Blogging Woeful Wednesday

I've been horrible at posting lately....my apologies! Tis Renaissance Faire season, and I've been very busy vending at Faire.

Then, I injured my back and have been preoccupied by PAIN...

I will post on all my blogs SOON!!

Shootout in Williams, Arizona on December 2, 1898

FRANK MORRELL
Arizona Republican Newspaper
December 2 ,1898

Telegrams were received yesterday stating that Deputy United States
Marshal Frank Morrell had been shot and killed in Williams in a
personal difficulty by Ed Hardesty. Morrell leaves a wife and
several children. He has realtives in Prescott.

December 2, 1898

Frank Morrell, Deputy United States Marshall, was shot and killed
at 2 o'clock Monday monring at Williams by Ed Hardesty, a constable.
It appears that Morrell had been drinking for several days and it
is claimed that the men had some words preivous to their meeting
which occurred in May Bryant's Saloon. Morrell on seeing Hardesty
made the remark, "there he comes" and with a word or two more drew
his gun and fired at Hardesty, the bullet passing through
Hardesty's hat.

At this juncture, Hardesty, drew his gun and fired twice, one
shot taking effect in the forehead and the other went through
the heart. Morrell did not utter a word after the shooting.

Morrell was a member of the Order of Red Men and Foresteres of
Williams and funeral services were conducted by these orders.
He leaves a wife and two sisters. Hardesty, after the shooting
went to the house of Deputy Sheriff Buglin, woke him and gave
himself up.

Mrs. Morrell, wife of the man who was killed, was in Phoenix at
the time of the shooting and left for Williams as soon as she was
informed of her husband's death.

Tombstone Tuesday

This is a headstone made from flagstone. A good example of the way this stone deteriorates. The entire back of this headstone has fallen away, so I thought I should photograph the front now while I still can. Who knows when the front will fall. I will post this on Find-a-Grave.

Manchester Maxwell - From the Civil War in Tennessee to Sheep Ranching in Flagstaff, Arizona

ABOVE PHOTO: GRAVESITE OF MANCHESTER MAXWELL




Amazing things happen when you have a blog.

A few days ago, Teresa (previously unknown to me) was doing some research, saw my blog about Flagstaff's Citizen's Cemetery, and wondered if Manchester Maxwell (her ancestor) might just be buried there. She contacted me, asking if I would look.

Of course, I love a good mystery, and, having lived in Arizona most of my life, I just dove right in and starting doing some research out here in Arizona! Teresa and I communicated back and forth, each providing new clues as to where Mr. Maxwell had been in Arizona.

Teresa already knew Manchester had been a soldier in the Civil War, had been taken prisoner, and when he was released, he left the area, disappearing for awhile, and her family lore had him going to Oklahoma's oil fields or to Arizona. Teresa had found his obituary in the Prescott, AZ newspaper, stating he was a sheep farmer from the Flagstaff area. Mr. Maxwell had died while visiting Los Angeles and his remains were shipped back to Flagstaff for burial in May 1905.

Then Teresa found a Google Book which listed Manchester as a Delegate to the Seventh Annual Convention of the National Live Stock Association in Portland, Oregon. He was the delegate from the Arizona Wool Grower's Association and it stated he lived in Bellemont, Arizona (about 7 miles from Flagstaff).

I did a little research and found out that Bellemont was the home of many sheep ranchers in that time period (late 1800's). I've been to Bellemont many times. It's a very small town, even now.

Yes, Bellemont, Arizona is the place where part of the movie "Easy Rider" was filmed (you remember? Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper starred in this famous film). Bellemont is featured in the film when Peter and Dennis stop in front of the Pine Breeze Motel, tried to rent a room and the proprietor (opening the door a crack, and seeing bikers) promply turned on the neon "NO VACANCY" sign. They still have that sign, hanging over the Route 66 Roadhouse Bar & Grill, located on the same 2.5 acres as the Pine Breeze Motel.

And so our research on Manchester Maxwell continued and I decided he just HAD to be buried in Flagstaff (he resided in this area for over twenty years) and it HAD to be Citizen's Cemetery!

We have had much snow over this past winter, and the last I had tried to go to the cemetery, it was under two feet of snow. But, as fate would have it, we've started having our Spring thaw. The cemetery had hardly any snow, and it was a gorgeous, sunshiney day!

Shawn and Greg, the caretakers of the Citizen's Cemetery are so very helpful and they directed me right to Mr. Maxwell's gravesite. I will tell you more about Shawn and Greg and the help they have/are providing me in my researches there, in another story. But, I digress.

What a beautiful gravesite it was! Surrounded by a wrought iron fence and positioned so that the San Francisco Peaks provided a backdrop to the view, Mr. Manchester Maxwell sleeps in eternity in what, I'm sure, he considered his home...Flagstaff, Arizona.

The uncanny part of this was, as I was walking toward the gravesite, I knew I'd been there before.

Yes, definitely, I was...I remembered that, quite some time ago, my husband and I had been at the cemetery and were drawn to this gravesite because of the wrought iron fencing and the beautiful view. Never did I think, then, that I would be photographing it and getting to meet his descendant!

Thank you, Teresa, for allowing me to post this story and photos on my blog! And thanks, Shawn and Greg for helping me out today!

Peaceful Valley Cemetery in Flagstaff AZ

I've recently found out there is a small cemetery in Flagstaff, called Peaceful Valley Cemetery.

I intend to go out there this weekend to investigate, photograph and document this graveyard.

From what I understand, it was used previously to Citizen's Cemetery in Flagstaff and, in fact, there were a few graves exhumed from Peaceful Valley and re-buried in Citizens when a housing development encroached on the graveyard.

I have discovered there was a recent burial there (February of this year), so the cemetery is still in use.

I'll be posting what info and photos I obtain.

Wordless Wednesday

My father, Rex Hoover, Sr. when he worked at Maytag in Iowa ca: 1952-3

My Dad was the only one of his family who moved away from Iowa. I think he got his 'traveling legs' while in the U.S. Navy during WWII.

He moved to Prescott, Arizona (mile high city in north-central Arizona) to work at the Veteran's Hospital there.

He always loved Arizona.

Wordless Wednesday