On Being Franc

 

“Franc Marie LaRonge Gargett, father J. Gargett one of founders of Albion College and a land owner there of some extent. Last saw him little before the turn of the century. A tall, thin, swell looker, swell hat and cane, big bag of oranges big as your head for sister Yula and I (Maudie). We had the measles. Boy were we pleased to see him. He was then single, State of Michigan Representative in Lansing. We heard that some young woman hooked him, probably in Florida. He had two homes there, one on St. Andrews Bay, the other on Biscayne Bay, and one in Richmond, Virginia, I believe.  Frankie’s mother died in childbirth and dad died about 1899. We tried to find his grave in Richmond, Virginia, when we took a trip through back from Florida.

 

“Last saw Grandpa on mother’s side, Rep. J.J. Gargett. Lived at corner of Washtenaw and Logan (302 S. Logan), Lansing, Michigan those years.

 

“James J. Gargett, once State Representative from Alma, where he owned nearly all the village. He was co-founder of the great Alma College. A millionaire of great prestige. Frankie was really a born aristocrat and lived that way, believe me. She was a great person with many friends.

 

“Franc Marie Laronge Gargett, Frankie (Michigan name Sutliff, I believe was an adopted name). She married my dad Edward P. Castner. She was much younger than he, probably 10 or 11 years. She about 15, he about 26 or 27."

 

-----The above paragraphs are from assorted notes left
by Maude Annabelle (Castner) Page Moore-----

 

 

My great grandmother Franc’s full name was Frances Marie Laronge (Sutliff | Gargett) Castner Witherell, and she was usually called either Franc or Frank(ie | y). She was born on July 4, traditionally in 1861, though most likely in 1862, and definitely sometime between 1861 and 1863.

When Frankie was born, depending on whether the event happened in Michigan or Richmond, Virginia, her president was either Abraham Lincoln, 16^th President of the United States of America, or Jefferson Davis, 1^st President of the Confederate States of America. Between her birth and death, twenty-one men held the office of President of the United States out of a total thirty-six—the 36^th, President Lyndon Baines Johnson, was holding that office at the time of her death. Also, all four of the presidential assassinations that have occurred so far happened during her lifetime. She was almost three years old when President Abraham Lincoln was killed in April 1865. She was nineteen years old when President James A. Garfield died in September 1881 after being shot in July. She was thirty-nine years old when President William McKinley was killed in September 1901. Finally, she was over 100 years old when President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed in November 1963.

Frankie spent at least part of her youth in the household of Salmon J. and Sarah Sutliff.[1] Frankie purported that the Sutliffs were her foster parents. At one time they lived in Ovid, Clinton County, Michigan near the family of William and Sarah Castner, whose son Edward would become Franc’s first husband.

During her early years, Frankie sometimes used as her maiden name "Sutliff," and other times "Gargett." It was Sutliff when she married Edward Castner.  It was Gargett in 1902 when daughter Maude married her first husband Charles Page, and Sutliff again in 1904 when daughter Yula married her first husband Horace Mead.

Frankie claimed that her father was James  J. Gargett, a wealthy Michigan entrepreneur, and that her mother was Marie Laronge.  Frankie's only son Almon named his firstborn child and only daughter "Laronge."  Though James J. Gargett is well documented in Michigan history, a Marie Laronge was never his wife.

James J. Gargett was born 7/15/1825 at Godmanchester, Canada, one of nine children of Robert, born 7/10/1800 in Yorkshire, England, and Elizabeth (Perkins) Gargett, born 4/15/1805 in Connecticut.  By his wife Louisa Gee, to whom he was married at Lyons, Wayne County, New York, 5/24/1849, James had two children:  Minnie L., born 4/5/1850, and George, born 12/5/1858 in Gratiot County, Michigan.

The Gargett family moved a number of times but ended up settling in Alma, Gratiot County, Michigan.  James and Louisa also traveled south occasionally, primarily to Florida. Minnie was later married to William B. Humbert in 1885, at Escambia, Florida, and they settled in Nassau, Iowa. George was scalded to death on his second birthday. Robert and Elizabeth were murdered at Richfield, Summit Co., Ohio in 1871. The perpetrator, John Hunter, was soon apprehended and was hanged at Akron, Ohio, in October of that year.

Louisa died at their place at St. Andrews Bay, Washington County, Florida, 10/8/1887.  James passed away about 1899.  Frankie's daughter Maude remembered the visits by James Gargett, especially when he brought oranges from Florida.

Throughout her life, Frankie would live in a sequence of Michigan locations: Ovid and St. Johns in Clinton County, Lansing in Ingham County, Detroit in Wayne County, and finally Jackson in Jackson County. She was a dressmaker most of her life and lived more than 100 years, perhaps as long as nearly 103, depending on which of her possible dates of birth is correct.

 

In 1870, 17‑year‑old Edward Potter Castner was the only child still living with his parents William and Sarah. Neighbors to the Castners were Salman J. Sutliff, 33, born in Michigan, his wife Sarah[2], 27, born in New York, their son Alvah, one year old and born in Michigan, and a girl Frances, age seven, who was listed last and without a different surname; also notated as born in Michigan. Frances was presumably the foster child of the Sutliffs. When the Sutliffs went to California in the latter 1800s, Frances stayed behind to marry her neighbor Ed Castner—a man 10 years her senior.[3] The marriage took place on August 11, 1878 at Shepardsville, Clinton County, Michigan. They were united by Elisha M. Ney, Minister of the Gospel. Witnesses were: E. G. Ney and Eva Ney. Edward was shown on the marriage registration to have been born in Yates County, New York, while "Franky" was listed as being born at Gratiot County, Michigan.

Ed and Franc were still living in Lansing in June of 1900. They were renting a house at 516 St. Joe Street. In the household were: "Edward," "Franc," "Maud" and "Eulah." In the 1900 census, Ed was listed as a "house painter," and both of Franc's parents were shown as having been born in Florida.

The Ed and Franc Castner family moved to Detroit around 1900. Then Ed left Frankie in 1902, and soon they were divorced. Ed would later marry Catherine, who was generally called "Kate." According to the 1920 Federal census, Catherine was born in Canada to Irish-born parents. She claimed to be a naturalized American citizen, though she didn't know when her family came to the United States, or the date of her naturalization. She was literate, but at the time had no occupation, per se. She was twenty-six years younger than Ed. The Castners were living in a house that they owned mortgage free in Redford, Wayne County, Michigan, and Ed was still a house painter.  At the time of the 1930 Federal census of "Detroit City," Precinct 26, the Castners were living at and owned 16863 Lenore Avenue, presumably still in Redford.

"Franc" claimed to be fifty-eight years old, at the time of the 1920 Federal census, that she was born in Michigan, and that her father was born in New York and mother in Massachusetts. At that time she was living in Detroit, where she and second husband Harry J. Witherell, Sr. were renting a place. Sixty-two-year-old Harry was a barber working for wages at a shop on Michigan Avenue. [A. F. Smith's Barber Shop was located at 247 Michigan Avenue. Besides haircuts, the shop also advertised "Hot and Cold Baths."][4]. Franc was listed as a dressmaker working on own account, which presumably meant was self-employed. Also in the household was Franc’s youngest daughter, thirty-one-year-old Yula Wigand. She was shown as married, an office worker for the Tool Works, and working for wages. They were family #57 and renting in dwelling #37. The census was taken January 8, 1920. Yula was separated from her second husband Ed, a dipsomaniac, from whom she would soon be divorced.

About 1921 the Witherells moved to Jackson, to 934 S. Jackson Street.  Yula had developed quick consumption (fast-developing tuberculosis) and apparently had been placed in the sanitarium near Jackson. She died in May of 1921.

Frankie and Harry remained in Jackson but were there only a short while before Harry began suffering attacks of senility. Frankie soon found she could not leave him alone. He would suddenly leave the house on South Jackson Street and wander off. So she remained at home, continuing to make income dressmaking, which included working with furs for some of the wealthier people of Jackson. Her eldest daughter Maude Page and family lived in the house next door. Maude, who also worked as a dressmaker to supplement her family’s income, worked mostly with cloth. When a fur piece was required on one of her sewing projects, she would take it for her mother to do.

Not long after Maude's divorce from Charles, about 1923, Maude and the children moved in with the Witherells. The Pages stayed upstairs in the rooms Frankie would later rent for additional income. The Page children eventually married and moved away, followed by Maude. In 1942, Maude married widower Ira Moore, a former Indiana farmer who was employed as a guard at the State Prison of Southern Michigan, located near Jackson.

Harry died August 24, 1931, and Frankie continued in the house on the western edge of Greenlawn Memorial Garden cemetery. When she turned eighty years old, Frankie determined that she would not leave the house again due to a fear of falling. With only a few exceptions, she kept her promise until leaving it for the Keeney Nursing Home on October 15, 1963, nearly four months before her death.[5]

Besides upstairs tenants, Frankie had someone living with her at all times during the later years. Esther Jewell was just like one of the family up until her death in the latter 1940s or early 1950s. For several years thereafter, Frankie's helper was a man by the name of Walter Fess. He slept in the front parlor, where he would be nearby if Frankie needed assistance. After Walter died around 1960, Frankie had a series of female helpers.

During the time I knew her, I don’t remember ever seeing Frankie walk. She held court from an overstuffed chair in the living room, at the entrance to her bedroom. In front of her was a small table which held an ancient radio, a box of facial tissues, other odds-'n-ends, and a birdcage containing an object of her love, a parakeet named "Cappy." It was from here that she received her visitors, and from where she related stories of her past to her grand, great grand and great-great grandchildren. Frankie’s Castner descendants lived in the Chicago area and seldom made the trip to Jackson during my lifetime, so it was mostly we Page/Paige descendants that graced her parlor during those years.

I enjoyed visiting with Great Grandma Franc, and listening to her tell of bygone days. At least two things she said about her past have stayed with me through the years. The first was that her sister was shot through a window in the library. The second was that she recalled a long journey by covered wagon. Frankie passed away on February 7, 1964, approaching her 101st or 103rd birthday, depending, as mentioned earlier, on which of her dates of birth was correct. She was buried at the Woodland Cemetery in Jackson near Harry J. Witherell, Sr., Yula Beatrice (Castner) Mead Wigand, and eight years later, Maude Annabelle (Castner) Page Moore.

 

 

Further Speculation

 

Other than murky claims that James J. Gargett was her father, Marie Laronge was her mother, and that she had a sister that was shot, there has never been any tangible evidence that connected Frankie to blood relatives other than her own numerous descendants.

Following are some possible clues to the identity of potential blood relatives of Frances | Franc | Frankie | Franky through her first name and the surname Laronge.

 

A Francis Laronge was boarding in the city of Oswego, Oswego County, New York at the time of the 1850 Federal census. Incidentally, Oswego is on Lake Ontario, not far, by water, from the border with Canada. He was staying in the following household:

Oswego City, 3rd Ward, County of Oswego

Dwelling 202, Family 232--

 

C.S. Sumner, 34, M Printer  b. NY

Annis  " , 30 F  b. NY

Harriet  " , 3 F  b. NY

Mary  "  , 7/12  b. NY

Elnora Harrington, 17 F  b. Ireland

Ira Cole, 20 M Printer  b. NY

Francis Laronge, 21 M  b. England

Clarence Chrydler, 17 M  b. Canada

 

Many years later, when the 1920 Federal census was taken, there was a Francis E. Laronge living at Bark River, Delta County, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. He was living alone, in a town about ten miles southwest of Escanaba. The following was his census information as of April 10, 1920.

 

Dwelling 99, Family 102---

 

Francis E. Laronge, 69 M  b. Ireland, Immigrated to the United States in 1865. His father was born in England and mother born in Ireland. Thus he would have been born in about 1851 and been about fourteen years old when immigrating to the United States. It's possible that he was a child of Francis and Elnora (Harrington) Laronge from the Sumner boarding house (see the above 1850 Federal census excerpt from Oswego City, New York), but this is purely speculation at this time.

 

For now, I'm thinking the relationship between the first Francis Laronge and our Frances Marie Laronge, if there is one, probably would be one of uncle and niece, with Francis potentially a brother of Marie Laronge.

 

Summation

 

My personal belief is that Frankie either did not know who her parents were, or knew who her mother was but did not know the name of her father. For some reason she glommed onto James Gargett, who may have been some form of acquaintance. When Frankie was growing up, his name would have been well known in Ovid, Clinton County, Michigan, which is near his home county of Gratiot. One thing that stands out is that her profession of working with furs for Detroit’s, and later Jackson’s, well-to-do citizens could only have benefited by Frankie having a strong connection with someone of her customers’ ilk. However, she knew very little about James, and some of what she did “know” was incorrect. He, in truth, was a Michigan Representative, but he has no recorded connection with either Alma College or Albion College. The town of Alma credits the following two men with the original establishment of Alma College: from Internet address http://www.ci.alma.mi.us/milestones.htm “1886 - Alma College founded.  Alma College received 30 acres of land donated by Ammi Wright and $50,000 from Alexander Folsom of Bay City.”[6] Albion College credits the Methodist church for its founding. As for being a millionaire, most of his many business ventures ended in failure, even disaster, and it was always his wife’s money that came to the rescue. It is unlikely that much wealth remained after his death, and most certainly none of what was left came Frankie’s way. As to Maude’s remembrance, she may have met James at some time, and he even may have brought the family oranges from Florida. But the presence of oranges in the family story brings into the open yet another possibility; that “Marie Laronge” was really Marie L’Orange, or Mary the Orange, potentially yet another fictitious name/relationship.

            Before finally letting this topic go, I would like to add possible validity to what her daughter Maude claimed. What if Frankie were born in Richmond, Virginia in 1861-2, as her daughter announced, became a war orphan when her family was killed, such as during the Siege of Richmond (perhaps including her sister being shot through the library window), and she was brought to Michigan to be raised, accounting for the long journey by covered wagon.  To add further dimension to this possibility, her foster father Salmon had enlisted in the Civil War from Bingham, Clinton Co., Michigan.  A "Solomon J. Sutliff" was listed in the 2nd Michigan Cavalry, Company A, having enlisted at age 26 from that locale.[7] The 2nd Cavalry primarily saw action in Tennessee, with some, also, in Alabama and Virginia. Perhaps Salmon took pity on a little orphan girl and carried her off to Michigan to be raised as part of his family. Embarrassment at being born in the south during a time when that would have been considered “politically incorrect,” and all the attendant loss of family and heritage resulting from becoming an orphan, might have kept Frankie’s lips sealed to the fact throughout her life, a silence only broken by her daughter Maude’s obituary declaration. Unfortunately, except for the intervention of some kind of miracle, we may never know the whole truth this side of the Pearly Gates.