LEE FAMILY
William Singleton Lee & Eleanor (NELLIE) Dennis
(Missouri, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California)
CHILDREN:
Elizabeth (Lizzie) Lee - Spouse: Aaron Hezekiah Barrett
Riley R. Lee - Spouse: None or Unknown
Winnie Ann Lee(my 2nd great grandmother) - Spouse 1: William George - Spouse 2: Upton Elwood McDaniels
Martha June (Jennie) Lee - Spouse 1: ?Striplan - Spouse 2: ?Beal
Amanda (Mandy) Lee - Spouse 1: Joseph Dudley Prewitt
Mollie Emily Lee - Spouse 1: Thomas Grant Wood or Ward Spouse 2: Jesse Cunningham
John Dennis (Jack) Lee - Spouse: Virginia Patience (Virgie) Todd
William Singleton Lee, Jr. - Spouse: Genevive ?Rowe
Barnett Hall Lee - Spouse: Cora C. Wiseman
Nellie Joletha Lee - Spouse: Tom Foster
Lillie A. Lee - Spouse: ?McDaniel?
From around 1883 - 1886 William Singleton and family lived in the Organ, New Mexico area.
I have found numerous newspaper articles that have mention of him(them).
Rio Grande Republican, Saturday, July 28, 1883
ORGAN TONES:
Remarkable Discovery of an Old Shaft on the East side.
Organ, N. M., July 23
Editor Rio Grande RepublicanLast week, Mr. Lee, of Organ wishing to build an addition to his house and finding it stood in the street, summoned about twenty men, and with their help moved it bodily into his lot; about a hundred yards distant. He has a large stone corral near by, and he is steadily improving the west end of the town. About three miles west of town, on the road to Las Cruces, he sunk for water, going sixty feet through debris without any indication of reaching bed rock. He has abandoned it for the present, but as it commands a superior stock ranch, he may resume sinking soon.
Rio Grande Republican, January 19, 1884
Mr. Joseph Sprunk, foreman of B. E. Davie's cattle ranch, was married last Tuesday at Toyah, El Paso County, Texas, to the daughter of W. S. Lee, the "cattle king" of Organ. The happy pair returned to San Augustin yesterday, which will be their future home. May their life be long and prosperous.
Rio Grande Republican, Saturday, February 9, 1884
We call attention to the card of W. S. Lee, who feeds the traveling public, and cares for their stock at Organ. Go to Lee's and you will be well treated.
Rio Grande Republican, August 2, 1884
W. S. Lee received a letter from his oldest son living in Tojah, Texas, stating that he had met with an accident. Mr. Lee at once started for that place, and arrived here with his son Thursday morning.
Rio Grande Republican, October 4, 1884
Our citizens met on last Friday evening, agreeable to a call issued by Mr. Lohman, superintendent of schools, for the election of three school directors. On motion Mr. B. A. Hoopes was elected chairman, and Dr. Cowan secretary. Messrs. A.B. Cowan, W. H. Skidmore, and W. S. Lee were elected, when the meeting adjourned.
Rio Grande Republican, December 27, 1884
We are sorry to report a serious illness of Mr. W. S. Lee, one of our prominent Organ men. Hope however to soon see him around again.
Rio Grande Republican, September 12, 1885
W. S. Lee has returned from the upper country and was fortunate enough to strike a ranch with a splendid supply of water and range for his cattle.
MARCH 1, 2014
I finally have William's death date, place and cause of death! I had always been told that he died prior to 1900 in an "insane asylum" in Stockton, California. Had never been able to find information to prove or disprove this. Recently I had found him, Nellie and some of their children listed in City Directories for Los Angeles from the late 1880's - but then got to one where it listed Nellie as a widow.
My online researching led me to the California State Archives and the fact that they housed the historical records from the Stockton State Hospital!! So I finally got around to emailing them and asking if they did researches & how much it would cost. I was told they would do the searching for free & the only cost would be the cost of duplication for anything they might find.
They were all amazing at the archives!! They were very quick, they found my William & they sent me the information at NO COST!!! So excited!!
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| Stockton State Hospital Commitment Register MF 8:10 (24) |
Committed from Los Angeles C. by Hon H. K. S. O(can't read last name).
June 9, 1888
Witnesses: J. D. Prewitt & Chas. Warren
Examining Physicians: Drs. Turner, Ross & Brainard
Age: 58
Nativity: KY, 11 months in Cal.
Married and has 12 children the youngest 13 years old
Laborer
Evidence of Insanity: Testimony of witnesses and his own statements; has numerous delusions; is dangerous to his family, threatens to kill his wife and son - this attack appeared one month ago.
Cause of insanity: May have had a blow on neck
Class: Mania
On Admission: Said to be homicidal, but is very quick and talks rationally; health is good.
No Property.
Admitted June 10, 1888
Died June 19, 1891 of Paralysis
Address: J. D. Prewitt, 143 S. Walnut St., Los Angeles, Cal.
No. of Grave: 1428
J. D. Prewitt was his son-in-law, married to William's daughter Amanda.
Winnie Ann Lee was one of twelve children born to Nellie (Eleanor) Dennis and William Singleton Lee, a cousin of Robert E. Lee’s and a veterinarian during the Civil War. She was born 14 Feb 1859 in Warren County, Missouri and died 10 July 1942 at Deming, New Mexico.
She married William George in Missouri and moved to Brownwood, Texas. They had three children: Riley, James (Jimmie), and Sarah Louise (Lulu). She divorced William about 1886 and brought her three children in a covered wagon drawn by two oxen to Deming in 1887. She went on to Silver City and then to Cooke’s Peak, where she owned and operated a boarding house in a tent. At that time there were about a hundred single miners in Cooke’s Peak mining camps.
Upton Elwood McDaniel was born 15 May 1859 at Toledo, Ohio, and in 1889 he was operating a grocery store, saloon, and post office in a tent at the camp town of Cooke’s Peak. Upton and Winnie were married by Justice of the Peace J.B. Hodgdon, 28 Nov 1889 in Silver City, New Mexico.
McDaniel built a boarding house to replace the tent and here their children were born. Myrtie, Millie, Upton, Bryant, and Anna. Anna was once asked if she was born at Cooke’s Peak too and here reply was, “Was I? When my mother found out she was pregnant with me she blew her top and that is what caused Cooke’s Peak!!” Myrtie was born with a club foot which Winnie believed was caused by her “marking” the child before she was born—a chicken burned its foot when it walked through hot coals.
The schoolhouse was two miles from where most of the children lived and they all walked except Myrtie, who was crippled and rode a burro. She was the envy of all the children even though she did not have a saddle.
The McDaniels eventually moved to Deming where Winnie ran a boarding house. She worked hard and expected the same from her girls, who waited tables for her. Food was served family style for .35 cents a meal. One time a man told Myrtie he was not going to eat that spaghetti nor would he pay for it. Myrtie reported back to the kitchen to mama. Winnie came to the dining room with her apron on and asked the man if he had said he would neither eat nor pay. He assured her that he had said just that!! She pulled her gun from under her apron and told him he would either eat or she would blow his belly full of holes and poke the spaghetti in them—needless to say he ate AND paid!!
People who knew her said she was a hard worker, rough talker and tough, and this is speaking mildly!! Upton was shot and killed and it was never known for sure just how it happened.
Except for Lula who is buried in Safford, Arizona, they are all buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Deming—not far from Cooke’s Peak, where they were born.
*Adapted from “The History of Luna County, New Mexico”
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