The Death of Jane Betters

One of the first things I found over a decade ago when I started searching through old newspapers for any mentions of the Betters in Montana was an account of the horrible accident that claimed my great-great-grandmother's life in 1899. I had intended to write about it in this blog but never did. I don't know why, but every time I tried to blog about it I ended up writing about something else.

I'm now in a place where I need to share the story. Over the past couple of weeks, I have made several exciting discoveries that are worthy of sharing, but I can't share those stories unless you are aware of the events that led up to them, and Jane's death set all those other things in motion.

First, a warning: The descriptions of Jane's fatal injuries in the first news clipping are more graphic than we are used to seeing in today's news media. Here is how the accident was reported in the August 26, 1899 issue of the Missoula Daily Democrat-Messenger:

The account of the accident that appeared in the August 28, 1899 morning edition of the Anaconda Standard differed slightly and included far less detail, but based on the newspaper's reputation with historians and journalists, I suspect it is the more accurate version:

Jane was 47 when she died. My great-grandpa Phillip was the youngest of her seven surviving children. With Austin out of town for jury duty, Phillip, at age six, certainly had to be one of the 2-3 children who were on the cart with their mother when the accident happened, but I don't know which of the others were there. Bertha would have been a day short of her ninth birthday at the time, Stanley 10, and Estella 12.

I don't know what kind of father Austin was when Jane was alive but he was 7-8 years older than her and it seems like he decided he was done parenting after her death. Either that or gold fever overtook him. Maybe both.

On May 12, 1900, Austin sold his 180-acre ranch (formerly known as Pine Grove Place) along with all his horses and cattle to Dan McQuarrie, who had married his daughter, Grace, the year before. The consideration paid for the property was listed at $1,400, but only $400 of that was paid in cash. The remaining $1,000 was "to remain in the hands of Dan McQuarrie...for the board and school of my three children Stella, Stanley and Phillip Betters for the period of three years" (See below).

Four days later, the following notice appeared in the Daily Inter Mountain:

Cape Nome is in Alaska and "The Nome gold rush of 1900 was one of the last great mining stampedes in the American West." I haven't done much research on Austin's time in Alaska, but the May 27, 1900 issue of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer listed him among the passengers who had set sail for Nome on the Santa Ana.

Presumably, the trip was not as lucrative as Austin had hoped, as he was back in Montana by February of the following year when he located the "Alaskan Quartz Lode" in the Wallace Mining District. He did apparently find at least one gold nugget in Nome, which was made into a lapel pin and has been passed down through the McQuarries (photo below).

Back to the summer of 1900: Just days after Austin set sail for Alaska, the U.S. census was conducted. In accordance with the agreement between Austin and Dan, we find Estella, Stanley, and Phillip Betters recorded as part of Dan and Grace McQuarries's household when the enumerator stopped by on June 23. Gilbert Betters, older (adult) brother of Estella, Stanley, Phillip, and Grace, was also included as a resident at the ranch. His occupation was listed as "Laborer." It's not known if he was working on the family ranch or elsewhere. 

One interesting thing about the agreement between Dan McQuarrie and Austin Betters is that Bertha Betters was not mentioned in the deed as one of the children Dan would need to board and school. The 1900 census might explain why, as she was listed as living with her oldest sister, Fannie Terry, and her family near Potomac, Montana. Estella Betters, who had already  been counted as part of the McQuarrie household on June 23 was also listed as a member of the Terry household. There may have been some confusion about living arrangements, or perhaps the person who spoke with the census enumerator didn't understand the instructions. There were other issues with the information listed about Estella and Bertha Betters (Ages switched and the birthplace for both parents incorrectly listed as "Iowa"), so the most likely explanation is that an ill-informed member of the household answered the enumerator's questions.

How much was Austin involved in the raising of his younger children when he got back from Alaska? I don't know. The census is a once-a-decade snapshot, so it's difficult to say what the Betters family looked like, but for now, it appears that Phillip, Stanley, and possibly Estella were raised by the McQuarries, and Bertha and possibly Estella were raised by the Terrys.