A Broken Family: Joseph and Josephine Mallory.
By Joyce Grant-Worley, great-great granddaughter
Joseph Mallory / Mallery was born to Harrison Mallory and Cordelia Blakesley Tremain on May 5, 1845 in Clarksville, New York. Although a resident of New York, he enlisted with the Union Army in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1864 just before the war ended. He served as a private with the Massachusetts 3rd Calvary, Company A, Regiment 3 for eleven months. At the end of the U.S. Civil War, he was mustered out on September 28, 1865 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
By Joyce Grant-Worley, great-great granddaughter
Joseph Mallory / Mallery was born to Harrison Mallory and Cordelia Blakesley Tremain on May 5, 1845 in Clarksville, New York. Although a resident of New York, he enlisted with the Union Army in Boston, Massachusetts on October 2, 1864 just before the war ended. He served as a private with the Massachusetts 3rd Calvary, Company A, Regiment 3 for eleven months. At the end of the U.S. Civil War, he was mustered out on September 28, 1865 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
It is unknown if he intended on returning to New York, but he did pass through Wisconsin as a family story has him engaged to Emogene Alzina “Emma” Garthwaite [1 pg 52]. Emma was one of nine children of Henry and Mercy Crandall Garthwaite. She, along with her twin sister Josephine Albina, were born on April 18, 1850 in Victory, New York. Although originally also from upstate New York, the Garthwaite family had relocated in 1851 from New York to Milton, Wisconsin after the birth of their twin daughters. It’s unlikely that Joseph knew the Garthwaites before his arrival in Wisconsin.
However, this engagement was not to end with the happy wedding of Emma and Joseph as she died five days before her 17th birthday on April 13, 1867.
However, this engagement was not to end with the happy wedding of Emma and Joseph as she died five days before her 17th birthday on April 13, 1867.
Move to Iowa
Joyce Grant-Worley conjectures that Josephine, as an unmarried 17 year-old single woman, likely traveled between November and December of 1867 with her older sister Pharozine Garthwaite and brother-in-law John Ashley to Iowa as all were living in Iowa at the time of the 1870 census. They would have traveled after Pharozine had given birth to her first child in Wisconsin in October, unless Josephine traveled to Iowa with other members of her church to setup a new SDB colony as she was unmarried and only 16 years old. This latter seems like an unlikely scenario.
Joyce Grant-Worley conjectures that Josephine, as an unmarried 17 year-old single woman, likely traveled between November and December of 1867 with her older sister Pharozine Garthwaite and brother-in-law John Ashley to Iowa as all were living in Iowa at the time of the 1870 census. They would have traveled after Pharozine had given birth to her first child in Wisconsin in October, unless Josephine traveled to Iowa with other members of her church to setup a new SDB colony as she was unmarried and only 16 years old. This latter seems like an unlikely scenario.
Nine months after Emma's death Joseph Mallory turned around and married her twin sister Josephine in January8, 1868 in Iowa [2]. This speedy marriage of "marry in haste, repent in leisure. [3] probably was decisive in the length of marriage of Josephine and Joseph.
Below is the 1870 census for English Township, Lucas county, Iowa. John and Pharozine Ashley are listed (line 1-3) with their son Henry Lucas Ashley. Joseph and Josephine Mallory are listed with their son George (line 19-21), born in Charlton Iowa.
Joseph and Josephine subsequently had three more children while living in three different towns in Iowa: Willard Orson in Villisca (1870), Charlotte in Nodaway (1872) and Ellen in an unknown town in Iowa (1873).
By the summer of 1875 Joseph and Josephine were experiencing tension in their marriage. One granddaughter of Josephine was told by her mother that Joseph had started to have relations with their hired help Maria Murch. Ms Murch would have been approximately 15 years-old at the time. A family story says the entire family - Joseph, Josephine and the four children - moved to back to Wisconsin. There is no proof that Joseph and the boys made the move. Josephine became pregnant in approximately July or August, so the Mallory’s were together at that time. The question arises whether the couple have a final falling out while Josephine was still in Iowa and she moved back to Wisconsin taking the two girls? Or did the decision to separate occur while the entire family was in Wisconsin?
She might have traveled again with her sister Pharozine and brother-in-law. Joyce conjectures that Josephine may not have known that she was pregnant when she left Iowa or when Joseph left WI to return to Iowa. This breakup might have occurred in October or November. The two boys (ages 7 and 5) stayed with their father in Iowa. Josephine delivered her fifth child, Daisy Eloise “Bessie”, on April 28, 1876. Coincidentally, her sister Pharozine delivered her second child, Hattie Ashley, five days earlier on April 23, also in Milton, WI. Joseph was unaware of Daisy “Bessie’s” birth at least until after his divorce was obtained as he did not request custody of her as he listed the other four older children in the divorce filing.
Josephine did not return to Iowa. Family stories say that the three girls (Lottie, Allie, and Bessie) were given up for adoption to other families associated with the Seventh Day Baptist church four months after Bessie was born. This must have been traumatic or at least confusing for the two older girls who were 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 at the time.
She might have traveled again with her sister Pharozine and brother-in-law. Joyce conjectures that Josephine may not have known that she was pregnant when she left Iowa or when Joseph left WI to return to Iowa. This breakup might have occurred in October or November. The two boys (ages 7 and 5) stayed with their father in Iowa. Josephine delivered her fifth child, Daisy Eloise “Bessie”, on April 28, 1876. Coincidentally, her sister Pharozine delivered her second child, Hattie Ashley, five days earlier on April 23, also in Milton, WI. Joseph was unaware of Daisy “Bessie’s” birth at least until after his divorce was obtained as he did not request custody of her as he listed the other four older children in the divorce filing.
Josephine did not return to Iowa. Family stories say that the three girls (Lottie, Allie, and Bessie) were given up for adoption to other families associated with the Seventh Day Baptist church four months after Bessie was born. This must have been traumatic or at least confusing for the two older girls who were 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 at the time.
Joseph initiated divorce proceeding in April of 1877 from Allegany county in New York where the court clerk notarized his initial filing. Allegany county is where Joseph spent his childhood up until he enlisted in the Union Army.
The divorce was not initiated in either Wisconsin or Iowa where the two litigants were living. Joseph took advantage of Utah territorial law as it was known for its reputation as a “divorce Mecca” or divorce mill5. Utah laws were quite lax as to residency requirements-you had to be a resident or state that you intended to become a resident. Subsequently, many people hired Utah lawyers to represent them. Joseph took advantage of this practice. He was represented “by counsel” and did not even travel to Utah, but told the courts that due to unforeseen circumstances he was unable to take up residency at that particular time although he anticipated doing so. A summons was sent to Josephine for her to appear before the probate court in Utah within seven days. Joseph also requested custody of the four children; George, Willard, Lottie, and Allie. Ellen Mae / Allie was listed as Helen in the document. The name may have been an error by someone in the Utah court system as the initial filing listed her as Ellen. Joseph Mallery did not list Daisy in that petition and may not have known about her birth or that the other two girls had been given up to foster / adoptive families. The divorce was granted on May 24, 18776. Joyce believes the summons for Josephine to appear was an onerous travel request which she ignored, so as not to acknowledge the fact that she had to adopt or foster out all three of the girls.
Joseph married Maria Murch six weeks after her eighteenth birthday. They were together for forty years until his death in 1925. They had six children of which four survived until adulthood.
In the 1880 census, Joseph and Mariah Mallery are found living in Nodaway, Iowa along with Joseph’s two older children. George Harrison Mallery was twelve and his brother Willard Orson was ten at the time. One month after the census was taken in June, their first child, Cecil, was born in Nodaway. Their second daughter, Jesse, was born in a different Iowa county in 1882. Then they moved again before their third daughter Hattie was born in Nebraska in 1886.
By 1888 they had moved all the way to the state of Washington. They lived in small towns in and around the town of Kelso, Washington. By 1911 Joseph had obtained 40 acres homestead land. They farmed or owned 40 acres in what is considered the Arkansas Valley to the west of Castle Rock, Cowlitz county, Washington. Three of Mariah and Joseph’s children were born in this area of Washington; Mamie (1890), Joseph A (1896) and Harris C (1899). Joseph died May 5, 1925 and his widow Mariah died October 3, 1929.
In the meantime, Josephine was counted in the 1880 census back living with her parents in Milton, WI, and was listed as a widow in June. By August she had married Deuteronomy Saunders- also a member of the SDB church.
Finding the adoptive parents.
Charlotte “Lottie” was found in the 1880 census based on facts in her obituary with the Seventh Day Baptist newspaper, the Sabbath Recorder at the time of her death. Her adoptive father, William M Saunders, and adoptive mother Elizabeth Babcock, also were members of the SDB. In the 1880 census you can find many other names commonly associated with the church. Her adoptive father died when Lottie was 19 years old. On finding the census record Joyce noticed that Lottie was listed as an adopted daughter. She was living in Albion Wisconsin, only 11 to 12 miles from her biological mother.
Finding the adoptive parents.
Charlotte “Lottie” was found in the 1880 census based on facts in her obituary with the Seventh Day Baptist newspaper, the Sabbath Recorder at the time of her death. Her adoptive father, William M Saunders, and adoptive mother Elizabeth Babcock, also were members of the SDB. In the 1880 census you can find many other names commonly associated with the church. Her adoptive father died when Lottie was 19 years old. On finding the census record Joyce noticed that Lottie was listed as an adopted daughter. She was living in Albion Wisconsin, only 11 to 12 miles from her biological mother.
Finding Ellen/ Allie Mallory was a little more difficult until census information on Pritchard led to her marriage record, where Allie was using the last name of Champney, her adoptive parents. Searches were done using the combination of her name Ellen and Allie and Mallory / Champney and her husbands last name of Pritchard. The 1880 census record records Allie as the adoptive daughter of George W and Tacy Green Champney as the adoptive parents in Oakland, Jefferson county, Wisconsin - living approximately 20 miles north of her biological mother Josephine Garthwaite Mallory. The last name Green is also quite common among members of the SDB.
To find Bessie with adoptive parents, Joyce took the census roll of microfilm and went screen by screen; starting first with the census area in Albion where Lottie resided. Joyce looked for Bessie by scanning every record first for a listing of an adoptive daughter. She found Lila/ Lulu Crandall with the correct age living with Elba Deforest Crandall and Harriet Alice Coon Crandall. Both names are very common among SDB. Also developing the ancestral lineage of Elba showed him to be a third cousin of Daisy “Bessie.” A biological daughter, Maud, was listed as being one year old in the 1880 census. There is a photo with the identification of the two girls “with Bessie and Maude” written on the back. Joyce assumes that was written by Bessie at a later time in life.
The back of above photo was marked as Bessie and Maude; likely noted by Bessie at a later date. It appears that Bessie on the left is approximately 5 and Maud on the right appears to be about 3 years old.
Elba died in 1885. At that that time with finances and loans, Alice Crandall was not able to care for Bessie and the two biological daughters Maude and Irla Crandall. Alice returned Bessie to her biological mother and step-father at that point. Family stories from Bessie, who was eight at the time, indicate she didn’t know she was adopted and had never met her biological mother.
The girls were reunited with their mother for this photograph in 1888. Josephine in the back left with Lottie to the right. In front left Bessie and then next to her Allie.
The also did a "glamour" shot of the girls posing with their long hair down.
Thank you to my son-in-law M. Schindler for editing my original draft.
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