of it. But I am ready to go back and do my part again. All of the territory that we are in now was held by Germans before our drive. It is one continual sound of shells firing at front. Am back about as far as to where your Uncle Jim R lives. I was past the road where Sam was located the other day but had a load of seriously wounded and could not stop . . . I am sitting in truck with Geo Matthews now and he has fed me some bread and jam and it sure tasted good.  The roads are very bad … full of shell holes so have a time driving.”

It was estimated that over 8000 sick and wounded were handled by the Ambulance Section of the 91st Division.  The 361st Ambulance Company saw action at St.  Milil, Muse, Argonne, Lys Scheldt and Belgium. They stayed on after hostilities ceased to assist in the movement and care of those still hospitalized.

The first year after their marriage Mabel taught school, but later she worked at the First National Bank.

Joe returned home from the service in the May of 1919 and soon went to work as a bookkeeper for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company tie plant, south of Cottage Grove.  Mabel gave up her job when Joe returned.

Shortly after returning home Joe was involved in a near fatal accident when while riding a "speedster," the name given a flatbed car used to transport personnel on the tracks, he was involved  in a collision with a car at a crossing resulting in a life threatening accident from severe head injuries.

~ Cottage Grove Sentinel 5 March 1920.

J.T. SMITH IS VICTIM OF SERIOUS ACCIDENT. SUSTAINS CONCUSSION OF BRAIN WHEN THROWN FROM GASOLINE SPEEDER WHICH HITS AUTOMOBILE.

A gasoline speeder and an automobile mixed in a wreck Monday afternoon that came near proving fatal to Joe T. Smith, bookkeeper at the Southern Pacific tie plant, and who had just resigned his position preparatory to entering business in the city.

The gasoline speeder upon which Mr. Smith and two others were returning to their work after the noon hour collided with an automobile driven by John Thomseth which was crossing the tracks to the Chamber's mill, where Mr. Thomseth is foreman. Mr. Thomseth did not see the speeder approaching. Had he seen it he could have prevented the accident by speeding his car just enough to get over the track hardly more than a second quicker.
G. M. Scott who was driving the speeder, had brought it almost to a standstill but not in time to prevent the impact with the rear wheels of the automobile, which threw the speeder from the track. Mr. Smith was thrown between the rails and sustained a severe injury on the top of his head. The skull was not fractured but it is thought that brain concussion resulted. This seems to be working itself out and Mr.Smith seems well on the road to recovery. The Inspector, E.C. Cochran also a passenger sustained a deep but not serious wound on the head. Mr. Scott escaped without injury.

The following weeks paper carried the following story:

JOE T. SMITH RECOVERS AND ENTERS BUSINESS

Joe T. Smith who is recovering from the accident in which he nearly lost his life, has taken over the Roy E. Short grocery and is now in charge. He had made the deal for the business before meeting the accident and was remaining on the job at the plant only a day or so, until another man could take his place. He had just competed invoicing the stock the day before the injury.

In that same issue of the paper was a paid ad:

NOTICE 

This is to announce that I have bought the Roy E. Short 

grocery store and will be pleased to meet old as well as 

the new customers. Service, good merchandise at right 

prices will be our aim.

SMITH'S GROCERY 

Joe T. Smith

"Walk a block and same a dime." 

His son remembers him as a man of tenderness and caring who never raised his voice except in song. A man who smiled a lot and who liked to see others happy..  A father who conveyed to his son a sense of values: “Do what is right. Be honest. Take responsibility for your own actions. Don't buy on time. Spend less than you earn. Be humble, merit is its own reward.”

He was a man who believed you should treat everyone as an equal; give more than you take; love your country and if forced to choose, take integrity over popularity.

He says of his father, “He spent a lot of time with me. Taking me fishing and hunting. Driving a load of kids to out of town ball games or a scouting events. Teaching me to pitch horse shoes (we had fun but never became very good.). Entertaining people at the cabin. Serving "pop" or watermelon. Writing to me when I was in college or the service often enclosing a dollar bill. 1 don't ever remember his saying "no" when I asked him to do something that was important to me.”

A soldier's continuous life in the damp and mud combined with the lingering effects of being gassed during the war started to take a toll on Joe’s physical strength. In the late 1920s he started making trips to the Veteran's Hospital. The problem was diagnosed as arthritis, and a back brace prescribed. Sunbaths brought relief to some people, and a trip to California tested this theory. A month spent in the San Fernando valley with daily exposure to the sun did not result  in any noticeable improvement. Joe began to limit involvement with the store, and sometime  in the early 1930's, he stopped clerking and even though  he retained his interest, he eventually helped only on special occasions.

This provided plenty of time for fishing. He could sit in a boat without being in pain. So he went fishing.  His son relates one fishing story and there is a photographic proof to support it.  His father standing proudly beside a 45lb Chinook salmon.

In his later years Joe T. owned and operated the “Outdoor Store.”

Following a series of stokes, he spent the last 16 months of his life confined to bed, carefully tended by Mabel. She waited on him night and day. For a treat, she would make a chocolate milkshake for him and even when he could not longer speak, she knew he was grateful.  He died January 1. 1959 and was buried at Fir Grove Cemetery in Cottage Grove.

Warren Daughtery, a leading Cottage Grove business man, presented the church a communion service as a memorial. It was engraved:

To the memory of

Joe T. Smith

Who lived by the

 Golden Rule.

The Rev. D. Hugh Peniston appropriately used as his text for Joe's memorial service, Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

THE REGISTER-GUARD, Eugene, Lane Co. Oregon -- date unknown

SMITH -- Joseph T. Smith, 324 Adams, Cottage Grove passed away at the Cottage Grove Hospital, Thursday, January 1, 1959 at the age of 69. He was born October 4, 1889 near Sparta, Ill., and came to Cottage Grove 48 years ago. He was married at Albany, July 13, 1917 to Mabel Veatch who survives him. Mr. Smith was a member of the Presbyterian Church, the Masonic Lodge, The Royal Arch Masons, Knights Templar, Shrine, The American Legion and was a veteran of World War I. He retired several years ago as an active partner in the Smith and Short Grocery in Cottage Grove. Besides his wife he is survived by 2 children, Rev. Richard Knox Smith of Tenafly, New Jersey, Mrs. Mary Jane Irvine of Portland; 6 grandchildren; 1 brother, S. Roy Smith, Portland and 2 sisters, Mrs. Jessie Matthews and Mrs. Jennie Beidler, both of Cottage Grove. Funeral services will be held at Mills Mortuary, Cottage Grove, Monday, January 5, 1959 at 2 p.m. Rev. D. Hugh Peniston will officiate, with interment in the Cottage Grove Masonic Cemetery.

******

Although Mabel appeared to be very serious, she is said to have had a dry wit, and people who knew her well, knew that she was often hiding a smile. One family story describes an experience she had with congestive heart failure. When the medics arrived to take her  in the ambulance they assumed that being a very old lady, she must be hard of hearing and spoke to her  in a loud voice.

To which she responded quietly, "There is nothing wrong with my hearing … I can't breathe."

She died at the age of 97 on July 2, 1989.

For anyone who may be interested in reading more of the Joe T. Smith Family, a digital link to
SOME INSIGHTS INTO THE FAMILY OF JOE T. SMITH OF COTTAGE GROVE, OR.
By Richard Knox Smith
can be found here …
Smith : some insights into the family of Joe. T. Smith of Cottage Grove, OR

Staged

I have been tempted to buy a photograph I have absolutely no hope of identifying because the photographer, J. A. McClanahan of Elite Studio of Mt. Ayr, Iowa has done an excellent job of catching my attention and piquing my curiosity.   Who are these children? Are they siblings? The two girls standing, are wearing dresses, which except for minor differences in the collar and sleeves are nearly identical, but the third girl, sitting with her hands in her lap is dressed more simply, her dress is longer and is that an apron? and why is one of the girls pointing her finger at the boy?

One thing is for certain, none of the three are paying the least attention to the pointer. Something much more interesting appears to be going on just out of range of the camera and it has their full attention.

Claud Compton & Family 1912 - 1913

Reuben / Ruben / Roulen Compton and his wife Addie / Adie (Bell) left Kansas and moved with their children to Oklahoma Territory sometime after the birth of their youngest child in April 1892.  When they appear in the 1900 Census they are living with their 4 children: James (14), Claud (12), Clyde (10),  and daughter Ora (8), in what at the time was Crowell, Woods County, Oklahoma Territory. This area was part of the Cherokee Outlet Opening on Sept. 16, 1893. Oklahoma's fourth and largest land run. In 1900 all of the boys are listed as farm laborers.  Their parents Addie and Reuben have been married 15 years … they would not make 25.

The 1910 census paints a very different picture of the Compton family.

Son Claude, (the young man in the photograph) is 22 and no longer living at home.  I find him in Grant Co., OK. living in the household of Emerson Randels.

The county where Claud's mother lives has changed and she is shown living in Major County, OK. but I don’t believe she moved. In 1907, when Oklahoma became a state, other counties were formed and the southern portion of Woods County became Major County.

There was also a change in Addie's (44) marital status.  She is listed as “widowed” and head of household.  Her household includes her 2 youngest children, Clyde (20) and Ora (18) as well as a Mr. Perry W. White  (47).

Claud’s father, Reuben Compton (52), apparently unaware of his demise is living in the household of Ingoart Hausen in Orafino, Nez Perce, Idaho and still considers himself “married.”

In 1910 Myra (16), Claud's future wife is living at home with her parents Charles E. and Florine Gilbert & siblings in Grant Co., OK. My guess is that it was sometime in 1911 that Claud F. Compton (23) married Myra / Mira / Mirah Gilbert (17).

The first photo was taken in 1912, more than likely in September.  The photograph shows Claud 24, a farmer in Jefferson, Grant Co., OK, holding his infant son Cleo Francis Compton, born June 10, 1912. Standing next to him is his 18 year old wife, Myra.

Written in ink on the reverse is “Claud and Myra Compton” and in pencil, a notation reads “We want 1 dozen like this one. - C. F. Compton”

The 2nd photograph, taken the following year identifies the child as “Cleo Francis Compton age 15 months” dating the photograph to Sept. 1913.

It was also during 1913 that Claud’s youngest (half) brother, Harold White was born in Kansas to Addie and her new husband, Perry White.

On Jan. 13, 1917 Claud and Myra welcome their 2nd child, a daughter Laureta.  Claud’s WWI registration card dated June 1917 reveals he is 29 yrs. old, born Feb. 5, 1888 in Sylvia KS.; is employed as a farmer in Jefferson Grant Co., Okla.; his dependents include a wife and 2 children, and he is described as white, tall, slender with brown eyes and dark brown hair.

Younger brother Clyde’s registration card, also dated June 1917 but filled out in Idaho seems to indicate that Clyde at least, was well aware of his father’s whereabouts.  Clyde (27) gives his address as Orofino, Nez Perce, Idaho; his occupation as farmer and his employer as Dr. Erle W. Horswill.

By the 1920 Census the Compton family are all once again gathered in Oklahoma.  Claud (32), Myra (25) and their 2 young children are still living in Grant Co. OK

Claud’s mother Addie still resides in Majors, OK with her 2nd husband Perry White and son's Clyde (29) and Harold (7).

Claud’s father Reuben has returned from the dead in Idaho and is now "divorced" and living in Blackwell, OK.  Also living in his household are his 25 year old niece Edna May (Ballard) Compton and her 2 children.

The 1930 and 1940 Census reveal more changes for the Compton family.

One being that it appears Claude’s younger brother, Clyde (39), is now married to Myra’s mother Florine / Florina / Florince / Flora (56). They are living in Blackwell, OK.

What happened to the rest of the Myra Gilbert’s family remains a mystery.

In 1930 Claude’s father Rueben is still in Blackwell.  He is 71 / divorced and has 6 lodgers.  He dies 2 years later on Jan. 12, 1932 and is buried in the Blackwell Cemetery.

At the time of the 1930 census Claud and Myra and their children, Cleo (17) and Laureta (13) have left Oklahoma for good and moved to Wichita, KS where Claud works as a pipe fitter and his children grow to adults and eventually marry. Cleo marries Hazel Philpot and Laureta marries James Wilson.

But Claud and Myra’s traveling days are not over.  When I next find them, they have moved a thousand miles away to Ogden, Utah. Claud, who has suffered from asthma for over 20 years and has had severe emphysema for the last 5 years, dies in Ogden, Utah on August of 1957 at the age of 69.

After Claud's death it appears Myra and her children Cleo and Laureta moved to Los Angeles, California.

Cleo F. Compton dies in Los Angeles, April 10, 1975.
Laureta Genevieve Wilson dies in LA, Nov. 23, 1979.

And Myra (Gilbert) Compton, the young mother in my photograph outlives them all.  She passes away in Los Angeles, CA on Jan. 1, 1985, age 90 years.