in a fight that broke out over a dispute regarding land, mining claims and the ownership of goats. Swigert was rewarded $ 2000 due to the fact that his real teeth had to be replaced with fake ones. Of course, Theodore, who was four years younger than Lillie, making him only 27 years old on their wedding day, might have been a decent man who just didn ' t have the resources to raise another man ' s children while supporting his new wife and their own growing family. Financially, life may not have been too hard since Theodore and his brother William had discovered the Golden Turkey and the Golden Belt Mines near Cleator on Turkey Creek.
According to official records Theodore was a PFC in the United States Army during WWI.
By 1922 Myrtle was living back in the small town of Humboldt. On August 9 th, 1922 the Weekly Journal-Miner( Prescott, AZ) published a small mention about Myrtle, employed as page at the administration building of the Southwest Metals Company, who was being promoted to work as stenographer for Mr. Henry in the purchasing department.
In 1923 Myrtle fell in love( or lust!) with Virgil Van Buren Smith, who she married in Prescott, Arizona on May 12 th, 1923. There is very little information available about Virgil, but records do state that during WWI he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp. on July 24 th, 1917 as a Pvt, and by the time he exited from service on August 20 th, 1919 he had worked his way up to the rank of Corporal, with a remark stating that his character was“ Excellent.” Sounds like he might have been a great catch for Myrtle, a man who appears to have been steady, dependable and dedicated.
On November 24 th, 1924, at 9:00 am, Myrtle and Virgil became parents with the birth of their son, Virgil Douglas Smith, who was born in Humboldt, Arizona. The birth certificate states that father Virgil was employed as a butcher who was living at Jerome, Arizona, instead of in Humboldt with Myrtle. There is nothing to tell us whether this was a matter of Virgil needing to live elsewhere solely for employment reasons, or if there had been a separation in the marriage. Another anomaly is that Myrtle claims that she was born in San Diego, California, when all other evidence points to her birthplace being Humboldt, Arizona, as she states on her record of marriage.
In any case, this marriage did not last long and ended in divorce sometime before 1928.
After her divorce from Virgil Smith Myrtle decided to head for greener pastures and moved with their son to Montebello, California, in Los Angeles County, where she picked up freelance jobs as a stenographer. On January 4 th, 1930, Myrtle married Henry Willis Gray at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Montebello, California, the Rev. John Gabrielson presiding. On April 5 th, 1930, Henry, Myrtle and Myrtle ' s son Virgil were enumerated in the census for Montebello, California. Myrtle is still working freelance as a stenographer and husband Henry is a welder employed by an electrical company.
Alas, marital bliss would again elude Myrtle, as we find in the Los Angeles Times newspaper, dated September 11 th, 1937, where it reports that Myrtle has filed a divorce suit against Henry.
It is impossible to know if Myrtle ' s budding interests in Esperanto had anything to do with the break-up of this marriage, or if the real problem was Myrtle ' s inability to maintain a close, lasting relationship due to her own painful and difficult childhood and early adulthood years.
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