Opal Miller and Harry Mayhew Elope, 1907

       ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

The social lives of Opal Miller and her future husband Harry A. Mayfield were frequently noted in the local newspapers when they were both just teenagers. 

Opal Miller, the daughter of Mary Ellen (Brown) and Alfred F. Miller was born in Springfield, Illinois in 1886. When her father died in 1892, the family moved to Weldon, Illinois, where Opal's grandparents, John Deloss and Nancy (Johnson) Brown lived. At some point, they must have returned to Springfield. When Mary Ellen (Brown) Miller remarried to James E. Walker in 1908, her children remained in  Springfield, Illinois. The Walkers, however, seem to have moved to Wisconsin.  Eventually, Mary Ellen and James E. Walker also moved to Springfield. 

In 1902, when Opal traveled from Springfield, Illinois to Weldon, Illinois, to visit her grandparents, John Deloss and Nany (Johnson) Brown, it was noted in the Springfield newspaper: 

Opal was sixteen in 1902. Another trip to Weldon was noted in 1904:

A month later, when Opal contracted smallpox and was hospitalized in Springfield, the Weldon papers reported it:

In 1905, Opal Miller, aged 19, was living in Springfield, working as a telephone operator.  By 1907, at age 21, she was still in Springfield but working as a toll operator.

In contrast, Harry Mayhew's social life was noted in the papers as early as his sixth birthday.

Harry attended two more birthday parties that year. His activities in end-of-school recitals were duly noted. In 1903, at the age of fifteen, Harry accompanied his parents to Florida, where they spent most winters.

While the Mayhews had the means to relocate to Florida for the harsh winter months, the Miller children were all employed and making their way in the world. 

When Opal Miller and Harry Mayhew married in 1907, a marriage announcement appeared in the Daily Illinois State Register of Springfield, Illinois, as you would expect: 

However, when Opal and Harry married in 1907, Opal was still two years older than Harry. She was 21, and he was 19.

They had actually eloped, and Harry had lied about his age. This came to light when his parents' objections to the elopement were published in the newspaper. Over his parents' objections, Harry had obtained a marriage license, wherein he reversed his age and Opal's, informed his parents that he intended to marry anyway, and proceeded to do so. It appears that he did so with his future brother-in-law's help. It seems that the Mayhews had spent the day trying to prevent the marriage from happening. I don't know if they went to the newspaper or the newspaper got wind of their frantic search. 

Of great interest is that the young couple decided to reside with the Mayhews after their marriage. 1021 South College was the address of the elder Mayhews. That must have been awkward since the Mayhews' objection to the marriage was so strong that it was newsworthy. The decision would eventually have deadly consequences for Opal. 

Bertha C. Sears and Harry A. Mayhew

      ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

Bertha C. Sears was the daughter of William Lincoln Sears and Harriet "Hattie" Reed. They evidently divorced, and Hattie became a housekeeper. 

In 1903, a birthday party was held for Bertha in Springfield, Illinois, at the home of her aunt, Ida Jane (Reed) Maurer, wife of Augustus F. Maurer. Bertha also frequently traveled with her aunt to Indiana. Note that Harry Mayhew was also in attendance at this party. This was Bertha's fourteenth birthday. Harry would have been fifteen years old. This indicates that they knew each other at least ten years before they married.

This article from 1904 places them together at another party. This time the party was at the Mayhew home and apparently, Bertha Sears provided the entertainment. It's possible that she was hired.  

In 1905 Bertha Sears married Thomas Meagher. Their marriage lasted only a few years. She divorced him in 1911, accusing him of domestic abuse. This article appeared in the Daily Illinois State Register on 1 September 1911.

Bertha's second marriage was to Harry Mayhew. They married on 4 December 1913 -  less than eight months after the death of Harry's first wife, Opal Miller, and before he went to trial for her murder. They married in LaPorte County, Indiana, which suggests that they chose to marry away from family, friends, and neighbors in Springfield, Illinois. The newspaper articles about Opal's death and all the trial delays had dominated the local newspapers for months. More than likely, they did not want their marriage to be hashed out in the papers.

Over the next few years, Bertha's name occasionally appeared in the newspapers as she held offices in various local women's organizations or entertained in her home. For all outward appearances, they seemed to be living an idyllic life. 

However, in 1920, Bertha filed for divorce from Harry. It's important to remember that in this time period there were limited grounds for divorce - usually abandonment, adultery, and domestic abuse. Bertha cited abuse as grounds for her divorce. 

However, Bertha went to a lot of trouble to document the instances of abuse. And the records certainly show escalating violence. It's not that hard to imagine that the man who almost strangled her to death was also a man who might force chloroform on his first wife to force her into undergoing an abortion that she did not want. It's worth noting that Bertha and Harry never had any children. One wonders if she also was pressured to undergo illegal operations to keep her mother-in-law and husband happy. 

Opal's mother Mary Ellen (Brown) Miller Brown was still living in 1920, and I can't help but wonder what went through her mind as she read this account in her newspaper. 

Opal (Miller) Mayhew's Illegal Operation

     ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

Opal (Miller) Mayhew was the daughter of Alfred E. Miller and Mary Ellen Brown. She was also the granddaughter of John DeLoss Brown. Opal died on 20 April 1913 in Springfield, Illinois. The direct cause of death was septicemia, following an abortion. However, there were several contributing factors in her death: an inability to access birth control because it was illegal, a controlling mother-in-law who threatened to kick Opal and her husband out if she continued with her pregnancy, and a husband so tied to his mother's apron strings that he was willing to force Opal to have an abortion - to the extent that he was willing to chloroform her himself during the operation.

Prior to the illegal operation, Opal had gone to visit her mother Mary Ellen (Brown) Miller Walker. During that visit, Opal confided that she was pregnant and that her mother-in-law was pressuring her to abort, but Opal did not want to. The mother-in-law was holding their residence in the household over their heads, threatening to throw out Opal and Harry and their little son William A. Mayhew. Opal related that they had saved up money to move out and had even acquired a few pieces of furniture. Her mother urged her not to have the operation. However, the mother-in-law was also insisting that they could not move out. 

On the evening of Friday, 11 April 1913, Opal Mayhew underwent an abortion. Whether she was pressured into it or forced into it is unknown. Her husband anesthetized her, probably with chloroform, while the operation was performed by Dr. J. O. Salyers. It would come out at trial that Slayers had performed two previous abortions on her and had told her after the second one that she should not have any more because she would not survive. Opal became ill soon after the "operation." By Tuesday, 15 April, she was unconscious. No one in the household - her husband, her mother-in-law, her father-in-law, or Dr. Salyers sought additional medical care for her - because then they would have to reveal what had happened. By Thursday, 18 April 1913, she was even more ill - she had not regained consciousness and would not. Still, no additional medical care was summoned for her. However, her mother was finally notified that she was ill. A doctor was finally summoned on Friday. One imagines that Opal's mother may have insisted on a doctor being called. However, Opal died on Saturday, 20 April 1913. 

Harry and his parents planned to hold a funeral for Opal from their residence on Tuesday, 22 April 1913. No doubt they were hoping that once she was buried, her cause of death would be hidden.

Note that Opal's funeral notice appeared in the newspaper on Monday, 21 April 1913. In the meantime, Opal's brothers and mother, suspecting that she had been the victim of an illegal operation, had gone to the coroner's to demand an inquest. By the evening of 21 April, Harry Mayhew and Dr. J.O. Salyers were in the coroner's office providing their statements as to the events that caused Opal's death. Their initial statements were actually confessions with each man dramatically threatening to kill himself. They were questioned through the night, and the story was published in the newspapers on Tuesday, 22 April 1913, the day that was to be Opal's funeral. The coroner ordered that the funeral be postponed so that an autopsy could be performed.

The autopsy was performed, and by Wednesday, 23 April 1913, the coroner determined that Opal died as the result of an illegal operation.

Opal's funeral was finally held on Thursday, 24 April 1913, from a funeral home in Springfield. It was reported in the newspaper after the fact to prevent curiosity seekers from attending. 

Opal was buried in the Mayhew family plot in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Her name may have been added to the marker for her father-in-law and his first two wives. It's interesting to note that her mother-in-law Emma Mayhew seems to be buried in an unmarked grave.

The day after the funeral, Opal's mother, Mary Ellen (Brown) Miller Walker, testified before the coroner's inquisition.

The case went to the grand jury, resulting in indictments for murder against Dr. J.O. Salyers and Harry Mayhew. After a series of delays, the case finally went to trial almost a year later in late March 1914. In the midst of those delays, Harry Mayhew married Bertha C. Sears on 4 December 1913 in La Porte, Indiana. Harry's residence is reported as St. Louis, Missouri. Evidently, he had fled the scrutiny and gossip of Springfield residents. In less than eight months, Harry Mayhew had literally moved on. 

Bertha had divorced her first husband Thomas Meagher in 1911 on the grounds of cruelty. She asked for alimony and the custody of their child. 

In court, both men's defense involved putting the blame on their victim. They claimed that Opal had tried to perform the abortion herself and that Dr. Salyers was called in to perform an operation to save her life. There was no accounting for why that operation was performed in the home or why no additional medical attention was provided for her until she was on her deathbed. Both men threw themselves on the mercy of the court because they were fathers and family men, and their incarceration would be to the detriment of their children. Dr. John O. Salyers in particular put on a show of being attentive to his young daughter, who was in the courtroom. Opal's son William A. Mayhew was also in attendance with his father and his Mayhew grandparents. After voting three times, the jury finally acquitted both of them. 

Frank N W Burton Obituaries

    ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

At long last, two obituary/death notices for Frances Nash Williams Burton have turned up. Although he died in Rutherford County, Tennessee, both notices appear in his previous state of North Carolina, where the Burton family had been long established.

One notice, published in The North Carolina Star, provides his death date of 17 June 1843:

The other notice, published in the Raleigh Register and North Carolina Gazette, provides additional information about his educational background. I knew that he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1799, but did not know that he was the valedictorian. 

Old House Location, Fred and Myrtle (Dendy) Duncan

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

Many people don't use Facebook because of the negativity and drama, which, granted, is the downside of the social media site. The upside is that a lot of family and genealogy information travels through it on a regular basis that would be missed otherwise.

Someone from the area where my parents were raised posted this picture recently. It happens to be the footprint of the first house where my paternal grandparents, Fred and Myrtle (Dendy) Duncan, lived when they first married. My father was born there.

The jonquils mark the exterior of the old house. This spot is currently located in the Burkett's pasture off of County Rd 3325 N west of Avery, Texas and north of Hwy 82. The house was some distance off the east side of the road. My great-grandparents, Richard and Susie (Nevill) Duncan lived on the west side of the same road, and a bit south, closer to what is now Hwy 82. 

Lavinia B. (Murfree) Burton's Death Notice, 1881

   ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

This is yet another elusive woman's death notice from the late nineteenth century. Finding this one has been an ongoing challenge. The kicker is that I stumbled over it accidentally while running a search for Col. Robert Burton. 

This is an obituary for Col. Robert Burton's daughter-in-law, Lavinia B. (Murfree) Burton, who died on 22 January 1881 in Smithville, Bullit County, Kentucky at the age of 85. Other keywords that ought to work in a search for this obituary are "L. B. Burton," "Jno. W. Burton," "J. E. Carter," and "Hutchings G. Burton." 

Notice that Lavinia (Murfree) Burton's own identity is subsumed by the men in her life: her son, John W. Burton; her son-in-law, J. E. Carter; her father-in-law, Col. Robert Burton; and her husband's first cousin, Governor Hutchins Gordon Burton. Noticeably missing are people more closely connected to her: her husband, F. N. W. Burton aka Francis Nash Williams Burton; and her own father, Col. Hardy Burton, also of the Revolution. At least, her own initials are used - L. B. Burton. Relentless searches for Lavinia Burton's death notice or obituary have resulted in nothing over the years. Notice in this death notice that The Wilmington Morning Star added the notation that Lavenia was the daughter-in-law of Col. Robert Burton. I am curious as to how they connected the dots between the two. This death notice also contains the hint that the original was published in the Tarboro Southerner. 

A search through a North Carolina newspaper database turned up the original version in the Tarborough Southerner, which is minus the notation that she was Col. Robert Burton's daughter-in-law. 

Sally (Brickell) Murfree's Obit, 1802

  ©  Kathy Duncan, 2022

Women's obituaries in the early period of our country are very uncommon. Sally (Brickell) Murfree, however, was from a social class of women who occasionally were honored with an obituary. Sally (Brickell) Murfree was about 45 years old at the time of her death in 1802. She left behind a husband, Col. Hardy Murfree, and eight surviving children. Her children's ages ranged from twenty-one to one. 

Her obituary provides the new information that she had suffered a long and lingering illness.

This illness may explain Sally's appearance in her surviving portrait. She appears in the portrait to be much older than 45 even taking into consideration that people aged more in appearance then. Sally (Brickell) Murfree was from a southern class of women who did not perform their own housework or work outdoors. In fact, she would have shielded her complexion with various hats and bonnets throughout her lifetime. We might expect her to have aged less rapidly than her working-class peers. 

Her portrait is estimated to have been painted in the late 1700s when she would have been 35 to 45 years old. Her gaunt appearance might be the product of a long, lingering illness. As ill as she appears in her portrait, the painter may have taken great pains to make her appearance more flattering by darkening her hair and decreasing any wrinkles that she had. It would seem, though, that her last pregnancy might have further contributed to her decline in health. 

Because of her early death, Sally's youngest daughters, including Lavinia B. (Burton) Murfree, were left to board at the Moravian school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when their father, Hardy Murfree, pulled up stakes and removed to Tennessee.