Roberta Estelle Oury Dunn Hemenway was lost for 100 years and is now found! Estelle had been lost to her entire family until I found her around 1999.
The beginning of my search began when my father-in-law said that his grandmother went out West and was never heard from again. Her entire family, including her young children never knew what became of her.
My research led me down an intriguing path of research into her second husband, Dr. Stacy Hemenway. I have the most extensive (documented) collection regarding his 5 wives that exists. I have shared what I have with existing descendants and researchers who are interested.
Estelle was the daughter of Robertson Gannaway Oury and his second wife, Harriet Daily Oury. She married Harry Buchanan Dunn in Smyth County, VA on March 24, 1889 and they had two children. H.B. Dunn divorced on October 12, 1895. He was given custody of the young children, ages 5 and 3.
Testimony from Harry and his father, Dr. Thomas Dunn, stated that Estella was addicted to alcohol, chloroform, chloral and morphine. (It's unclear when/how her problem began.) The doctor stated first hand knowledge because they lived with him and vice versa. He stated physical "smacking" and "blows" to Estella to rouse her and keep her alive at times. Conversely, H.B. Dunn was found to been having an affair (Sarah Henderson). He placed the blame on Estella's addiction.
At some point, Estelle moved to Oregon and married Dr. Hemenway on May 22, 1897 at the Linkville Hotel in Klamath County. He had placed an ad through a "Lonely Hearts Agency" for at least one of his wives. There is an accounting that Estella answered his ad and thus began her journey to Oregon.
Family lore has it that her children may have gone for a visit because her son recalled riding a train to Oregon to see the doctor and the indians. However, there is no evidence of the children being there. The two children were raised in Virginia by their father and stepmother.
Her descendants used to end here with "nobody knew what became of her". Sadly, we now know Estelle did not live a long life and that she died from an overdose after 1 ½ years of marriage in her second marriage. She was noted to be addicted to an inordinate amount of morphine.
Well before the computer age, a volunteer with Random Acts of Genealogy went to the area where I suspected that Estelle was buried. Sure enough, she found the graveyard, took a photograph of her headstone and mailed it to me. We finally knew what became of Estelle. It's a sad story.
I will gladly share information with you if you have an interest in this family.
Notes:
She may have been almost 3 years older than listed here, a common occurrence with many women of this era.
Dr. Hemenway was 30 years her senior.
Court documents from her divorce and her obituary reveal that Stella clearly struggled with an addiction to Opium and Chloral Hydrate. This was not uncommon at the time.
The beginning of my search began when my father-in-law said that his grandmother went out West and was never heard from again. Her entire family, including her young children never knew what became of her.
My research led me down an intriguing path of research into her second husband, Dr. Stacy Hemenway. I have the most extensive (documented) collection regarding his 5 wives that exists. I have shared what I have with existing descendants and researchers who are interested.
Estelle was the daughter of Robertson Gannaway Oury and his second wife, Harriet Daily Oury. She married Harry Buchanan Dunn in Smyth County, VA on March 24, 1889 and they had two children. H.B. Dunn divorced on October 12, 1895. He was given custody of the young children, ages 5 and 3.
Testimony from Harry and his father, Dr. Thomas Dunn, stated that Estella was addicted to alcohol, chloroform, chloral and morphine. (It's unclear when/how her problem began.) The doctor stated first hand knowledge because they lived with him and vice versa. He stated physical "smacking" and "blows" to Estella to rouse her and keep her alive at times. Conversely, H.B. Dunn was found to been having an affair (Sarah Henderson). He placed the blame on Estella's addiction.
At some point, Estelle moved to Oregon and married Dr. Hemenway on May 22, 1897 at the Linkville Hotel in Klamath County. He had placed an ad through a "Lonely Hearts Agency" for at least one of his wives. There is an accounting that Estella answered his ad and thus began her journey to Oregon.
Family lore has it that her children may have gone for a visit because her son recalled riding a train to Oregon to see the doctor and the indians. However, there is no evidence of the children being there. The two children were raised in Virginia by their father and stepmother.
Her descendants used to end here with "nobody knew what became of her". Sadly, we now know Estelle did not live a long life and that she died from an overdose after 1 ½ years of marriage in her second marriage. She was noted to be addicted to an inordinate amount of morphine.
Well before the computer age, a volunteer with Random Acts of Genealogy went to the area where I suspected that Estelle was buried. Sure enough, she found the graveyard, took a photograph of her headstone and mailed it to me. We finally knew what became of Estelle. It's a sad story.
I will gladly share information with you if you have an interest in this family.
Notes:
She may have been almost 3 years older than listed here, a common occurrence with many women of this era.
Dr. Hemenway was 30 years her senior.
Court documents from her divorce and her obituary reveal that Stella clearly struggled with an addiction to Opium and Chloral Hydrate. This was not uncommon at the time.
Roberta Estelle Oury Dunn Hemenway was lost for 100 years and is now found! Estelle had been lost to her entire family until I found her around 1999.
The beginning of my search began when my father-in-law said that his grandmother went out West and was never heard from again. Her entire family, including her young children never knew what became of her.
My research led me down an intriguing path of research into her second husband, Dr. Stacy Hemenway. I have the most extensive (documented) collection regarding his 5 wives that exists. I have shared what I have with existing descendants and researchers who are interested.
Estelle was the daughter of Robertson Gannaway Oury and his second wife, Harriet Daily Oury. She married Harry Buchanan Dunn in Smyth County, VA on March 24, 1889 and they had two children. H.B. Dunn divorced on October 12, 1895. He was given custody of the young children, ages 5 and 3.
Testimony from Harry and his father, Dr. Thomas Dunn, stated that Estella was addicted to alcohol, chloroform, chloral and morphine. (It's unclear when/how her problem began.) The doctor stated first hand knowledge because they lived with him and vice versa. He stated physical "smacking" and "blows" to Estella to rouse her and keep her alive at times. Conversely, H.B. Dunn was found to been having an affair (Sarah Henderson). He placed the blame on Estella's addiction.
At some point, Estelle moved to Oregon and married Dr. Hemenway on May 22, 1897 at the Linkville Hotel in Klamath County. He had placed an ad through a "Lonely Hearts Agency" for at least one of his wives. There is an accounting that Estella answered his ad and thus began her journey to Oregon.
Family lore has it that her children may have gone for a visit because her son recalled riding a train to Oregon to see the doctor and the indians. However, there is no evidence of the children being there. The two children were raised in Virginia by their father and stepmother.
Her descendants used to end here with "nobody knew what became of her". Sadly, we now know Estelle did not live a long life and that she died from an overdose after 1 ½ years of marriage in her second marriage. She was noted to be addicted to an inordinate amount of morphine.
Well before the computer age, a volunteer with Random Acts of Genealogy went to the area where I suspected that Estelle was buried. Sure enough, she found the graveyard, took a photograph of her headstone and mailed it to me. We finally knew what became of Estelle. It's a sad story.
I will gladly share information with you if you have an interest in this family.
Notes:
She may have been almost 3 years older than listed here, a common occurrence with many women of this era.
Dr. Hemenway was 30 years her senior.
Court documents from her divorce and her obituary reveal that Stella clearly struggled with an addiction to Opium and Chloral Hydrate. This was not uncommon at the time.
The beginning of my search began when my father-in-law said that his grandmother went out West and was never heard from again. Her entire family, including her young children never knew what became of her.
My research led me down an intriguing path of research into her second husband, Dr. Stacy Hemenway. I have the most extensive (documented) collection regarding his 5 wives that exists. I have shared what I have with existing descendants and researchers who are interested.
Estelle was the daughter of Robertson Gannaway Oury and his second wife, Harriet Daily Oury. She married Harry Buchanan Dunn in Smyth County, VA on March 24, 1889 and they had two children. H.B. Dunn divorced on October 12, 1895. He was given custody of the young children, ages 5 and 3.
Testimony from Harry and his father, Dr. Thomas Dunn, stated that Estella was addicted to alcohol, chloroform, chloral and morphine. (It's unclear when/how her problem began.) The doctor stated first hand knowledge because they lived with him and vice versa. He stated physical "smacking" and "blows" to Estella to rouse her and keep her alive at times. Conversely, H.B. Dunn was found to been having an affair (Sarah Henderson). He placed the blame on Estella's addiction.
At some point, Estelle moved to Oregon and married Dr. Hemenway on May 22, 1897 at the Linkville Hotel in Klamath County. He had placed an ad through a "Lonely Hearts Agency" for at least one of his wives. There is an accounting that Estella answered his ad and thus began her journey to Oregon.
Family lore has it that her children may have gone for a visit because her son recalled riding a train to Oregon to see the doctor and the indians. However, there is no evidence of the children being there. The two children were raised in Virginia by their father and stepmother.
Her descendants used to end here with "nobody knew what became of her". Sadly, we now know Estelle did not live a long life and that she died from an overdose after 1 ½ years of marriage in her second marriage. She was noted to be addicted to an inordinate amount of morphine.
Well before the computer age, a volunteer with Random Acts of Genealogy went to the area where I suspected that Estelle was buried. Sure enough, she found the graveyard, took a photograph of her headstone and mailed it to me. We finally knew what became of Estelle. It's a sad story.
I will gladly share information with you if you have an interest in this family.
Notes:
She may have been almost 3 years older than listed here, a common occurrence with many women of this era.
Dr. Hemenway was 30 years her senior.
Court documents from her divorce and her obituary reveal that Stella clearly struggled with an addiction to Opium and Chloral Hydrate. This was not uncommon at the time.
Gravesite Details
Age 35 Years
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