Willard Reuben Lemon (also known as William Lewis Leonard) was born to Ann and Edward Lemon. He served in the Civil War as a Private in the Ohio Cavalry, 3rd Regiment, Company D. After the Civil War ended, he served in the Regular Army stationed out of Fort Riley, from which he defected. He lost his right thumb while unloading timber in North Platte, Nebraska, in December 1868.
After his parents died of typhoid in 1869, Willard's family in Ohio never saw him again. Sometime in the early 1870s he sent them a picture of himself and a woman, who he said was his wife.
During the 1870s Willard traveled around the West; the places he stopped included Alaska, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. In 1879, under the name William Leonard, he married Nellie Myers in Hilliard, Wyoming. They had six children, one of whom died as an infant.
In the 1890s William left the family to try and make his fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush. They never saw him again. They last heard from him in 1898. Between this time and 1912, William again traveled the West.
In 1912, Willard returned to Los Angeles and took up residence in the Soldier's Home in Sawtelle (now the U.S. Veteran's Administration). Just after applying for his Civil War pension, he was kicked out of the home after getting into a fight with another veteran, and he went to live in the Natick House Hotel in L.A., a popular veteran hangout.
When the government received Willard's pension request, they were unsure of his identity, and they opened an investigation. Through this investigation, the government sent an agent to get depositions from various family members and Willard himself. The agent traveled to Ohio, Wyoming, and L.A.
William's wife, Nellie, had since moved to L.A. with one of her daughters, not knowing that William was also in L.A. It had been many years since they had last heard anything of him. When they found out that he was alive and living in L.A., Nellie requested that she not have to meet with him, and the government honored her wishes. Nellie didn't even know that William had been a soldier. Nobody ever found out what had become of William's first wife, the one in the picture he had sent to his sister in Ohio.
During the investigation, Willard became ill and went to County Hospital in L.A. While there, he was interviewed a second time by the government. In March 1914, Willard and seven other men in the hospital received an experimental drug called neo-salvasan, which had come from Germany. Within a few days, all eight were dead of poisoning from the drug, which contained arsenic.
Willard was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. A couple of weeks after his death, Nellie had his body exhumed for a $10 fee and confirmed that he was her former husband. She said that she wanted to know for her own conscience; that she had spent so many years not knowing what became of him and she wanted to be sure.
After William's death, Nellie received her Civil War widow's pension for the next 30 years. She died in L.A. in 1945 and was buried in Evanston, Wyoming.
After his parents died of typhoid in 1869, Willard's family in Ohio never saw him again. Sometime in the early 1870s he sent them a picture of himself and a woman, who he said was his wife.
During the 1870s Willard traveled around the West; the places he stopped included Alaska, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. In 1879, under the name William Leonard, he married Nellie Myers in Hilliard, Wyoming. They had six children, one of whom died as an infant.
In the 1890s William left the family to try and make his fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush. They never saw him again. They last heard from him in 1898. Between this time and 1912, William again traveled the West.
In 1912, Willard returned to Los Angeles and took up residence in the Soldier's Home in Sawtelle (now the U.S. Veteran's Administration). Just after applying for his Civil War pension, he was kicked out of the home after getting into a fight with another veteran, and he went to live in the Natick House Hotel in L.A., a popular veteran hangout.
When the government received Willard's pension request, they were unsure of his identity, and they opened an investigation. Through this investigation, the government sent an agent to get depositions from various family members and Willard himself. The agent traveled to Ohio, Wyoming, and L.A.
William's wife, Nellie, had since moved to L.A. with one of her daughters, not knowing that William was also in L.A. It had been many years since they had last heard anything of him. When they found out that he was alive and living in L.A., Nellie requested that she not have to meet with him, and the government honored her wishes. Nellie didn't even know that William had been a soldier. Nobody ever found out what had become of William's first wife, the one in the picture he had sent to his sister in Ohio.
During the investigation, Willard became ill and went to County Hospital in L.A. While there, he was interviewed a second time by the government. In March 1914, Willard and seven other men in the hospital received an experimental drug called neo-salvasan, which had come from Germany. Within a few days, all eight were dead of poisoning from the drug, which contained arsenic.
Willard was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. A couple of weeks after his death, Nellie had his body exhumed for a $10 fee and confirmed that he was her former husband. She said that she wanted to know for her own conscience; that she had spent so many years not knowing what became of him and she wanted to be sure.
After William's death, Nellie received her Civil War widow's pension for the next 30 years. She died in L.A. in 1945 and was buried in Evanston, Wyoming.
Willard Reuben Lemon (also known as William Lewis Leonard) was born to Ann and Edward Lemon. He served in the Civil War as a Private in the Ohio Cavalry, 3rd Regiment, Company D. After the Civil War ended, he served in the Regular Army stationed out of Fort Riley, from which he defected. He lost his right thumb while unloading timber in North Platte, Nebraska, in December 1868.
After his parents died of typhoid in 1869, Willard's family in Ohio never saw him again. Sometime in the early 1870s he sent them a picture of himself and a woman, who he said was his wife.
During the 1870s Willard traveled around the West; the places he stopped included Alaska, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. In 1879, under the name William Leonard, he married Nellie Myers in Hilliard, Wyoming. They had six children, one of whom died as an infant.
In the 1890s William left the family to try and make his fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush. They never saw him again. They last heard from him in 1898. Between this time and 1912, William again traveled the West.
In 1912, Willard returned to Los Angeles and took up residence in the Soldier's Home in Sawtelle (now the U.S. Veteran's Administration). Just after applying for his Civil War pension, he was kicked out of the home after getting into a fight with another veteran, and he went to live in the Natick House Hotel in L.A., a popular veteran hangout.
When the government received Willard's pension request, they were unsure of his identity, and they opened an investigation. Through this investigation, the government sent an agent to get depositions from various family members and Willard himself. The agent traveled to Ohio, Wyoming, and L.A.
William's wife, Nellie, had since moved to L.A. with one of her daughters, not knowing that William was also in L.A. It had been many years since they had last heard anything of him. When they found out that he was alive and living in L.A., Nellie requested that she not have to meet with him, and the government honored her wishes. Nellie didn't even know that William had been a soldier. Nobody ever found out what had become of William's first wife, the one in the picture he had sent to his sister in Ohio.
During the investigation, Willard became ill and went to County Hospital in L.A. While there, he was interviewed a second time by the government. In March 1914, Willard and seven other men in the hospital received an experimental drug called neo-salvasan, which had come from Germany. Within a few days, all eight were dead of poisoning from the drug, which contained arsenic.
Willard was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. A couple of weeks after his death, Nellie had his body exhumed for a $10 fee and confirmed that he was her former husband. She said that she wanted to know for her own conscience; that she had spent so many years not knowing what became of him and she wanted to be sure.
After William's death, Nellie received her Civil War widow's pension for the next 30 years. She died in L.A. in 1945 and was buried in Evanston, Wyoming.
After his parents died of typhoid in 1869, Willard's family in Ohio never saw him again. Sometime in the early 1870s he sent them a picture of himself and a woman, who he said was his wife.
During the 1870s Willard traveled around the West; the places he stopped included Alaska, Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. In 1879, under the name William Leonard, he married Nellie Myers in Hilliard, Wyoming. They had six children, one of whom died as an infant.
In the 1890s William left the family to try and make his fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush. They never saw him again. They last heard from him in 1898. Between this time and 1912, William again traveled the West.
In 1912, Willard returned to Los Angeles and took up residence in the Soldier's Home in Sawtelle (now the U.S. Veteran's Administration). Just after applying for his Civil War pension, he was kicked out of the home after getting into a fight with another veteran, and he went to live in the Natick House Hotel in L.A., a popular veteran hangout.
When the government received Willard's pension request, they were unsure of his identity, and they opened an investigation. Through this investigation, the government sent an agent to get depositions from various family members and Willard himself. The agent traveled to Ohio, Wyoming, and L.A.
William's wife, Nellie, had since moved to L.A. with one of her daughters, not knowing that William was also in L.A. It had been many years since they had last heard anything of him. When they found out that he was alive and living in L.A., Nellie requested that she not have to meet with him, and the government honored her wishes. Nellie didn't even know that William had been a soldier. Nobody ever found out what had become of William's first wife, the one in the picture he had sent to his sister in Ohio.
During the investigation, Willard became ill and went to County Hospital in L.A. While there, he was interviewed a second time by the government. In March 1914, Willard and seven other men in the hospital received an experimental drug called neo-salvasan, which had come from Germany. Within a few days, all eight were dead of poisoning from the drug, which contained arsenic.
Willard was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. A couple of weeks after his death, Nellie had his body exhumed for a $10 fee and confirmed that he was her former husband. She said that she wanted to know for her own conscience; that she had spent so many years not knowing what became of him and she wanted to be sure.
After William's death, Nellie received her Civil War widow's pension for the next 30 years. She died in L.A. in 1945 and was buried in Evanston, Wyoming.
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