Google told me of the recent death of a third cousin. One whose grandparents I had been researching. A fascinating cousin from my home state. But first, some background. If ancestral lines bore you to tears, then please DO skip to the bottom of this page.
This same cousin's third great-grandparents, Samuel Ackley and Sarah Rush Ackley, are also my third Greats. Some readers will recall seeing Sarah pictured here with her teenage daughter, our 2xGreat-Grandma, Lucy Ackley Childers (1864-1888). Lucy's dad Sam is pictured below. The Ackleys first entered Indian Territory from Kansas in March of 1878, and settled in Chouteau for a short while.
Sarah and Sam Ackley had eight children. Are you my paternal cousin? Our ancestor Lucy was their second to last child. Her brother Francis was Sarah and Sam's second son. Francis allegedly hated his name and went by "Marian." (I know of a famous Marion who loathed HIS name. He chose to go by "John Wayne").
My 2xG-Uncle Marian was born 1855 and died in Myton, Utah in 1929. Like his dad, he frequently moved around. And I mean OFTEN.
At age 30 Marian graduated from Starling College in Ohio in 1885, as evidenced by this card from a database on Familysearch.org called the U.S. Deceased Physician File (AMA), 1864-1968. That college later became Ohio State University.
Dr. Ackley practiced medicine in several states and Indian Territory. I think he resembles the actor Rod Steiger:
Dr. Fran, I mean, Marian Ackley was living near his parents in what is today Chouteau, Oklahoma. He was mentioned in The Indian Chieftain newspaper published in nearby Vinita, Cherokee Nation. See page 3 of the March 31, 1887 edition. The second article is from December 4, 1890. I was happy to find these!
The M, K & T house was where the employees of the Missouri, Kansas, Texas railroad were housed. It was famously known then as "The Katy railroad." Why, Dr. Ackley's younger brother Henry met his bride outside Chouteau while working on the railroad, I was pleased to learn.The Katy also enabled my family from upstate Missouri to travel through Indian Territory to northern Texas with much greater ease. A trip that would have normally taken weeks.
Marian's death certificate from Utah Death Certificates, 1904-1964, database with images, via FamilySearch.org. Don't cringe! Death, marriage and birth certificates are primary sources for family historians.
MARY, MARY & MARY: Dr. Ackley married Mary Witham in 1880. They divorced in Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory after about 12 years. His second wife was Mary Jane Speed. His third wife was Mary Slater. Marian Ackley had three children with the first two wives. Got that? It was exhausting researching his Marys and children, let me tell you.
It was with the first Mary that Dr. Ackley had daughter Edna Rowena Ackley (1885-1930). Edna's mum Mary is listed here in the 1907 Guthrie City Directory as "widowed." She wasn't a widow, but women frequently used that title rather than label themselves as "divorced." I googled this address but found only a Zillow listing for a home built in 1940.
A distant cousin writes that Edna Rowena once sang opera to audiences, flew airplanes, and lived in Greenwich Village. I hope to find articles confirming I'm indeed related to a high-flying diva who lived a century ago. (UPDATE: Hey, Dawn! -- Edna sounds fascinating! As more newspapers are archived/digitized, let's hope we find mention of our fun-girl Edna in a NYC paper or an early Studio-54-type mention on a society page).
In 1903, 18 year old Edna Rowena married recently-widowed 52 year old Edward Lee Blincoe in Oklahoma Territory.Their only son Edward Jr. was born in nearby Guthrie in 1907.
Edna's husband Edward, Sr. died in 1919, and later, Edna at age 45. (Only one month before her brother Glenn passed. See my later post about Glenn). Edna is buried in Glendale, California near her son "Byron Haven Blincoe."
I'm grateful to Edna's descendant (and my 4th cousin) who left two comments on her memorial page that speak volumes:
Edward Blincoe, Jr. is mentioned in a Who's WHO of California book with his hobbies as "swimming, sailing, research in astrology." His death certificate indicates he was a minister and philosopher. He ran for California State Senate in 1966.
In 1933 Edward married Margaret Shawn of Philadelphia. Their daughter Barbara Rowena was born in Hollywood in 1936. She later changed her name to Spira DeWilde. It is SPIRA who recently died, and whose first husband identified her as "the original hippie."
I find this family fascinating. Please see her obituary with photos of Spira and her art:
http://www.topangamessenger.com/story_detail.php?ArticleID=8334
Spira's ex-husband Don Preston played with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, OH. MY. GOD. How cool is that!
And this: http://www.stevemoore.addr.com/donpreston.html (Don once played with Nat King Cole).
And Don Preston's new group, a clever variation on Mothers of Invention called THE GRANDMOTHERS, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GRANDMOTHERSOFINVENTION/ Squee! Love it
Hey, thanks for stopping by!
--This post was updated 26 Oct 2019. Thanks to my cousin Dawn.