Genealogical Gems

Ella Watson had come West to Wyoming and received a homestead license in Wyoming . Her homestead was near that of James Averell, a saloonkeeper. The two had received a license to marry. However, there is no record of them actually ever getting married. Their homesteads were along the Sweetwater River . Although they had claimed the land legally, rancher Albert Bothwell had been using that land to graze his herds.   Bothwell accused Watson and Averell of rustling! He and his men captured the couple and On This Day in 1889 hung them. Watson, according to History.com, is the only woman ever executed in Wyoming .   Source: Homesteaders murdered by Wyoming ranchers   History.com On This Day in History, 1889.     Photo: Wikipedia, public domain.   On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.                  © Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, ...

The wife of a chicken theft was found dead, reported the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer On This Day in 1881. The deceased was the wife of William Watson. She was found by Eli Dunlap.   The article states: The body of the wife of William Watson, colored, serving a term in the county jail for chicken stealing, was found on Thursday, by Eli Dunlap, in an old cedar firld on the Welsh Mountain . It was almost totally covered with water. Deputy Coroner Weaver, of East Earl, held an inquest. The verdict was “death from exposure.” Mrs. Watson has been more or less deranged ever since her husband and his son were convicted for chicken stealing and sentenced to terms of imprisonment in the Lancaster jail. She was very much respected as a colored woman by her neighbors, and it was thought by the people of this neighborhood that she did all she could to prevent her husband and son from leading the life they did. But since their conviction she has led a harmless life wandering about amon...