Divorce Record for Charles Grundy & Alice Lemoine

Before my great-grandma, Alice Lemoine, married my great-grandpa, Jim Dodge, in November of 1929, she was married to Charles Lemuels Grundy. They married on November 2, 1920, at Rawlins, Wyoming. From what I found, Charles Grundy was born in Texas on August 2, 1883 to William Grundy & Mary Airheart. His mother died August 19, 1883, leaving his father with several young children to take care of. Charles was farmed out to an aunt and uncle, Isaac & Sarah Pollard, who raised him. He was found living with them in the 1900 Census in Denton County, Texas.

It isn't known when he came to Wyoming, but he was there by 1918, when he registered for the WWI Draft on September 12th of that year. According to his WWI Draft Card, his father, William Grundy, was still alive and living at Rosston, Texas. His father passed away in 1923.

Charles Grundy was a sheep rancher in Carbon County, Wyoming. Following his marriage to my great-grandma, he applied for a homestead, totaling 640 acres. This homestead was located some 40 miles north of Rawlins and was a ranching homestead that he could use to continue with his sheep ranching. The homestead was granted on June 2, 1925. My great-grandma also applied for a 120-acre homestead on August 21, 1925, in an effort to increase their homestead and further his sheep ranching.

Ranching in general is a tough business, and ranching in Wyoming in particular can be very difficult. Sheep ranching can be particularly challenging because of the number of sheep that need to be taken care of. My great-grandma grew up in Hanna and Saratoga, Wyoming, where her father had ranched for many years. Growing up on a ranch and living the ranching lifestyle no doubt was a tough business. By 1928, great-grandma was working in the field and tending to the ranching duties of his sheep ranch. In June of 1929, she left the ranch and went to Laramie, Wyoming, where she worked at a laundry and met my great-grandpa, who had left Buena Vista, Colorado following his father's death in 1926.

Great-grandma filed for divorce on September 11, 1929. According to her divorce petition, she was forced by her husband to leave her home on June 8, 1929, and to leave her possessions there. He then visited her family and told them that she had left for Laramie, Wyoming, where she was conducting 'a house of prostitution'. He even convinced the Laramie Police to investigate her for being 'a woman of immoral character'. This was clearly nothing more than harassment and intimidation on his part. In addition to divorce, she also requested attorney's fees, court costs and alimony.

He filed an answer and cross-petition on October 10, 1929. He countered by contending that she was a contentious and quarrelsome woman with an abusive temper who had threatened to kill them both. He also stated that her leaving was without any cause and that her 'services and assistance' were needed in order for him to continue with his sheep ranching. Without her being there, he would be 'unable to carry on with his business' and would have to 'dispose of his holdings'

An agreement was reached on October 12, 1929, that either party could bring this matter on for hearing without notice to the other party. Charles Grundy did so and the divorce hearing was held on October 14, 1929, and the divorce was granted. Because great-grandma was not present at the hearing, she did not receive the costs and alimony requested. At least, she was done with her husband, Charles Grundy. She relinquished her homestead shortly after her divorce (as the homestead had not been finalized). She would elope with my great-grandpa, Jim Dodge, at Fort Collins, Colorado on November 6, 1929.

My great-grandparents continued to reside in Laramie, where Grandpa Jim worked on the Windmill Ranch until the mid 1930's when they moved to Rawlins. My great-grandma lived there until 1976, when she moved to Clearfield, Utah to be close to her family. She died in Ogden, Utah in 1989.

As for Charles Grundy, he did end up selling his property following the divorce. He continued with sheep ranching until April of 1932, when he was stricken with pneumonia. He died at Baggs, Wyoming on May 1, 1932. Following his death, the bank filed for probate, his sheep and ranching equipment were sold by the bank and the proceeds used to pay off some of his debts. He also had a $1,000 life insurance policy, which although was also used to pay back his debts, was not enough to pay them in full. His estate was declared insolvent and his remaining debts were deemed paid in full after being paid back at a fraction of what was owed with what remaining funds were left. Below are his death record and obituary that I found some time ago.

Below are the pleadings that were filed in my great-grandma's divorce from 1929. I recently obtained these from the Wyoming State Archives. They are fascinating to read through and give light to an episode of my great-grandma's life that she never really discussed.

Petition for Divorce - filed September 11, 1929

Answer and Cross-Petition - filed October 10, 1929

Reply - filed October 12, 1929

Stipulation for Hearing - filed October 12, 1929

Divorce Decree - filed October 14, 1929

San Francisco Block Books - 1935 & 1946

This was an unexpected find that I came across recently. I was looking up addresses and property information for San Francisco to see what I could find and came across old San Francisco Block Books from 1935 and 1946 on the San Francisco County Assessor's website:

https://www.sfassessor.org/property-information/homeowners/property-search-tool

These old Block Books from 1935 & 1946 are available by clocking on the Access Tool, typing in a property address and then looking under the official maps that are available. The first address I looked for was 59 Collins Street, where Frances and her husband David Nemetzky lived. At first, I wasn't finding anything, but after a chance search for the home on google maps (I have some pics of the home from the 1930's - I will post these below), I found the correct address. The address is now 169 Collins Street and appears to have been changed during the 1950's. I found the Block Books from both 1935 and 1946 which are below:

1935 Block Book - 59 Collins Street

1946 Block Book - 59 Collins Street

According to the San Francisco Assessor's website, the house was built in 1914. Frances and her husband Thomas Fogalsang purchased the home in 1918. Frances lived there until 1946, when she and her second husband, David Nemetzky, moved to 1234 39th Avenue. Frances lived there until the early 1950's. Below are pictures from Google Maps Street View of the homes on Collins Street and 39th Avenue.

59 (now 169) Collins Street

1234 39th Avenue (the house in the middle)

The 1935 Block Book also helped answer a question I had about the house Thomas Fogalsang owned at 155 Vienna Street, which was built in 1900. At the time of his death in 1928, the house was occupied by Bertha Fogelsang (possibly his previous wife/common law wife/business partner), but was in his name. Before I go any further, Bertha changed the spelling of Fogalsang to Fogelsang to possibly distance herself from him (the reasons aren't known, but possibly due to his marriage to Frances in 1916). According to the 1935 Block Book, the house at 155 Vienna Street was in Frances' name. Below is the 1935 Block Book.

1935 Block Book - 155 Vienna Street

One note about this property - while her residence at 59 Collins Street is listed under Frances Fogalsang, the home at 155 Vienna Street is listed under Frances Nemetzky. After Bertha's death in 1934, Frances sold this property.

The other Block Books I found were for Clarence Keith Newitt. He was living with his wife Mary at 245 Cotter Street in 1935. Below is the 1935 Block Book for Keith & Mary Newitt.

1935 Block Book - 245 Cotter Street

This house was built in 1912. Keith and Mary lived here until 1936, when they moved to 43 Cotter Street (built in 1910). Below are google images for both 245 Cotter Street and 43 Cotter Street.

43 Cotter Street

245 Cotter Street

By 1944, Keith and Mary had moved to 2965 24th Avenue (built in 1936). Mary passed away in May of 1944, and Keith remarried in November of the same year. He and his second wife, Arlene Christensen, are listed in the 1946 Block Book, which is below, along with an image of their home from google.

1946 Block Book

2965 24th Ave

Below are pictures of the home at 59 Collins Street from 1936, when my grandpa and his family visited Frances and David in San Francisco. While there are a few differences in the home, such as the front door (wood vs. glass) for example, the façade of the home is the same. Even the window design has been kept the same over the years. Take a look and compare. I'm glad to see the front of the house has largely remain unchanged over the years.

Nathaniel T. Dodge and Public Office

Back in 2018, I posted about Nathaniel T. Dodge's election record and described which public offices he ran for and which elections he won and lost. I've gone back and looked at the available records from the elections he ran in. In particular, The Salida Record and the Salida Mail newspapers that are available online (https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org) have been excellent sources to go to as they published the various election ballots as well as the results of many of the elections, in addition to the minutes of the County Commissioners for Chaffee County. This post will go a little more into the opponents that Nathaniel ran against as well as who won each election, and hopefully give a little more color to the elections that he ran in.

In 1902, Nathaniel ran for Constable in the Town of Buena Vista. This was a position that he was previously elected to in 1886. Below is a copy of the ballot for the 1902 election and the other individuals who ran for this office.

Salida Record - October 30, 1902

His opponents were Henry D. Dickinson and Jack Northrup. Mr. Dickinson was 48 years old in 1902 and a native of Iowa, having arrived in Buena Vista in 1879. Mr. Dickinson was involved in the community over the years, having served with the local police and fire departments as well as being involved in local business. Jack Northrop was 45 years old and a native of Pennsylvania. He appears to have been involved in mining and ranching. Henry D. Dickinson won this election.

In 1904, Nathaniel once again ran for office, this time for County Commissioner. At that time, Chaffee County had a Commissioner Chairman and two commissioners (one from Buena Vista, one from Salida). Nathaniel ran on the Socialist Party ticket, which is published below. (I wasn't able to find a copy of the ballot from the newspapers).

Salida Mail, November 4, 1904

The Socialist Party advocated 'Equal rights to all, special privileges to none. We believe in a government of, by and for the people, instead of as now, a government of, by and for plutocracy for the oppression of the poor. We believe the power of government should be in the hands of the people at all times. Direct legislation, majority rule. The people to have the same power to remove officials they have to elect them. No appointive power. All officers to be elected by the people. We oppose fusion with any political party, labor organization, or any organization whatsoever. The Socialist principles are plain and broad enough to cover all needful and necessary demands. We ask you to join us. With equal rights; to work and to vote to establish the Co-operative Commonwealth, where all are equal under the LAW; all public utilities to be owned and operated collectively for the benefit of all, instead of for Wall Street. We oppose militia, and military rule. We denounce Governor Peabody for using the militia wholly in the interest of the mine owners' association, for the oppression of laborers. We especially denounce Peabody for endeavoring to place the private debts of the mine owners association on the taxpayers of the state. We pledge ourselves to use all legitimate means to prevent such robbery of the people to satisfy the greed of the few.'

His opponents in the 1904 election for County Commissioner were Mell L. DeWitt and Abner E. Wright, Jr. Mr. DeWitt was 37 years old in 1904. Mr. DeWitt would later serve as a County Commissioner, beginning in 1920. Mr. Wright was 43 years old in 1904 and was serving at the Mayor of Buena Vista. He would later serve in the Colorado State Legislature. Both were considerably younger than Nathaniel (he was 56 at this time). Nathaniel lost this election to Mr. Wright.

Nathaniel ran again for public office in 1906, this time as Justice of the Peace. He had previously served as Justice of the Peace in Buena Vista during the 1880's. For Justice of the Peace, there were two people that were to be elected. Looking through the local newspapers and reading the County Commissioners proceedings, it appears the one of the Justices of the Peace who was in office in 1906 was James Garrahan. It is unknown who filled the second Justice of the Peace position. J.L. Dimon resigned in August of 1905 and E. Alvord, who was appointed to replace him, resigned in May of 1906.

Nathaniel ran again on the Socialist Party ticket...and won. The other winner in this election was Andrew V.P. Day. (I was not able to find the published ballot and I was not able to find the other candidates for Justice of the Peace). Mr. Day was born in 1835 in New York and had previously lived in Ohio. He served in the Civil War as a Captain in the Ohio Cavalry. He came to Buena Vista in 1880 and would die in 1911, following his election to another term as Justice of the Peace. 

Nathaniel ran for re-election in 1908, and lost. There were a total of five candidates that ran for Justice of the Peace in the election, and Nathaniel was one of the three who had lost. A copy of the ballot for 1908 is below.

Salida Mail, October 30, 1908

Along with Mr. Day, Nathaniel ran against John Borrell (not much was found on him, other than he lived in Buena Vista since 1880); James McLeod (also, not much was found on him as well); and James Garrahan. Mr. Garrahan, along with Mr. Day, won the 1908 election for Justice of the Peace. Mr. Garrahan was born in Massachusetts and was 62 years old at the time of his election in 1908. Mr. Garrahan appears to have previously served as Justice of the Peace, and he would go on to be elected to several more terms as Justice of the Peace, and serve from his election in 1916 until his resignation in January of 1926.

Nathaniel once again ran for Justice of the Peace in 1910, and once again he would be defeated. His opponents in this election would be Mr. Day, Henry Stewart, and Justus L. Dimon. The ballot from 1910 is below.

Salida Record, November 4, 1910

In addition to Mr. Day's re-election as Justice of the Peace, Mr. Dimon also won election to this office. Mr. Dimon was born in 1837 in New York and served in the Kansas Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, attaining the rank of Corporal. Mr. Dimon had previously served as Justice of the Peace during the 1890's and early 1900's. He would go on to win re-election to Justice of the Peace in 1912, 1914 and 1916 and serve until his death in 1917.

Henry Stewart was another individual who settled in Buena Vista in 1879. He was from Canada and was born in 1857. He would also run for election as Justice of the Peace, but have just as bad luck as Nathaniel. Mr. Stewart would later be appointed to fill vacancies in this position in 1920 and 1922.

As noted earlier, Mr. Day passed away in 1911, while serving in his elected position as Justice of the Peace. The County Commissioners appointed Charles H. Holt to fill the vacancy. Charles Holt would also be appointed to replace Mr. Dimon's vacancy in 1917. Charles Holt would go on to run for the office in 1912 and 1918, losing both election bids. He would also serve as Court Janitor and Court Jailer. He was born in 1858 and was from Massachusetts.

After sitting out the 1912 election, Nathaniel would run again for Justice of the Peace in 1914. This time, Nathaniel would run on the Citizens' Party Ticket, along with Isaac C. Terry. The Salida Record from October 2, 1914 noted that this was to 'a non-partisan ticket. Republicans, progressives, socialists and democrats were named, in fact no attention was paid to party lines.' Below is the ballot from the 1914 election.

Salida Record, October 30, 1914

Even though he ran with a different party, the result was still the same. He lost yet another election. In addition to Mr. Dimon being elected to another term, Mr. Terry was also elected. Isaac Terry was born in Massachusetts in 1847 and was an engineer by profession. Mr. Terry would be elected again in 1918 and 1922. In fact, the 1930 Census lists Mr. Terry as Justice of the Peace, which means that he ran again in 1928 (and won).

After sitting out the 1916 and 1918 elections, Nathaniel ran again for Justice of the Peace in 1920. By this time, Nathaniel was 72 years old, his wife had passed away in 1919, and most of his children had left Buena Vista. A World War had interfered with life in Buena Vista, as one of his sons had been drafted into the Army. For the 1920 election, Nathaniel aligned himself with the Republicans and won the Primary Election that September. In the general election, he would face James Garrahan (who was now a mainstay in the position), Henry Stewart (who had been appointed to fill a vacancy earlier that year), and George Thomson. Not much is known about Mr. Thomson, other than he was born in 1852 in Canada and resided in Buena Vista. The ballot for 1920 is below.

Salida Record, October 30, 1920

The results for this election were much the same as they had been in the past; Nathaniel had lost. Mr. Garrahan and Mr. Thomson were both elected to the positions as Justices of the Peace. Mr. Thomson ended up resigning in 1922 and Henry Stewart was appointed to take his place.

After not running in 1922, Nathaniel ran one last time in 1924, this time as a Democrat. He faced the incumbent, James Garrahan, and Isaac Terry, a familiar opponent from 1914. (I don't have the ballot from The Salida Record, I hope to get this soon as I an going to Buena Vista and Salida in a couple of weeks). This election would turn out differently for Nathaniel. James Garrahan won once again, and Nathaniel and Isaac tied for the second opening for Justice of the Peace. 

The Salida Mail from December 16, 1924 reports 'In the November election, there having been a tie in the number of votes received by J.C. Terry and N.T. Dodge, also the fact that Justice James Garrahan, having received a majority of votes over the other two candidates, and having been indorsed by both the Democratic and Republican parties, left a doubt with the canvasing board as to which two were elected. The question was submitted to the attorney general and the opinion given was that Mr. Garrahan was legally elected, which still leaves the question to be settled as to Terry and Dodge, which will be settled in one of the following ways: cut cards, draw straws, or run a foot race.'

Both Isaac C. Terry and Nathaniel T. Dodge were in their mid-70's, so I doubt a foot race would have been held. The tiebreaker was held (again, I'm hoping to look through The Salida Record newspapers in a couple of weeks to find out what the tiebreaker was), and Nathaniel won the tiebreaker. He was elected Justice of the Peace. Nathaniel would serve as Justice of the Peace until January 4, 1926, when he resigned due to health. Mr. Terry was appointed to take his place. As mentioned earlier, Mr. Garrahan also resigned at this time, and Fred Meteer was appointed to take his place.

This was covered in the local newspapers. The Chaffee County Republican, a Buena Vista newspaper, from January 8, 1926 reported: 'Judge Fred Meteer. Hence forth it will be Judge Fred Meteer. This raise in the political history of Buena Vista was brought about Monday, when the county commissioners appointed Fred to take the place of James Garrahan, who is away indefinitely. At the same meeting the commissioners appointed I.C. Terry justice of the peace in place of N.T. Dodge, resigned. Justice of the Peace Fred Meteer has already filed his bond, and is now ready, not only to administer the law in regular style, but will also marry anyone wishing to have the love knot tied by an able Justice of the Peace.'

The Salida Mail from January 12, 1926 noted: 'Judge N.T. Dodge handed his resignation as justice of the peace to the county commissioners, to take effect at once, on account of illness. Mr. Dodge was conveyed to the county hospital. I.C. Terry was appointed by the commissioners to fill the vacancy.'

The Chaffee County Republican, also reporting on the County Commissioners Meeting, reported on February 28, 1926: County Commissioners Proceedings – Buena Vista, Colorado, January 4th, 1926: Proposals – The resignation of N.T. Dodge as Justice of the Peace, Precinct No. 4, was received and accepted…Motion by Commissioner DeWitt, seconded by commissioner Snell, and carried, ordered that I.C. Terry be appointed Justice of the Peace in Justice precinct No. 4, to fill the vacancy of said office thru the resignation of N.T. Dodge.'

I am going back to Salida in a couple of weeks to look through The Salida Record newspapers from this time to find any additional newspaper articles from this time.

***UPDATE*** Today (8/25/21), I have searched through The Salida Record newspapers and only found the copy of the ballot that was published (October 31, 1924 issue - below). The Salida Record did not report on the tiebreaker that was held.

What Happened to Sherman E. Dodge after 1903? Part VII

It has been several years since I found the numerous newspaper articles from Portland, Oregon that told the story of Sherman's criminal activity. I didn't think that I would find any other information on Sherman's criminal activity, but it turns out that his story was picked up and published in The Los Angeles Times (Honestly, I'm surprised that this wasn't picked up my more newspapers across the Untied States. I've searched the available websites and there doesn't appear to be any other newspapers that picked up and published this story). There are three newspaper articles that were published; one from July 1909 and two from December 1909. They are as follows (he is reported by his aliases, French E. Dodge and Frank Dodge)

It's always interesting to see the different details that are brought to light from different sources. In addition to telling the story that we now know, this set of newspaper articles shed some more light on his criminal activity and the conspiracy that was worked out to swindle the husband of his lover. 

July 16, 1909: Wife Helps to Ruin Husband - She Conspires With Lover to Extort Money - Latter Gets Coin by Posing as Detective - Neighbors’ Suspicions Lead to Arrest of Pair.

[BY DIRECT WIRE TO THE TIMES.] Portland, July 15. – [Exclusive Dispatch.] Conspiring with her clandestine sweetheart to extort money from her husband, Mrs. Orville Connor, wife of a Linn county farmer and rural mail carrier, stripped Connor of practically all he possessed and then eloped with French E. Dodge, her confederate, and lived with him several months on their ill-gotten gains before being brought to book today. Mrs. Connor has taken a timber claim and she and Dodge told Connor that in doing so she had infracted the Federal laws. Dodge impersonated a land department detective and finally offered to “square” the case if Connor would pay him $600. Connor raised the money by mortgaging his farm. Dodge soon came back and demanded more money and Connor sold his stock to get it, in order to save his wife from prison, as he supposed. Dodge and Mrs. Connor then ran away, leaving Connor with three small children. Neighbors finally informed the Federal authorities of the suspicious circumstances and the succeeding investigation laid the conspiracy bare. Dodge and Mrs. Connor were arrested today. They were found living together thirty miles from the scene of their crime.

December 14, 1909: Husband Loses Wife and Cash - Sharper Takes Advantage of Man’s Affection - Mayor of Oregon Town Mortgages Home and Entrusts Better Half and Money to a Bogus United States Officer to Prevent Her Arrest for Law Violation.

[BY DIRECT WIRE TO THE TIMES.] Portland (Or.) Dec. 13. – [Exclusive Dispatch.] In the case of Frank Dodge, whose trial began in the Federal Court today, there is a remarkable story of one man having used another’s affection for his own wife to fleece him of money, and, that obtained, of having stolen the woman away. Dodge, who was arrested in Gresham, Or., where he and Mrs. Conner, wife of Mayor Orville Connor of Shedd, or., and her two children were living, is on trial for impersonating an officer and obtaining between $500 and $600 from Connor. Deputy United States Dist. Atty. J.D. Wyatt in his declaration to the jury, told of Dodge’s discovery that Mrs. Connor, representing herself as having been divorced from Connor, had taken up a homestead in Umatilla county in violation of the land laws. Later, according to the government attorney, Dodge visited Mr. and Mrs. Connor at Shedd, representing himself to be a special agent of the United States Land Office. He told Connor of his wife’s crime and offered for $500 to take her to Canada, where she could not be convicted, or to “fix up the matter.” Connor, according to the attorney’s statement, mortgaged his home and gave Dodge $500. Dodge, who, meanwhile had formed an attachment for Mrs. Connor, which was returned, instead of taking the woman to Canada, where Connor believed her to be, took her to Gresham, Or., where they lived as man and wife, until Dodge was arrested on a charge of impersonating an officer, while Mrs. Connor was also arrested on a statutory charge.

December 15, 1909: Unfaithful Wife Tells of Shame - Admits Participating in Scheme to Fleece Hubby. Man who Impersonates a Federal Officer and With Woman’s Assistance Gets Money from Mayor Connor of Shedds, Or., Is Found Guilty of Serious Offense.

[BY DIRECT WIRE TO THE TIMES.] Portland (Or.) Dec. 14. – [Exclusive Dispatch.] “It is true I left my husband and went to live with Mr. Dodge. It is true also that I planned with Mr. Dodge to get money from my husband. I loved Mr. Dodge, but I am sorry now.” This was the story in brief as Mrs. Conner, wife of Mayor O.B. Conner of Shedds, told it on the witness stand in the Federal Court today, of her own shame and her husband’s disgrace. Following his completion the jury convicted Dodge of impersonating an officer. Mrs. Conner told her story in evident embarrassment, but made no effort to shield herself or the man who had taken her from home. “I first met Mr. Dodge at Pendleton,” she said, “when I was living apart from my husband. We were parties to a conspiracy, with others, to acquire some land fraudulently.” “After a time my husband came and persuaded me to return with him to our home. We were happy then, but Mr. Dodge came again and wanted me to help him get some money. We pretended Mr. Dodge was a Federal officer and we made my husband think I was in danger of being arrested for land fraud. He mortgaged his farm to get $500 to give Mr. Dodge, who said he could settle the case for that amount. “Then we made my husband think I had to go to Canada and Mr. Dodge and I went to Gresham to live. Then Mr. Dodge was arrested.” Mrs. Conner’s voice broke frequently during her recital, and her husband wept audibly. The jury reached its verdict within a few minutes after retiring.

There is also a brief newspaper article that was published in The Beaver State Herald on December 17, 1909. This newspaper was published in Gresham, Oregon (the town where Sherman was arrested). I'm kind of surprised that this is the only mention of Sherman in this particular newspaper, since this is there he and his lover lived for several months prior to being arrested. Their criminal activity certainly caught the town of Gresham and its people off guard. The article reads as follows:

'Frank Dodge in the toils. The people of Gresham will be interested to learn that Frank Dodge, who impersonated an officer and committed other offences against the law for which he was arrested and held for trial, was placed before the court on Monday, and appearances are that he will suffer punishment before they are through with him. He will likely be tried first for the impersonating, and if he gets free from that he will be indicted for running off with another man's wife and for defrauding that man of money obtained through misrepresentations. As to the wife, she will also be tried for unlawful conduct and so what seemed to be a harmless little family outing in our midst has turned out to be a record-breaking scandal.'

James Robert Dodge in World War One - October 1918: Arrival and Assignment in France

One piece of information I have been looking for in my research is where did my great-grandfather serve when he arrived in France in October of 1918. From what I have found, I know that he arrived at St. Nazaire, France on October 7, 1918 and that he was assigned to Co. F, 9th Infantry Regiment in November of 1918 and participated in the March to the Rhine and the Army of Occupation in Germany in 1918 and 1919. However, where was he assigned when he first arrived in France in October of 1918? I had always assumed that he was completing basic training and then assigned to Co. F, 9th Infantry Regiment following his arrival over there. Today, I now have some more answers.

Family Search is now beginning to publish the indexed monthly roster rolls from the end of 1912 through the end of 1939. These records have taken more than a year to index. I am excited to finally begin to search the indexes for my ancestors, whereas back at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 I had to scour these previously unindexed records for my ancestors. I found most of the roster lists for grandpa Jim, including when he was stateside during basic training. Today, I searched by name the available index (right now there are approximately 20 million names that have been indexed. I can only imagine how many tens, or even hundreds, of millions more names will be published in the upcoming days and weeks) and I was not disappointed. I finally found grandpa Jim in October of 1918 in the roster lists. 

Following his arrival to France, Jim was assigned to Company C, 162nd Infantry Regiment. This regiment was stationed at Contres, France, roughly 125 miles south-southwest of Paris. The 162nd Infantry Regiment was part of the 41st Infantry Division. From what I have found, the 41st Division was used a replacement division and did not see combat. This means that those soldiers assigned to this Division were assigned temporarily before being reassigned to other divisions. Most of the soldiers assigned to this Division ended up being reassigned to other divisions, including the 2nd Infantry Division. 

Below is a copy of the Roster for Company C, 162nd Infantry Regiment from October 1918. Grandpa Jim is listed near the bottom of the page. It doesn't reveal on what date he was assigned to this Company, but to finally know where he was in October of 1918 following his arrival in France is a another piece to the puzzle of his military service. As a side note, the National Archives in St. Louis houses the morning reports for this, and many other, infantry regiments. I don't know when the National Archives will open again (to date, they have been closed since March of 2020), but once they open again, I will have to inquire about morning reports to see if any additional information can be obtained, such as which date he was assigned to this regiment and on what date he would have been transferred to Co. F, 9th Infantry Regiment.

Remnants of the Dodge Homestead

I'd like to thank my dad for finding this one...In March of 1894, Nathaniel T. Dodge applied for a homestead in Buena Vista, Colorado. It was the Northwest quarter of the Southwest quarter (also known as Lot 6) of Section 6, Township 14 South, Range 78 West of the 6th Principal Meridian, containing 42.69 acres. After several years of living on and improving the land, the homestead application was granted in 1901 and the homestead patent issued in 1903. (for the homestead application, I have posted this information previously on http://nbdodge.blogspot.com/2008/11/land-patent-records-for-nathaniel-t.html) Nathaniel lived and worked the land until he sold it in 1922.

Below is a picture of the home that he built and lived in. The picture is from the mid-1900's. We're not sure who is in the picture, but the home is very interesting to see and is a nice detail to add to his homesteading story

Fast forward to 2021...we are now looking to find out what happened to the homestead after Nathaniel sold his land and passed away. The land was sold to a Mr. R.B. Griffith in 1922 for $1,500 as part of a mortgage taken out from the Federal Land Bank of Wichita. After trading hands a few times, the land was foreclosed in 1930 due to non-payment of the mortgage. This was following the crash of 1929 and the onset of the great depression. The land sat vacant, owned by the bank until 1946, when it was purchased by a rancher (along with several thousand additional acres). This rancher owned it until his death in the 1960's and was sold by his estate in the early 1970's. The people who purchased it kept the land together and sold it again in the 1980's. In the 1990's, a five-acre parcel was subdivided from the former homestead. The remaining land was sold again in the 1990's, and in the early 2000's, the Terrapin Ranch subdivision was created. The land records for Chaffee County are available online at iCounty.org.

This last week, dad was looking on google earth and found the former homestead (we visited the land on our trip to Buena Vista last Summer). The boundaries of the former homestead parcel are easy to see. It is a square parcel of land with a road along the southwest corner. There are three homes running from the Northwest to the Southeast with open space along the north and southwest.

google.com

South of the middle house, there was something that caught my dad's eye. Below is a picture from google earth of what he found.

In the middle of this picture, there appears to be an outline of a foundation where a building used to stand as well as other remnants of former habitation. Looking at the picture of the home where Nathaniel and his family lived, it appears to be the exact location of where their house stood. The outline of the foundation appears to match the photo. In addition, the location of the trees appear to be in the same place as well. We are planning to go back to Buena Vista next Summer to visit this place and see where our ancestors lived. We are hoping the remnants of the foundation are still there for us to see in person.