aka "Louise"

Mrs. Louisa J. Sanford, widow of the late Don A. Sanford, Sr., died yesterday, Friday, September 3, 1920, of a cerebral hemorrhage, according to her daughter, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. B. Stuart Garber, 2806 Cathedral Avenue NW, after a brief illness. Mrs. Sanford was 71 years old and was a resident of Washington, D.C. for many years. She is survived by her three daughters, Mrs. Etta L. Garber, Mrs. Amo (Fred) McKee, Miss Bertha Alpha Sanford, and her son, Don A. Sanford, Jr. Funeral services were held at her late address, 330 Indiana Avenue NW on Monday morning at 11 o'clock, September 6, 1920; interment followed in Rock Creek Cemetery.

Obituaries in The Washington Times, Saturday, September 4, 1920, The Washington Post, Sunday, September 5, 1920, and in the Fredericksburg, VA, newspaper dated 17 Sep 1920 for "Luisa" Bloxton Sanford.

There doesn't seem to be any truth to the claim that Lou was orphaned at the age of nine by her mother's death in 1859 (her mother didn't die until Dec 5, 1881. Still, Lou may have moved to Glenmore Farm for other reasons to live with her grandmother's sister, great-aunt Beckie (Elkins) Packard (1816-1878) and great-uncle Arba R. Packard (1819-1902). However, she doesn't appear on any census with them, but Alex Bloxton appears on both the 1850 & 1860 censuses with them. I couldn't find Lou on the 1860 Census anywhere.

Glenmore Farm was left to Louisa Bloxton Sanford by Arba & Beckie Packard.
On Dec 12, 1902, Lou Bloxton Sanford wrote from Glenmore Farm to her son, Don, Jr.: "You remember you laughed at Alex' (Bloxton's) horse; I just wish you could see him now; he runs and jumps like a colt. Alex (Bloxton) & Fred built a nice warm shed yesterday for our new 3-weeks old tomorrow calf. Alex (Bloxton) and Mr. S. (Don Sanford, Sr.) cut new rafters today & will sheathe and cover it with tar paper."
In Jan 1903, Don Sanford wrote from Glenmore Farm: "Alex Bloxton came at noon."
On Feb 11, 1903, A. E. Bloxton wrote Don Sanford from near Fredericksburg, VA because Alex' son, Walter Bloxton, who had gone to work for the Sanfords in Washington, D.C.: "I have one of the best horses a man ever drew a line on & gets better every day. I am very sorry to learn that Walter is not under your Supervision now. We have the most unbounded confidence in your guidance and judgement and had hoped it could have been so he could have continued with you. I do not know how it will be with him now. Mrs. B (Bloxton) is not very well; she is suffering with cold and rheumatism. I am having a very hard time with rheumatism in my shoulders. My wife joins me in kind love to you and Lou...Yours Truly, A.E. Bloxton"
On Nov 7, 1904, Don Sanford wrote from Glenmore Farm: "at Alex Bloxton with old Dandy (horse). I start for Washington (details of trip back riding Dandy.)"
On May 4, 1906, Don Sanford wrote: "Levi Kennedy and I left Dumfries (VA) Blacksmith Shop with Dandy, sorrel cob (horses), brown buggy blue mule....went into Chipervancy, terrible bad road where wheel give out; I turned into field....Store at bend where go south....Louy flat, wood & iron bridge.....up hill across field from Court House large dwelling & ice house on hill....bottom hill near stream & store....Stafford (VA)....turned to ALEX BLOXTON'S...arrived 12:03, left 2:33...Brook Station at George Armstrong's....crossed Potomac Run Bridge...Camp Seldon...New Hope...Home, Lucy (Kennedy) open gate..."
On Sept 30, 1906, Don Sanford wrote: "ALBERT BLOXTON (Fielding A. B), Lou and I at (Glenmore) Farm; drove to fields then White Oak Church & Pratts...."
On Apr 12, 1907, Don Sanford wrote: "At Lewis Barretts & (Dr) BENJ BLOXTONs, 1013 Floyd Ave, Richmond (VA).
May 4, 1907, Don Sanford wrote from D.C.: "I start Fredericksburg; Mr. B (Dr. Bloxton) took me Depot
Sep 8, 1907, Don Sanford wrote: "Lou, Charles Bloxton and I at (Glenmore) Farm. Drove...to Salem Church & to 5 Points, then came to Fredericksburg."
Oct 11, 1907, Don Sanford, in Washington, D.C., wrote: "Bought ticket to Richmond...arrived 11:30...to Fairground Entrance, met Charles Bloxton. Saw Stock Machinery &c. Went to (Dr) Benj Bloxton's."
Oct 12, 1907, Don Sanford wrote: "At Dr Benj Bloxton's, got Break. Chas Bloxton (Lou's brother) went Depot with me...I took train for Fredbg...carriage to Bob Williams'. Met Levi..."
August 4, 1917, Washington, D.C., Lou wrote that "Alex Bloxton came at lunchtime."
[They were cousins.]
On August 21, 1917, she wrote that "Albert Bloxton came..." [Alex' brother]
Alex Bloxton wrote Don Sanford of his disappointment that Alex' son, Walter, had not been taken under Don's wing of good influence as Alex had hoped.
SOURCE: https://speccoll.library.arizona.edu/collections/don-alonzo-sanford-papers

Louisa and Don Sanford were in conflict with the City of Tucson for many years over their ownership of "The Bloxton Wedge" (see attached news article from 1897). Tucson wanted it gone. The conflict continued until 1907 or 1908 when Tucson condemned it and leveled it. "1-26-1903, Tucson Daily Citizen - A DISASTROUS FIRE VISITS BUSINESS DISTRICT - A fire last night came very near saving the city the trouble and the expense of litigation attendant upon the removal of "The Bloxton Wedge". The four buildings in the center of the wedge were completely destroyed by fire between the hours of 12 and 1 o'clock. The general public seems to look upon the fire as a starter for the removal of the wedge."

On the 1900 Census, Don Sanford was listed as age 65, born January 1835 (1840 in his bios), a Lawyer, and Louisa was listed as age 54 (51) and born February 1846 (1849). She listed 5 living children from 7 births (also on 1910 Census).

She was the daughter of:
On 1850 Census (age 2)(1+), Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania Co., VA:
Robert "Nelson" BLOXTON (38)
Manager of farm (born 1812)
Mary A. "Louisa" (Brown) BLOXTON (34) (1816 - Dec 5, 1881)
Lou's mother is also claimed to be: "Louise Jane Brown (1819-1859)"
But Death Date Disproved by the following:
1875 Lynchburg, Virginia
Chataigne's City Directory:
Mary A. Bloxton, Widow of Robert N. Bloxton
Residence: 87 Church, Lynchburg, VA

Lou's mother was d/o John Brown (1794 KG Co VA - 1833)
who was married March 21, 1818, King George Co, VA to:
Mary Louisa (Polly) Elkins Brown (-1839)
(Polly was Frances Rebecca Elkins' sister, so same parents: Benjamin & Fanny)

Lou's mother had a brother (who turns out, via obit, to be her mother's father's grandson):
Rev. Benjamin Peyton Brown (5 July 1830 VA - 26 Aug 1896, Baltimore, MD) #43643461,
a D.C. Methodist Preacher, Foundry Church
Don Sanford wrote of attending services at his church and hearing him preach.

Miss Louisa J. Bloxton, Dressmaker, at 621 D Street NW, h do - (h=house) (do=same place), where she also resided, was listed in the District of Columbia Directory of 1874. Today, there are big, tall buildings at that location and also at 330 Indiana Avenue NW, the former location of her residence with Don Sanford at the time of his death in 1915. (A statue of Brigadier General Albert Pike is at the conjunction of Third & D Streets & Indiana Avenue and can be seen in the street view of Indiana Ave.

MARRIED:
At the residence of W. C. Davis
in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona,
on Thursday, October 5, 1875,
by Justice Joseph Newgass,
Mr. D. A. SANFORD of Tucson, and
Miss LOUISA BLOXTON of Washington, DC,
formerly of Fredericksburg, VA.

She was survived by four of her seven children and predeceased by one adult daughter and two infant daughters:

1. Etta L. Sanford (1876–1953)
(Mrs. Benjamin Stuart Garber)
Birth 11 AUG 1876 • Tucson, Pima, Arizona
Death 4 DEC 1953 • Washington, DC
1928 - Division Chief, Indian Office
1934 - Chief Clerk, Bureau of Indian Affairs,
h2806 Cathedral Ave NW, Washington, DC (1928-1934)

2. Amo (aka Ansol) Sanford
(Sept 19, 1877, Tucson, Pima, AZ -
June 29, 1926, 1109 N. Stone, Tucson (5 mos.)
48 y, 9 m, 3 days - Chronic Endocarditis (2 mos)
Cause of Death: Ulcerative Endocarditis (autopsy)
(Mrs. Fred McKee, 1920 Vice President/Lawyer, Title Insurance Company, District of Washington, DC)
Body removed to D.C.; Burial June 30, 1926

3. Ada Sanford Dec 1879 - Sept. 23, 1880

4. Mable Rebecca Sanford (Oct 1881-1918)
(Mrs. Dr. Guy Walter Latimer, 1879-1961)
Birth 1 OCT 1881 • Tucson, Pima, Arizona
Death 5 JUN 1918 • Washington, DC
Age 30 from burns in gas explosion on yacht
Married 10 years; no children

5. Bertha Alpha Sanford (July 1883)
Single (30) in 1920 with widowed mom
(Mrs. Leroy Edward Miller)

6. D.A. Sanford, Jr. (Aug 1886)
Electrical Contractor, own business in 1920,
Married to Greta L. Sanford; one daughter

7. Ruth Sanford 1889-1889, Washington D.C.

THE BORDER VIDETTE, Saturday, May 3, 1913 (Nogales AZ) -
On Wednesday, April 30, 1913, the Southern Pacific brakeman whose leg was badly crushed while handling freight at BLOXTON Station, was taken to the company's hospital at San Francisco. The injured man's wounds were dressed by Dr. Purdy. A trained nurse and an assistant accompanied the man on the trip.

AZ Daily Star (Tucson AZ) - 29 June 1919 - "FOURTH OF JULY WILL BE NOGALES FETE DAY" Nogales, June 28 (Special to The Star) -
"Nogales will celebrate the Fourth at BLOXTON, AZ. The celebration will be held under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce and the Army and Navy Union. A special train will be run to BLOXTON on the morning of the Fourth. Colonel Bird of the Oasis is scheduled as one of the orators of the day. The usual picnic, parties, races and games will be pulled off."

BLOXTON Station was the railroad stop with a STORE located on land formerly bought by ROBERT BLOXTON (and named for him), later transferred to Don Alonzo Sanford.

Lou's cousin who worked for them in AZ (Bennie Elkins) wrote Dec 25, 1886 that chestnut blaze faced mare and little Iron grey horse had been stolen, and two old broke down horses left in their place.

Lou's older brother, Robert Vinton Bloxton:
Bob went with the Sanfords when they moved to Tucson and spent his next years there and at the Sonoita Creek Ranches that had belonged to Don's brother, Denton (Dec 4, 1886 - Bob received deeds to ranches from Don he had paid $5000 for on Nov 15, 1886).
19 May 1887, Thurs Arizona Weekly Star (Tucson, Arizona) -
"Robert Bloxton returned from his Sonoita ranch yesterday; he says the earthquake gave the folks in that neighborhood quite a fright. Thousands of tons of rock were shaken loose from the mountains and precipitated down the mountains, he said."
"Bob Bloxton & Don Sanford back from D.C. trip yesterday.
Mr. B's first visit to his old home in 8 yrs. (1882)"
25 Oct 1890 - AZ Daily Star (Tucson, AZ)
After the Sanfords moved back East, Bob stayed in Tucson and looked after their properties in Tucson.
13 Feb 1894 - Bob had an employee, Chinaman Lewie Louie #213329432, whose house was robbed several days after he received his wages, and he was missing and presumed dead after a search for him by two men for weeks proved fruitless.

Lou's older brother, John Benjamin "Bennie" Bloxton (1842-1909) #106970062:
MILITARY SERVICE:
JOHN B. BLOXTON (5'6-3/4", dark complexion, brown eyes & hair)-
Residence: Williamsburg, VA; Enlisted: May 16, 1861 @ Williamsburg
State Served: VA; Survived War? Yes; Rank @ Enlistment: SERGEANT; Company C, VA - James City Light Artillery; Promoted: Full Corporal on Jan 7, 1862/Full 4th SERGEANT on June 4, 1862; Mustered out on Jan 16, 1865
JOHN B. BLOXTON - In: SGT / Out: SGT - Richardson's Co, VA Artillery (James City Artillery) -M382roll5
JOHN B. BLOXTON - In: PVT / Out: SGT - Confederate, VA 1st Regiment, VA Artillery, Company B (Hardaway's) (Moseley's) -M382roll5 - [Another Same except: In: SGT / Out: SGT]
JOHN B. BLOXTON - In: PVT / Out: PVT, Company H, 32nd Regiment, VA Infantry
1898 SPANISH AMERICAN WAR - Benj Bloxton, PVT, Company I, 2 VA Infantry

He probably grew up near Fredericksburg, Virginia, where Lou grew up. He moved around to different parts of the country and constantly changed jobs until he became a detective; he suffered severe depression (his brother, Charles, spoke in Nov 1890 of his "gloomy spells" and "despondent mood") and eventually killed himself (although the newspaper obituary stated that he died of a heart attack, but Don Sanford wrote that he committed suicide).
When Lou went West to marry Don Alonzo Sanford, Bennie accompanied her. They took a train to San Francisco, where Don met them, then the three of them went to Los Angeles by boat and by wagon across the desert, camping along the way, to Tucson, AZ. After Lou & Don were married, Bennie stayed with them for awhile as they homesteaded their first ranch on Cienega Creek in the Empire Mountains, and records show that he homesteaded a place nearby, but he did not stay, and later transferred the property to Sanford. For reasons unknown, he left for California, returned, then left again; in May 1887, he passed through his brother, Robert Vinton's, place in AZ on his way from Oregon; in 1890, he went to Norfolk, VA, then to Charleston, SC; from 1891-1896, he was living in Florida, based out of Jacksonville, and working as a troubleshooter for the Railroad. "1896: Special Agent, Terminal Station, Jacksonville, FL"
On Jan 4, 1891, he wrote: "My health is very good....I caught a white man last week at Ocala, FL, stealing baggage and robbing cars. I leave tonight for the Southern part of FL. A depot has been broken open, and a trunk valued at $100 was stolen; can't say how long I will be gone....I have 600 miles of road to travel over, and it keeps me on the road all the time. I take quinine all the time to keep off fever; I don't mind the work if I keep well....I like the weather better than California....I had a lonely CHRISTmas."
July 26, 1906, Don Sanford wrote from Richmond, VA: "Robt (Bloxton) & I at (4-story) Lexington Hotel, corner of Main & 12th Streets, Richmond. Benj Bloxton met us and took me to his house, 1013 Florida Ave & Robt went up on car....Benj took me to R.F.&P. Depot." July 27, 1906: "Robt & I at Exchange Hotel (third of three renovated Exchange Hotels on south corner of Caroline and Hanover Streets. By 1915, the Exchange had become the Hotel Frederick and then, in 1921, the Hotel Maury), Fredericksburg (VA)."
March 12, 1907, Don Sanford wrote that he gave "Bennie Blox wf" 2.00. This is the only indication in any of the records that he had married. Nothing is known about her.
(Single Detective; Boarder, 114-9thSt, Lynchburg, VA - 1900 Census - age 52 - "Jan 1847" BD entered)
March 12, 1907, Don Sanford wrote: "Bennie Bloxton and my fares to Williamsburg; Bennie and I called Al Bloxton at Asylum (Fielding Albert Bloxton (1839-1917) #111051747, my G-G-Grandfather, Alexander Edwin Bloxton's, brother, as is *Thomas Lawrence Bloxton (1836-1908) #111052149 of Williamsburg); Dine at Colonial Inn Ben & I, 1.50; Team to *Thos Bloxton's 1.50

Lou's older brother from Grand Rapids, MI - Wm. Emmet Bloxton:
THE OASIS (Arizola AZ) - 19 Dec 1903 - "Mr. W. E. Bloxton has arranged a deal by which his land and cattle interests on the Sonoita have been disposed of to Mr. Don A. Sanford."
"Tuesday - Messrs. W. E. and James Bloxton were in from the Sonoita Canyon."