To Part No More

Lavenia Andrus Miller McComb Tryon Sondberg (1854-1939)

My Second Great Grandmother

me --> Bruce Albert Buchanan --> Robert Amos Buchanan --> June Miller Eckstein Buchanan --> Lavenia Andrus Miller McComb Sondberg Tryon

Lavenia was one of 59 children because her father, Milo Andrus, was a polygamist and had 13 wives.  I always joke that she rebelled from that life by having four husbands herself.

However, I think that she had one true love. 

My Nona (Gertrude Buchanan) used to tell me that Lavenia divorced my second great grandfather by leaving Spanish Fork and walking 60 miles to Helper, Utah with her three children.  I don't know how much of that is true, but I do know she divorced her Mormon husband and then married a Catholic, James McComb.

James and Lavenia married in 1888 and had four daughters in four years.  In November of 1894, according to family legend, he took a train to Salt Lake and had lots of cash on him.  He was going to buy Christmas presents for his daughters and some equipment for the restaurant she and James owned.  He never made it to Salt Lake, he was murdered on the train for his money.

His body was found three months later in the Jordan Narrows, close to where Thanksgiving Point is now.  

I don't know if Lavenia even knew it at the time, but she was just a few weeks pregnant with their only son, William James McComb.  His life had a tragic end as well.

Just three years later, Lavenia is charged with battery for assaulting Mary Daly who leased the restaurant from her.  The report states that Lavenia was quite aggressive and hurt the woman's feelings.  The charges were dropped because the attorneys couldn't make it to the court because the roads were washed out.  

I wonder if her feelings about the restaurant were more personal than business.  She had shared this with her husband.  Maybe Mary wanted to change something that James had done.  Maybe she criticized the way James had run the restaurant.  Whatever it was that happened, one thing was for sure, Lavenia was suffering from a broken heart.  

This is what is inscribed on James' tombstone.

On that bright

Immortal shore

We shall meet

To part no more.

On the 98th anniversary of his death, Lavenia and James were sealed for eternity by proxy in the Ogden Temple, to part no more.

Tackling a Tigress

Lavenia Andrus Miller McComb Sondberg Tryon (1854-1939)

My Second Great Grandmother

me --> Bruce Albert Buchanan --> Robert Amos Buchanan --> June Miller Eckstein Buchanan --> Lavenia Andrus Miller McComb Sondberg Tryon

Of all of my ancestors, I have a real soft spot for Lavenia.  I think for two main reasons, she had a very difficult life and she was as strong as an ox.  If I was allowed to only have lunch with one of my ancestors, I'd definitely pick her.

I came across this newspaper article about her today and loved it so much I decided it needed it's own post.

Seems in 1902 Lavenia had a little trouble with a property she purchased.  A man named Fitch felt that he had legal right to that property too.  That's J. Tom Fitch, as in Judge Fitch.

J. Tom Fitch

Did that intimidate Lavenia?  Of course not!  She ran him off her property with a double barreled shotgun.

She said she always shoots to kill.  Lucky for him, he was able to run around a corner and she missed.

So what does Judge Fitch do?  Take it to court of course.  There he got a document that legally declared the property his.

But Lavenia said she'd never vacate the property except as a corpse.  In today's words...

So the Sheriff Hyrum Wilcox, goes over to Lavenia's with five deputies.

The other two deputies were too scared to pose for the picture.

According to the article, "They tackled a tigress."

Two had to hold onto her, while the others took her household items.  One had to extract a pistol from her, um..., "bosom."

They even removed the windows and doors from the house.

Not actual house

Once Fitch was notified that he had possession of the home again he sent two men to watch it.  When Lavenia showed up at 3 o'clock in the morning, they "vamoosed."

Vamoose means to leave like your life depends on it.

By the time the Sheriff got there, she had replaced all the windows and doors.

And now for the rest of the story:

Right now you might be thinking that Lavenia was acting unreasonable, but let me tell you the rest of the story.

J. Tom Fitch was known as the "Father of Helper."  He is credited as having built the very first home in Helper.  He was a real estate man and owned several properties.  This was Lavenia's only home and she earned an income by doing laundry.  Fitch was offered $1000 to let Lavenia stay in the home.  The home was worth $300.  Fitch refused the money.

Fitch would go on to become the mayor of Helper and eventually a State Representative.  Lavenia was eventually evicted permanently from the home and had to find a new place to live.

Never Underestimate the Power of a Hat

This is a story my grandmother, Gertrude Maxine Wahl Buchanan (Nona), told me.  I have no idea if it is true, but I think it makes for great family folklore.

Lavenia had four husbands.  When she was married to one of them, (I don't know which one but I don't think it was James Miller or James McComb) she was living in Helper and decided she wanted a divorce.  In those days you had to file a claim in Price Utah, about 6 miles away.  The cost was $10.

Lavenia saved up her money and hitched up the wagon and set out for the courthouse in Price to get her divorce.  On the way she passed by a store and saw a hat in the window.

 Lavenia loved hats.  She stopped to get a closer look and fell in love with the hat on display.  The cost of the hat was $10.  She decided she could stand to stay married a little longer, but couldn't go another minute without that hat.  So she bought the hat instead of the divorce.

This is how I imagine she looked going back home.

This is what she actually looked like.

Maybe this is the hat she bought that day.

Or maybe it was this one. 

This story is about

Lavenia Andrus Miller McComb Sondberg Tryon (1854-1939)

My second great grandmother

me --> Bruce Albert Buchanan --> Robert Amos Buchanan --> June Miller Eckstein Buchanan --> Lavenia Andrus Miller McComb Sondberg Tryon

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TACKLING A TIGRESS 

A Valiant Death

William James McComb (1895-1918)

Half-brother of my great grandmother June Buchanan

me --> Bruce Albert Buchanan --> Robert Amos Buchanan --> June Miller Eckstein Buchanan

I just found a sad story about my great grandmother's half brother, William James McComb.  He died in France during World War I of an accidental drowning.  Here's a copy of the letter that describes what happened.


October 15, 1918
Mrs. House:
My dear Mrs. House (I believe this is Viola McComb, William's sister, b. 1892 who married John Edward House), I wrote to your mother the day after your brother was drowned but evidently the letter miscarried. I regret very much to have had to write to the relatives of many of my men a death notice and especially the death notice of a man who never gave me any cause for complaint.
He was in all ways a model soldier, prompt in obedience and cheerful as well. He never missed a roll call nor was he ever late to a formation. He always worked hard when given a task to do. In fact, I considered him one of the most capable of the young soldiers and would shortly have recommended him for his first promotion.
We were hurrying the construction of our camp and he had been on the detail, that was, getting sand out of the River Loire. The Loire is not so very deep but is very swift with a shifting sand bottom. The River at this point is about 1/4 a mile wide. Your brother worked a double shift in order to get off this afternoon. Before he went to camp he decided to take a swim. On the far side of the river there is a whirlpool and he had the misfortune to swim into this. He shouted for help and the other men immediately went to his assistance. He had been sucked under and was in the water only 15 minutes. The doctors were waiting on the bank when the men brought his body ashore but they could not resusicate him. His knees were drawn up under his chin when he was taken from the water seeming to indicate he had had a cramp. The body is buried in the cemetery at the town of Saumur and will be shipped home to you at the Government's expense as soon as possible.
I have had a picture taken of the grave and as soon as they are developed and printed, I will mail you one.
A soldier expects to lose his life in action and when so lost it is accepted as war's fortune but I regret very much to lose a man accidently.
His personal effects were shipped a short time ago. If you do not receive them let me know and if there is anything I can do I will be pleased and more to do it for you. It is the least that can be done to reward service; honest and faithful, character; excellent and O.K.
John Roberts
Casu. Co. F. 31st Engineers R. Tc
A.P. O 718 A.E.F.
Note: He was buried two years later in the Spanish Fork Cemetery


I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to lose a son to a simple accident so far away.  I think I would say to myself, "He went all that way just to drown in a creek because of a cramp?"  I would imagine you'd almost want your son to die valiantly facing the enemy that threatens our freedom.  Yet the reality is that he left to fight in a war, and just because he didn't die in battle doesn't mean he wasn't willing to.