This is my Mamo. We had always known that my Mamo was adopted. Rev. Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" and Mary Pearl Pierot Shelton adopted her and were wonderful parents. They changed her name to Dorothy Louise Shelton upon adoption.
She was born Dortha Louise Watson. Her birth mother, Laura Watson (Lura) and her maternal grandmother, Mollie Harmon abandoned her in the restroom of the Katy Limited Train # 10 bound for Durant, Oklahoma from Denison, Texas on July 24th, 1914 (Durant Weekly News/Durant, Oklahoma Vol. 18, No 26, Ed. 1 Friday June 26, 1914). The mom and grandmother were seen hurrying off the train, got into a covered "hack" that was waiting and were swiftly driven away.
When she was found a bit later on the train, the police took her to the station were a woman inmate cared for her until she was adopted within a week. A July 3, 1914 newspaper article shows the arrest of Laura Watson (birth mom), her mother, Mollie Harmon and Mollie's husband, Ben Harmon - step father to Laura and as it turns out, the Bio father of my Mamo. Laura served 4 months, Mollie served 9 months and Ben was found not guilty of child desertion.
I have successfully traced Benjamin Franklin Harmon and have made contact with living relatives. I have not been as successful with Laura Watson and Mollie. I do not know Mollie's maiden name or who Laura Watson's father is. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and Laura had a younger brother William E. Watson. By 1910, Mollie was married to Ben Harmon and Mollie and Ben had a daughter Emma Harmon. After that the trail on Mollie and Laura run dry but from the living relatives (through a half sister of my Mamo's recalling what my Mamo's older full blooded sister had told her), it appears Laura may have passed away around 1917.
Dorothy Louise Watson Shelton Fuller was raised as a single child by Jeff and Mary Shelton, whom we knew as Grannie and Grandpa Shelton and were the most loving and wonderful people. Her bio family included a full blooded older sister Lily Zell Harmon Snode, half sister - living, half brother Wiley Harmon, and Emma Harmon Jerue Manning (mentioned above) who was her Aunt via bio mother and her half sister via her bio father.
Edited January 24, 2016:
Through Ancestry DNA, I have confirmed Mollie's maiden name was White. Laura and her brother William Watson's father was Samuel Monford Watson. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and living with her sister-in-law and her husband. William was an infant and Laura would have been around 4 years old. Samuel did not pass away prior to the 1900 census, however. He lived a much longer life in South Texas and was re-married. I've heard that the Watson men of that time had several kids with several women and didn't take care of any of them. Just a couple of months ago, my 83 year old father shook the hands of and hugged the necks of his first ever maternal relatives....Marvin and his sister Jean and Marvin's daughter, Beverly and several others. Still no more on Mollie White Watson Harmon, William Watson or Laura/Lura Watson.
She was born Dortha Louise Watson. Her birth mother, Laura Watson (Lura) and her maternal grandmother, Mollie Harmon abandoned her in the restroom of the Katy Limited Train # 10 bound for Durant, Oklahoma from Denison, Texas on July 24th, 1914 (Durant Weekly News/Durant, Oklahoma Vol. 18, No 26, Ed. 1 Friday June 26, 1914). The mom and grandmother were seen hurrying off the train, got into a covered "hack" that was waiting and were swiftly driven away.
When she was found a bit later on the train, the police took her to the station were a woman inmate cared for her until she was adopted within a week. A July 3, 1914 newspaper article shows the arrest of Laura Watson (birth mom), her mother, Mollie Harmon and Mollie's husband, Ben Harmon - step father to Laura and as it turns out, the Bio father of my Mamo. Laura served 4 months, Mollie served 9 months and Ben was found not guilty of child desertion.
I have successfully traced Benjamin Franklin Harmon and have made contact with living relatives. I have not been as successful with Laura Watson and Mollie. I do not know Mollie's maiden name or who Laura Watson's father is. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and Laura had a younger brother William E. Watson. By 1910, Mollie was married to Ben Harmon and Mollie and Ben had a daughter Emma Harmon. After that the trail on Mollie and Laura run dry but from the living relatives (through a half sister of my Mamo's recalling what my Mamo's older full blooded sister had told her), it appears Laura may have passed away around 1917.
Dorothy Louise Watson Shelton Fuller was raised as a single child by Jeff and Mary Shelton, whom we knew as Grannie and Grandpa Shelton and were the most loving and wonderful people. Her bio family included a full blooded older sister Lily Zell Harmon Snode, half sister - living, half brother Wiley Harmon, and Emma Harmon Jerue Manning (mentioned above) who was her Aunt via bio mother and her half sister via her bio father.
Edited January 24, 2016:
Through Ancestry DNA, I have confirmed Mollie's maiden name was White. Laura and her brother William Watson's father was Samuel Monford Watson. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and living with her sister-in-law and her husband. William was an infant and Laura would have been around 4 years old. Samuel did not pass away prior to the 1900 census, however. He lived a much longer life in South Texas and was re-married. I've heard that the Watson men of that time had several kids with several women and didn't take care of any of them. Just a couple of months ago, my 83 year old father shook the hands of and hugged the necks of his first ever maternal relatives....Marvin and his sister Jean and Marvin's daughter, Beverly and several others. Still no more on Mollie White Watson Harmon, William Watson or Laura/Lura Watson.
This is my Mamo. We had always known that my Mamo was adopted. Rev. Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" and Mary Pearl Pierot Shelton adopted her and were wonderful parents. They changed her name to Dorothy Louise Shelton upon adoption.
She was born Dortha Louise Watson. Her birth mother, Laura Watson (Lura) and her maternal grandmother, Mollie Harmon abandoned her in the restroom of the Katy Limited Train # 10 bound for Durant, Oklahoma from Denison, Texas on July 24th, 1914 (Durant Weekly News/Durant, Oklahoma Vol. 18, No 26, Ed. 1 Friday June 26, 1914). The mom and grandmother were seen hurrying off the train, got into a covered "hack" that was waiting and were swiftly driven away.
When she was found a bit later on the train, the police took her to the station were a woman inmate cared for her until she was adopted within a week. A July 3, 1914 newspaper article shows the arrest of Laura Watson (birth mom), her mother, Mollie Harmon and Mollie's husband, Ben Harmon - step father to Laura and as it turns out, the Bio father of my Mamo. Laura served 4 months, Mollie served 9 months and Ben was found not guilty of child desertion.
I have successfully traced Benjamin Franklin Harmon and have made contact with living relatives. I have not been as successful with Laura Watson and Mollie. I do not know Mollie's maiden name or who Laura Watson's father is. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and Laura had a younger brother William E. Watson. By 1910, Mollie was married to Ben Harmon and Mollie and Ben had a daughter Emma Harmon. After that the trail on Mollie and Laura run dry but from the living relatives (through a half sister of my Mamo's recalling what my Mamo's older full blooded sister had told her), it appears Laura may have passed away around 1917.
Dorothy Louise Watson Shelton Fuller was raised as a single child by Jeff and Mary Shelton, whom we knew as Grannie and Grandpa Shelton and were the most loving and wonderful people. Her bio family included a full blooded older sister Lily Zell Harmon Snode, half sister - living, half brother Wiley Harmon, and Emma Harmon Jerue Manning (mentioned above) who was her Aunt via bio mother and her half sister via her bio father.
Edited January 24, 2016:
Through Ancestry DNA, I have confirmed Mollie's maiden name was White. Laura and her brother William Watson's father was Samuel Monford Watson. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and living with her sister-in-law and her husband. William was an infant and Laura would have been around 4 years old. Samuel did not pass away prior to the 1900 census, however. He lived a much longer life in South Texas and was re-married. I've heard that the Watson men of that time had several kids with several women and didn't take care of any of them. Just a couple of months ago, my 83 year old father shook the hands of and hugged the necks of his first ever maternal relatives....Marvin and his sister Jean and Marvin's daughter, Beverly and several others. Still no more on Mollie White Watson Harmon, William Watson or Laura/Lura Watson.
She was born Dortha Louise Watson. Her birth mother, Laura Watson (Lura) and her maternal grandmother, Mollie Harmon abandoned her in the restroom of the Katy Limited Train # 10 bound for Durant, Oklahoma from Denison, Texas on July 24th, 1914 (Durant Weekly News/Durant, Oklahoma Vol. 18, No 26, Ed. 1 Friday June 26, 1914). The mom and grandmother were seen hurrying off the train, got into a covered "hack" that was waiting and were swiftly driven away.
When she was found a bit later on the train, the police took her to the station were a woman inmate cared for her until she was adopted within a week. A July 3, 1914 newspaper article shows the arrest of Laura Watson (birth mom), her mother, Mollie Harmon and Mollie's husband, Ben Harmon - step father to Laura and as it turns out, the Bio father of my Mamo. Laura served 4 months, Mollie served 9 months and Ben was found not guilty of child desertion.
I have successfully traced Benjamin Franklin Harmon and have made contact with living relatives. I have not been as successful with Laura Watson and Mollie. I do not know Mollie's maiden name or who Laura Watson's father is. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and Laura had a younger brother William E. Watson. By 1910, Mollie was married to Ben Harmon and Mollie and Ben had a daughter Emma Harmon. After that the trail on Mollie and Laura run dry but from the living relatives (through a half sister of my Mamo's recalling what my Mamo's older full blooded sister had told her), it appears Laura may have passed away around 1917.
Dorothy Louise Watson Shelton Fuller was raised as a single child by Jeff and Mary Shelton, whom we knew as Grannie and Grandpa Shelton and were the most loving and wonderful people. Her bio family included a full blooded older sister Lily Zell Harmon Snode, half sister - living, half brother Wiley Harmon, and Emma Harmon Jerue Manning (mentioned above) who was her Aunt via bio mother and her half sister via her bio father.
Edited January 24, 2016:
Through Ancestry DNA, I have confirmed Mollie's maiden name was White. Laura and her brother William Watson's father was Samuel Monford Watson. The 1900 census shows Mollie to be widowed and living with her sister-in-law and her husband. William was an infant and Laura would have been around 4 years old. Samuel did not pass away prior to the 1900 census, however. He lived a much longer life in South Texas and was re-married. I've heard that the Watson men of that time had several kids with several women and didn't take care of any of them. Just a couple of months ago, my 83 year old father shook the hands of and hugged the necks of his first ever maternal relatives....Marvin and his sister Jean and Marvin's daughter, Beverly and several others. Still no more on Mollie White Watson Harmon, William Watson or Laura/Lura Watson.
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"I did it and I'm glad" was something she said to all of us granddaughters every time we had to do something that we really did not want to do. "Laughter on her Lips, Love in her Heart - No Regrets" - so true.
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