Feisty Females: Stagecoach Mary
Mary Fields, a.k.a. “Stagecoach Mary” was born in Tennessee as a slave. Nothing much is known about her early life, except that she was orphaned and, unlike other slave children of that day, she learned to read and write.
One important person in her life would be Dolly Dunne, born as the fifth child of John and Ellen Dunne, Irish immigrants living in Akron, Ohio. John Dunne, according to Ursuline Sisters of Great Falls, went to California in 1856 to join the gold rush. However, Dolly and her older sister were left behind in Ohio at an Ursuline (order of nuns) boarding school. Dolly formally entered the convent in 1861 and took her vows as an Ursuline nun on August 23, 1864 and was elevated to Mother Superior in 1872.
In my research, I found that the story of how Mary Fields became linked to the Dunne family varies. Some have Mary being born near the time of Dolly’s birth and the two growing up together. Dolly was born on July 2, 1846 in Akron, Ohio, and according to most sources, Mary was born in approximately 1832 – so that doesn’t seem too credible. Some say Mary worked for Dolly’s brother, Judge Edmund Dunne, and that’s how they were acquainted. It does, at least, appear that sometime during the 1870’s Mary was in Ohio and perhaps worked for Mother Mary Amadeus, a.k.a. Dolly Dunne.
In 1881 Mother Amadeus departed for Montana Territory to establish schools for Indian children. She established schools and a convent, and in 1884 a girls mission school was opened near Cascade, Montana. She became seriously ill in 1885 with pneumonia and was nursed back to health by Mary Fields, who traveled from Ohio to Montana to assist her friend.
Mary Fields, by all accounts, cut an imposing figure. She was at least six feet tall and weighed about two hundred pounds. Mary also had a penchant for smoking cigars, having a pistol strapped under her apron and having a jug of whiskey nearby, according to Extraordinary Women of the American West by Judy Alter. Actor Gary Cooper and his family lived in Helena, Montana and he remembered seeing Mary when they visited Cascade when he was about nine years old.
The school buildings were in a state of disrepair, so after nursing her friend back to health Mary decided to stay and help – hauling freight, doing laundry, gardening and even supervising the repair of the buildings as a forewoman. According to an article written by Gary Cooper (as the story was told to Marc Crawford) in the October 1959 issue of Ebony Magazine, Mary celebrated her birthday twice each year because she was not certain when exactly she was born. Cooper verified her thirst for hard liquor – citing a historical fact that one of the early mayors of Cascade, D.W. Monroe, made an exception and gave Mary the special privilege of being allowed to enter the saloons and drink with the men. Charlie Russell, renowned western artist, memorialized her with a pen and ink drawing that was displayed in the Cascade Bank.
Mary Fields, as you can imagine, was quite a character. According to the Ebony article, Mary not only worked to repair the school but she also handled the job of hauling supplies, often driving through the night in storms and certainly fraught with danger. On one trip a blizzard had overtaken her and when she was unable to see the road she had to stop, but throughout the night she walked back and forth to keep from freezing to death.
Mary was known to have a terrible temper, and mixed it up with the men who worked for her (who, no doubt, resented the fact that a woman – a black one at that – was their boss). At one point the situation escalated to an incident involving gun play with one of her subordinates. Complaints were brought to the bishop, who subsequently ordered the nuns to send her away. Mother Amadeus came to her rescue when she helped Mary open a restaurant, but Mary was too soft-hearted. Sheep herders in the winter were fed even if they couldn’t pay, promising to pay her by summer – which they never did. Mary’s restaurant business failed.
Undaunted, Mother Amadeus contacted government officials (perhaps without the bishop’s knowledge) and asked to have Mary assigned a mail route. Probably to the bishop’s dismay when he found out, Mary was assigned the route from Cascade to the school! According to Cooper’s article, every morning she “made her triumphant entry into the mission seated on top of the mail coach dressed in a man’s hat and coat and smoking a huge cigar.”
Mary executed her duties faithfully for eight years and she had rightfully earned her nickname “Stagecoach Mary”. Again, according to Cooper’s article, one day Mary was thrown from her coach and was injured. When she arrived at the mission the sisters encouraged her to return to the faith that she had, for the most part, abandoned when expelled from the mission. So, Mary confessed her sins and returned the next morning wearing a dress with a white veil that the sisters had made for her (usually she wore men’s clothes). High Mass was celebrated – Mary had returned to God!
Mother Amadeus was assigned to a mission in Alaska in 1903, and after her injury Mary no longer delivered the mail. She began doing laundry even though by then she was around seventy years old. Cooper shared one more humorous anecdote – Mary was sitting one day in the saloon when a customer passed by who owed her two dollars. She followed the gentleman outside, grabbed him by the shirt collar, knocked him down and demanded payment. When she returned to the saloon, she remarked, “His laundry bill is paid.”
In 1912 her laundry was destroyed by fire and the townspeople helped her rebuild her home, providing lumber and labor. In 1910 a proprietor of the New Cascade Hotel had arranged that Mary receive all her meals for free at the hotel. She also served as mascot for the local baseball team. Mary never married and never really smoothed out her “rough edges”, but when she died the town mourned her – she was one of a kind for sure, and a feisty one at that!
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Off the Map: Ghost Towns of the Mother Road – Chambless, California
In the early 1920’s, James Albert Chambless of Arkansas settled in the Amboy area, near the intersection of Cadiz road and the National Trails Road. The family built a store in the late 1920’s after the National Trails Road was renamed Route 66. In 1932, a gas station, motel and another store were added to Chambless Camp (as it was known). In 1939 a Post Office was opened — cabins and a café were also built.
In the late 1930’s, James married Fannie Gould, who is said to have turned the camp into a desert oasis, with a rose garden and fish pond. The auto repair shops kept busy even in the remote location. Travelers needing repairs had cafes to eat at and cabins or motels to sleep in while they waited – with business so brisk, it could sometimes be days before repairs were completed.
The building where Fannie ran a gas station, grocery and café had a large covered porch area – something that was a welcome relief in the scorching desert heat. Fannie made lemonade for the soldiers who came to the area during World War II for desert training. One source said that some two million soldiers passed through the area surrounding Chambless during the war.
About a mile and a half west of Chambless the Roadrunner’s Retreat (café and gas station) was a well-known landmark, but today the property lies in ruins. Of course, business for Chambless Camp boomed (as it did for other towns along Route 66) during the peak years, but eventually the townspeople left and buildings fell into disrepair (the Camp porch was blown away at some point).
In 1990, Gus Lizalde purchased Chambless with the intent to restore it to its former glory days. He was able to open the gas station in the late 1990’s, but forced to close when the underground storage tanks became unstable. Gus seems determined (or was at least in late 2009) to keep working to restore Chambless. His last blog post here was written on December 30, 2009 and he is listed on LinkedIn as the CEO at Chambless California Water Services, Inc.
For an article in the Riverside Press-Enterprise in November 2009 he described his vision:
“It’s going to be a full-blown restoration to the way it was built,” Lizalde said. “I want to bring back that nostalgia. The renewed Chambless would feature “totem” gasoline pumps with meters that look like clock faces. Lizalde said he wants to track down original pump bodies and retrofit them with modern gas-delivery and metering systems.
The main building would have a 1950s-style diner, a tavern and a souvenir/convenience store. He intends to fix up the nine concrete cottages behind the main building and build a swimming pool in the shield shape of the Route 66 road sign. For the trailer park area, Lizalde envisions hauling in about 50 vintage Airstream trailers, refurbishing them and renting them out.
Why Airstreams? “They are so cool,” he answered.
Gus also hoped to replace the Roadrunner Café sign with one of his own, according to The Route 66 Cookbook: Comfort Food from the Mother Road. This book was published in 2003 and at the time Gus was said to have employed a cook and served “the best Mexican food you’ll find on the road.” In 2009 he also sent a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein touting a solar power project (apparently Senator Feinstein had opposed efforts). I love nostalgia, and if Gus is continuing to pursue his dream of restoring Chambless, I wish him great success!
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Tombstone Tuesday: Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego Pierson
In 1754 three sons were born to Charles and Sally (Weathers) Pierson in Culpeper County, Virginia. The boys were named, perhaps in order of birth, Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego. Charles and Sally were the parents of at least one other child, Charles. My internet research indicates that Charles was a wealthy man at one point, but when his warehouses were raided by Revolutionary soldiers he was left penniless. You see, it is reported that Charles was a Loyalist, and while not finding anything but unsourced anecdotal information, it is clear that he left (probably fled) Virginia at some point, first to South Carolina and then to Wilkes County, Georgia where he lived until his death in 1799.
Three of his children, sons Shadrack, Meshack and Charles, apparently had a different viewpoint than their father’s – they joined the Revolutionaries (more about Abednego later).
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Surname Saturday: Pierson
The Pierson surname originally meant “son of Piers” – possibly from French “Pierre” or “Peter”. The Greek origin would be “Petros” or rock (in the Bible Simon was given the name “Peter” by Jesus). The surname is of early medieval English origin with various spellings such as Pierson, Peirson, Pearson and even Parsons. According to Lillie B. Pierson’s Pierson Genealogical Records (1878), “Pierson is considered to be the most correct manner of spelling the name, as deduced through the French Pierre.”
Reverend Abraham Pierson
One of the first Piersons to immigrate to America in 1639 was Reverend Abraham Pierson, who had been ordained in the Episcopal Church in England. When Abraham arrived in America he was ordained in Boston as a Congregational minister. He lived in Boston before departing for Southampton, Long Island where he remained until 1647. He had first attempted to settle on the west end of Long Island, but the Dutch already controlled that end, so he went to the east end and founded Southampton.
The church that Abraham founded was Congregational but later became Presbyterian. Abraham was religiously staunch in his beliefs, so much so he believed everything in Southampton, even civic affairs, must be handled through the church. His congregation was divided on that sentiment and he left in 1647 to found the town of Branford, Connecticut. For almost twenty years he labored in Branford, ministering to the local Indians and learning their language. His work was lauded by the likes of prominent Puritan minister Cotton Mather – “wherever he came he shone.”
Abraham left Branford in 1666, taking most of his congregation with him to the banks of the Passaic River to found the town of Newark (perhaps named in honor of the town in England where he was ordained). The church they founded was the first in Newark and for twelve years Abraham faithfully led his flock until he died in 1678. His son, Abraham, was also a minister and the first rector and one of the founders of the Collegiate School (later Yale University).
One of Abraham’s (Senior) great-grandchildren, whose father was also named Abraham, was named “Dodo” (b. 1723) and he was a deacon in the church. Family tradition says that a maiden aunt objected to the name “Dodo” being placed upon the child. She was overruled and later Deacon Dodo Pierson became known as a patriot. One account states that Dodo left his home in Killingworth, Connecticut and went to Rye in Westchester County, New York while the army was encamped there. It is not known his reason for going there, whether as a volunteer or to visit his son. Nevertheless, he took his musket and served as a sentinel even though he was advanced in age.
Henry Pierson
Henry Pierson had also settled in Southampton with Abraham and it is probable that they were either brothers or some other close relation. However, Henry remained in Southampton when Abraham moved to Connecticut, raising a large family, with some of them migrating to New Jersey later.
One of Henry’s grandsons, Azel Pierson, was born in Cumberland County, New Jersey and later became a doctor. Azel was well-educated and besides the medical profession he excelled in mathematics. He visited his patients on horseback and was especially fond of deer and fox hunts. He was known to be a bit uncouth in his mannerisms and speech, but still remained a well-respected physician and citizen who eventually became involved in politics, serving as county clerk while still practicing medicine. In 1813, Azel visited a patient who had typhus fever which he contracted and died from. The patient was a Christian, but Azel had made no profession of faith. One minister remarked, “what a happy circumstance it would have been if the patient and his doctor could have exchanged places… but our ways are not the ways of God.”
Thomas Pierson
Thomas Pierson’s name was first recorded in the town of Branford, Connecticut when he married Maria Harrison on November 27, 1662. It is possible that Thomas was also Abraham’s brother (or possibly a nephew). Thomas was a weaver and when Abraham left Branford for Newark, Thomas was one of the signers of the heads of families in Branford to remove to Newark. Thomas became involved in civic matters in Newark, first as a townsman (1677), then a constable (1679) and grand juryman (1680). As the Pierson Genealogical Records notes, “[T]hus while Abraham led the band of emigrants in their spiritual interest, Thomas was active in discharging official duties.” He was a witness for Abraham’s will in 1668.
Many of Thomas’ descendants migrated to Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. Matthias Pierson was born in 1734 in Orange where he lived his entire life, marrying Phebe Nutman and having a large family of eight children. Matthias became a doctor who served his town of Orange and the surrounding area, traveling on horseback, and he was known to be a man of great integrity. He was concerned about the affairs of his town and was especially mindful of the need for proper education. Matthias was a patriot who rallied his fellow citizens. At one point, British soldiers entered Orange and took possession of his house (while the family had fled to safety in the mountains). The soldiers made use of his home, but left his closet of medicine and a fresh loaf of bread untouched. Matthias’ son, Isaac, was also a doctor who was especially skilled in the treatment of fevers.
One branch of the Pierson-Peirson-Pearson-Person line emigrated to Philadelphia in 1699 as Quakers. Samuel Peirson and his family migrated to North Carolina and when the French and Indian War ended in 1763 he and all but two children are said to have been murdered by the Indians. His son, Samuel, was born in Philadelphia in 1731 and became a captain who sailed to China. Upon his return he was a businessman in Boston, who witnessed some of the first volatile events of the Revolution. The Boston Massacre was very near his home and one of the wounded fell on his doorstep.
There were other branches and lines of Piersons scattered throughout the colonies, and over time the Piersons made their way across America. For instance, the Quaker line that went to North Carolina from Philadelphia migrated to Randolph County, Indiana because of the slavery issue. Pierson occupations included farmers, hatters, tanners, weavers, doctors, missionaries, ministers and more. One Pierson family I came across in my research lived in Culpeper County, Virginia and will be the subject of next week’s Tombstone Tuesday article – triplets named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego Pierson.
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Tombstone Tuesday: Absalom Baker Scattergood
Absalom Baker Scattergood was born on July 11, 1822 in Dolington, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. I was unable to definitely determine who his parents were, although one source lists his parents as John Head and Catherine (King) Scattergood. I believe, based on the history of the area encompassing Bucks County, Pennsylvania and across the river to Burlington, New Jersey, that Absalom’s family would have been Quakers more than likely. According to the records of the First United Methodist Church of Mount Holly, New Jersey, Absalom married Rachel King on August 12, 1843, so at some point Absalom had left the Society of Friends and joined the Methodist Church. According to church records, he was a member of the First United Methodist Church in 1840.
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Surname Saturday: Scattergood
There is debate regarding the meaning of the surname “Scattergood”. On the one hand, some think it perhaps refers to someone who is wasteful and careless with their money, and on the other hand, some think it actually refers to a philanthropist who gives his money to help others. The surname was first seen in thirteenth century England: Wimcot Schatregod and Thomas Scatergude appeared on the census rolls in 1273. In 1703 Henry Edwards married Elizabeth Scattergood in London and Joshua Scattergood married Elizabeth Wilson in Philadelphia in 1742.
The Scattergood name is “scattered” around America, with the largest concentration in Pennsylvania, where according to Ancestry.com there are 27-51 families with that surname. I believe that many Scattergoods were Quakers – one prominent Scattergood who was a Quaker minister is discussed in this article. There’s also an interesting story about the Scattergood Hostel, located in West Branch, Iowa, where many European refugees fleeing Hitler’s tyranny were sheltered – a sort of Schindler’s List on the prairie.
Thomas Scattergood
Thomas Scattergood was born on January 23, 1748 in Burlington, New Jersey to parents Joseph and Rebecca (Watson) Scattergood. Thomas’ life was marked by tragedy – his father died when he was only six years old and his first wife Elizabeth (Bacon) died in 1780 after eight years of marriage. Thomas married Sarah Hoskins in 1783.
He had been trained as a tanner, but was drawn to the ministry through his local Friends congregation. He was prone to melancholy, perhaps as a result of the tragedies he experienced in his life – he was sometimes referred to as a “mournful prophet”. However, Thomas was dedicated to Quaker ministry and set out in 1794 to England to further his spiritual education. While there he preached and visited local congregations, prisons, schools and orphanages, and his sympathy for those who suffered was palpable.
In that era of history, people who suffered from mental illness were not treated well – even contemptibly. Some considered them demon-possessed and perhaps even deserving of death – certainly they needed to be put away from polite society. The Quakers have a different view of the mentally ill – they believe every human being has an “inner light” of divine origin.
In 1791 a young Quaker woman, Hannah Mills, developed acute mental illness and was admitted to the York Asylum. Her family didn’t leave near York so they asked their Quaker friends to visit her; however, when the friends tried to visit they were turned away, told that Hannah was in no condition to receive visitors. She died not long after that and her plight became a cause for the York Society of Friends.
In 1795 the York meeting had organized their own facility to treat the mentally ill – York Retreat – where they were determined that all patients would be treated morally and with dignity. The facility experienced positive results with their approach, and before Thomas Scattergood returned to Philadelphia, he dined with the founder of York Retreat, William Tuke. The next day Thomas visited the facility and spoke with patients, noting in his diary, “We sat in quiet, and I had vented a few tears, and was engaged in supplication.”
When he returned home Thomas began working with a new school in Westtown, but he was always encountering people with either mental illness or other maladies such as alcoholism. He would then get side-tracked from his other work and spend hours counseling and praying with those individuals. Thomas began speaking with his Quaker friends about the plight of mental illness, and at the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting in 1811 he proposed that they create a means to take care of the mentally ill.
The Friends Hospital was founded in 1817; however, Thomas had contracted typhus fever and died in 1814. He was survived by his wife, Sarah, and his children Joseph and Rebecca. From the Haverford College Collection of Scattergood Family Papers (1681-1909), two letters to Thomas Scattergood – one encouraging him in his ministry and the other from someone what had been encouraged by Thomas’ ministry:
Scattergood Hostel
Scattergood Friends School opened in 1890 in West Branch, Iowa. The members of the Hickory Grove Quarterly Meeting (Quaker) had arrived in Iowa from Ohio and later desired a school where their young people could receive a “guarded education”, away from “early knowledge of, or contact with, the evils of the world.” The idea was conceived in 1870 but it took twenty years of planning and work before the school opened in 1890. An early goal of the school:
…the aim of the school is to give a substantial English education, suited to fit the average person for the ordinary duties of life, and at the same time prepare students for higher institutions of learning, yet it is still its distinctive purpose to shield the young from hurtful temptations and distracting tendencies during the character-forming period.
The first class of twenty-five Quaker students were charged a tuition fee of $100 per year. In 1917 the Hickory Grove group left the parent Ohio group and joined the Iowa Yearly Meeting and thus the ownership was transferred to the Iowa Yearly Meeting. According to the school’s web site, that move prompted a loosening of the dress code – girls were no longer required to wear bonnets and boys no longer had to turn in coat collars.
Like everyone else in the country, the Depression of 1929 was devastating to the school and in 1931 the decision was made to close, hoping it would be a short-lived closure. The school, however, remained closed until in 1938 the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) suggested that perhaps the school could be used to shelter European refugees fleeing the Nazi regime. The plight of the refugees had struck a sympathetic chord and now the Friends were determined to offer help.
Volunteers flooded to the town of West Branch to help renovate the property and assist in any way possible. Local officials, the postmaster, clergy and Jewish organizations all offered encouragement and support. Space was allotted for a garden and farm animals since one of the goals was to make the project self-sustaining.
In July of 1939, “guests” (as opposed to calling them “refugees”) began arriving. The goal of the AFSC was that guests “could go for a few weeks or months to recover from their effects of their recent experiences, regain their confidence, improve their English, learn to drive a car, and, if needed be, start retaining themselves for some new line of work before seeking a permanent place in American society.” Quakers had an aversion to organized levels of management and sought to run things less rigidly than might be expected, and perhaps that helped those who came feel more human and more hopeful about their futures.
During the four years the hostel operated, 186 refugees found a welcoming place. Residents were expected to pitch in and help with daily chores (gardening, washing dishes, folding laundry, etc.) – something that was foreign to many of the residents who formerly were well-off professionals who had employed household staff. Some of the people were seen trying to hoard food, and some had family members who had perished in Hitler’s gas chambers, so they were always anxious to hear news from “home”.
The hostel was a place to recover from the traumas experienced in war-torn Europe. The residents were grateful for the chance to, in many cases, begin their lives over. There were many notes and letters of thanks – one man wrote that the hostel was a “place of peace in a world of war, a haven amidst a world of hatred.”
The hostel closed in March of 1943 and in 1944 the Scattergood School re-opened. The school is still operating today, although the tuition has risen considerably to $26,700 per year for boarding students. If you’d like to read more about the history of the school and the hostel, check out these links:
Scattergood School
Rescuers of Jews
Jim Scattergood of Irving, Texas remarked on a message board, “Scattergood clan it’s always good at the end”. Be sure to stop by next week for a Tombstone Tuesday article on Sgt. Absalom B. Scattergood.
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Far-Out Friday: “Passing Strange”
Clarence King, a Yale-educated geologist, surveyed the American West and served as the first director of the United States Geological Survey. His close friend Henry Adams said that he had “that combination of physical energy, social standing, mental scope and training, wit, geniality and science, that seemed superlatively American and irresistibly strong.”
At the age of twenty-two Clarence served as a volunteer geologist in the 1864 Survey of California, crossing the country with a group of pioneers who departed from St. Joseph, Missouri. His skills as a geologist astounded his co-workers – he scaled mountains, named peaks and drew extremely accurate maps.
This article has been removed from the web site, but will be featured in the September-October 2019 issue of Digging History Magazine. It will be updated, complete with footnotes and sources. Trust me — you don’t want to miss it! Other articles scheduled for that issue include “Ways to Go in Days of Old” and “O, Victoria, You’ve Been Duped!”.
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Off the Map: Ghost Towns of the Mother Road – Amboy, California
The Amboy, California area was settled in the late 1850’s but wasn’t established as a town until 1883 or 1884. The town was named Amboy as part of civil engineer Lewis Kingman’s plan to alphabetically name a series of railroad stations across the Mojave Desert for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. Following Amboy would be Bolo (renamed Bristol), Chambless, Danby, Essex, Fenner, Goffs and so on. Because these railroad stops were so vital it is said that the railroad was the organization responsible for naming more towns in California in those days.
When gold was discovered nearby in the late 1890’s the town began to boom. In 1926 the National Trails Highway (became Route 66) opened and Amboy was a major stop along that road. Even through the Depression years, Amboy didn’t fade much – travelers still needed a place to get gas, eat or sleep.
In 1938 Roy and Velma Crowl bought a gas station and café in Amboy which eventually became the now famous Roy’s Café and Motel. Herman “Buster” Burris partnered with his father-in-law Roy to build up the town (and their business) by adding a motor court (motel) for weary travelers. According to a January 17, 2007 Los Angeles Times article:
Amboy was the domain of Buster Burris, a rough-hewn entrepreneur with flinty eyes, sun-toasted skin and strong opinions about rowdy bikers and men with long hair. Burris and his father-in-law opened Roy’s in the 1930s and for decades did brisk business selling tires, thick malts and overpriced gas. At times so many cars awaited service that one might have thought they were running a used car lot too.
So even through the World War II years, Amboy continued to thrive as a small town stop on Route 66 although there were less than 100 residents. With the 1972 construction of Interstate 40 and the by-pass of old Route 66, the town began to decline, although people still wanted to stop for the nostalgia – Roy’s Café was known to be an excellent dining stop. Again, from the 2007 Times article:
Their place hummed 24/7 with broken-down cars — so many that customers often had a long wait. So Crowl and Burris opened a diner to feed them double cheeseburgers and homemade chili. The boom in tourism after World War II brought even more stranded motorists. So Crowl and Burris built the motel and in 1959 erected the Roy’s sign.
Burris sold the town in 2000 before he died at the age of 92 – the new owners, however, defaulted and the property reverted back to Buster’s second wife, Bessie. She sold it again in 2005 for $425,000 cash to the founder of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain, Albert Okura. Apparently his promise to rebuild Roy’s sealed the deal. Okura seems determined to restore the town although there wasn’t much structure-wise included in the purchase. According to the Times article, Burris is said to have bulldozed quite a bit of the town when I-40 wrecked his business.
One amusing story I found dated from the 1930’s when local high school students decided to stage a “geological prank” (one source said it was a deputy sheriff!). That stretch of highway was infamous for broken down cars and flat tires strewn about and with a recent newly laid railroad track there were also old timbers scattered about – an eyesore. The students began to gather the “junk” over a period of months and then headed to the nearby Amboy Crater, dumped the debris and set it afire. The local residents panicked thinking the “volcano” was about to erupt!
Amboy is also known for its Salt Ponds – this picture is stunning! Hopefully, Albert Okura will be able to fulfill his promise to restore Roy’s Café and the town of Amboy. Nostalgic places like Amboy, California deserve a chance to be remembered for what they once were – back in the good old days.
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Tombstone Tuesday: Marmaduke Norfleet Bell
Marmaduke Norfleet Bell (III) was born in 1836 to parents Marmaduke Norfleet Bell, Jr. and Mary “Polly” Landing (or Landen) Bell. Marmaduke and Polly were married on February 23, 1826 and had seven children listed in the 1850 United States Census. That year, Marmaduke III was listed as being fifteen years old.
Marmaduke III paid a one thousand dollar bond to the State of North Carolina and obtained a license to marry (Margaret) Ann Walston on March 26, 1859 in Halifax County, North Carolina.
In 1860, Ann and Marmaduke’s first child Hassell was born. In June of 1861, daughter Virginia “Jennie” was born and on January 2, 1864 daughter Sarah was born. On February 4, 1862, Marmaduke enlisted in Company F of the North Carolina 43rd Infantry Regiment and was mustered in as a Private on April 2, 1862. On July 26, 1862, Marmaduke was promoted to Full Corporal.
The regiment had been organized at Camp Mangum in March of 1862, located about three miles west of Raleigh. The entire brigade was first dispatched to Wilmington and Fort Johnson on the Cape Fear River, remaining approximately one month and then advanced to Virginia. While occupying the road around Richmond the brigade came under fire from gunboats and Malvern Hill. Afterwards they were ordered to Drewry’s Bluff and became part of the forces led by Major General G.W. Smith, providing protection for Richmond in advance of General Lee’s troops which would advance to Maryland in September 1862.
After fortifying their quarters for winter the brigade was ordered to move to Goldsboro to reinforce other Confederates in advance of Union troops led by General Foster. The Union managed to burn a bridge which the Confederates quickly rebuilt. From early 1863 to late spring, the regiment experienced a few skirmishes, but nothing of much consequence. However, in June orders came through to begin to join General Lee at Brandy Station. The Union suffered heavy losses in that battle. Then it was on to Carlisle, Pennsylvania for that fateful battle at Gettysburg.
Youngest daughter, Sarah, was born on January 2, 1864, so apparently Marmaduke had secured at least a short leave sometime in 1863. On March 30, 1864, Marmaduke was promoted to Full Sergeant. By July the 43rd had advanced to Harper’s Ferry and by the 11th of July they were in sight of U.S. Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C. At this point, the 43rd had marched some five hundred miles and had participated in twelve battles or skirmishes which resulted in severe losses for the enemy.
The troops crossed the Blue Ridge at Snicker’s Gap on July 17 and that afternoon had driven the enemy into the river where several were killed or drowned. On the following day the Union returned and a major battle ensued. That day, July 18, Sergeant Marmaduke Norfleet Bell was mortally wounded. While there is a grave marker in North Carolina, it is doubtful that was his final resting place. I found no other family members in the cemetery where the marker is located.
I’m not sure if Marmaduke had ever met his daughter Sarah before heading into the heightened engagements of 1864. In 1870, twenty-six year old Margaret (Ann) was enumerated with the Watson family in Palmyra, Halifax, North Carolina. Her three children were ten (Hassell), nine (Jennie) and seven (Sarah). It doesn’t appear that Ann ever remarried after being widowed in 1864.
One other note about Marmaduke and his full name “Marmaduke Norfleet” – I suspect he is named after some ancestor. It appears that his great grandmother’s maiden name was Norfleet. There was a Marmaduke Norfleet, born in 1700 who sold land (swamp land, that is) to none other than George Washington in the 1760’s. Read about it here – it’s pretty interesting.
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Honoring the Fallen: Ladies Hollywood Memorial Association
The Ladies Hollywood Memorial Association was founded at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on May 3, 1866 and chartered on January 19, 1891. The group’s primary duties were to care for and honor the graves of the Confederate soldiers buried in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery, and they were one of many such associations organized by the women of the South. Indeed, immediately after the fall of the Confederacy these women sprang into action.
The Association’s primary objective was to care for and prevent the neglect of the graves of approximately twelve thousand Confederate soldiers who had died in the Richmond hospitals, whether by disease or war wounds. One of the first commemorations instituted was a Memorial Day, and soon adopted by other associations in the South.
PLEASE NOTE: This article has been removed from the web site, but will be featured in the March-April 2020 issue of Digging History Magazine. It will be updated, complete with footnotes and sources as part of an extensive article entitled “Making Room for More: The Rural Cemetery Movement.”
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