Chapter 5. La Crosse to Los
Angeles, 1902-
Spencer Alonzo Pruett (1870-1835)… son of Abraham Pruett and Eveline
Bell)
Married to Bertha Heymann (1869-1932)
In a family recording, Bill talks
about his parents. His mother was
Bertha Adelaide Heyman (1869-1932), and she is listed in the 1870 census as
being born in Wisconsin; the census also indicated that both of her parents
were born in Germany. Bill Pruett
mentioned that her parents were born in Freibourg?, Germany and they moved to
Chicago, then La Crosse. [check on the
Swift connection in Chicago?.]
Bill's father, Spencer Alonzo
Pruett (1870-1935) was born in La Crosse on the family farm. The Spencer Pruett family farm was located
in La Crosse near Grandad's Gulch. (add
directions and location). Bill
remembered that his grandfather's (Abraham's) farm was about 3 miles from his
family's farm in the Mormon Coulee area of La Crosse[i].
Spencer was a farmer as well as a teacher who received his teaching
certificate for instruction at the junior college level at age 20 from Guthrie
County, Iowa, 1890. He was elected to
Assessor of the town of Shelby in 1890.
He served with Chairman George Hosmer[ii],
whose siblings (?) are buried at the Pruett
Family cemetery--Mary Ann's notes.
See also La
Crosse Public Library's Pruett cemetery history
Spencer is the 4th child of 8 of Abraham Pruett and Eveline
Bell Pruett (Preston, Walter Burton, Jay W., Spencer Alonzo, Emma Telitha, Eddy
B., John Bell, and Elizabeth Naomi.) When Bertha and Spencer were married, it was
recorded in the newspaper:
The marriage of Mr. Spencer Pruett and Miss Bertha Hegman
[sic] occurred Tuesday afternoon at the residence of Rev. J. B. Wiedeman, the
reverend gentleman officiating. The
ceremony took place at half past five o'clock and was witnessed by a number of
friends of the contracting parties.
Miss Addie Oberst supported the bride while Mr. Pruett, a brother of the
groom, performed the same office for him.
Mr. Pruett is a schoolmaster, and his wife is an estimable young lady
formerly residing with her parents at 1107 South Sixth
street [2001 picture. A neighbor's
house looks more like the architecture of the time -- view
1]. The couple have begun
housekeeping at 927 Hood Street [2001 picture.
Again, a neighbor's home looks more like the architecture of the time -- view 2].[iii]
Insert: Jane Courtney,[iv]
Evelyn Schlotthauer,[v] and
Margaret Neal[vi]
remember her well: [Bertha memories, recipes]
Ask Margaret how her grandparents
met…
Spencer and his family were recorded at the time fo the 1900 census as living
at 2005 Loomis Street in La Crosse. Around
1901, Spencer moved his family to Chicago to seek a better income. He worked for the Swift company, (Swift was
his second cousin…was this George B. Swift, mayor of Chicago in 1893.) (5731 Palina Street??). It is unclear how long they lived in Chicago
but a Christmas picture shows all four children during their last Christmas in Chicago. Bertha and Spencer were very concerned about Burt, their youngest
son. They worried that he would not
live out the year…he was sickly and they thought he might be
"tubercular" so they sought the dryer climate of California.
In 1905, they were living at 1343 E.
55th Street. [vii] [need to verify this home's picture] They lived there 16 years. He was a steel worker working for Boyle
Manufacturing in Los Angeles.
Spencer's three older brothers had passed away. Preston died at
age 1 years, 2 months; Jay died at age 15; and Walter
Burton Pruett died at age 21 of consumption (1889). His sister Emma married a man named Bates
and moved to Montana; Eddy also moved
to California and had two daughters (Ivy and Fern); John Bell Pruett moved to
Minnesota where he died (but was brought back for burial in the family cemetery)[viii]
and Elizabeth (Lizzie) married Dewitt Clinton Pendergast. They eventually moved from La Crosse to
Portland, Oregon. They had a son named Glen who married Agnes .
Spencer Pruett family still lived in La Crosse during the time of the
1900 census. In 1914 (on Babe's 16th
birthday), Spencer converted to Catholicism.
He had been raised as a Methodist by his mother and father but because
Spencer thought Bertha was such an exemplary wife and mother, he took
instruction privately and surprised her.
He had a hard time accepting confession since he had been raised in the
Methodist ways. He said it was so
difficult "to unlearn the things I learned at my Mother's knee." As he told his granddaughter Jane Courtney later, he said that "Faith must
overcome reason..."
In 1921, Spencer sold this property on 55th [ix]and
had a one room house built at 1828 41st street. It was finished in 1922. Jane Courtney remembers that this house had
a cellar, green moss, and canned goods.
On left there was a window to the street; you could see into the dining room. On the right was the living room which had old rocking chairs,
side by side...In the back hall of the entry was a piano which Ethel
played; Al played the violin, Elmer
played the base guitar. The bedroom was
in the back on the right.... Jane
Courtney lived with her parents Francis and Babe (Viola) Walsh on 1852 41st
Drive (University 1089 phone number)...it backed up to the 41st street
property.
Jane recalls memories of her grandfather:
ü
insert audio
Had a distinctive blood blister on his bottom lip (photograph did not
reveal it). Also had terrible eczema
and would rub against his headboard.
Topsy and Eva at the Orpheum
Jane Courtney also remembers her grandmother Bertha. She was a German woman with a heavy accent,
and a very devout Catholic. She loved
to bake (Jane Courtney has her hand carved springerle
rolling pin) and several of her
recipes, including one for springerle. She remembers her making Sunday dinners and
serving home made bread served with the bacon drippings from breakfast. [Her children often talked how they loved
these sandwiches…and three of her four children lived to their nineties). She died in 1932, from complications of
diabetes and a foot injury caused by the iceman dropping a black of ice on her
foot. Her son, Bill, looked like
Bertha…and she had hair the color of Janet Pruett Schneider's hair (titian…deep
red…) 'After Bertha's death there was
some controversy as her caretaker Mrs. Babcock made a play for Spencer and both
lied and stole from him.
ü
Bertha's sister was Mary Rose.
ü
Spencer becomes a catholic
ü
St. Patrick's Church
ü
Jane has her glide and chain (and she gave
Mary Ann the pearls that hse wore in the picture with Spencer.) Aunt Ethel had her watch; [Marcy…the watch that Jane has is Nellie's
watch (Uncle Fran's mother). Aunties
Grace and Helen were Fran's sisters)
Spencer built a home in the Sierra Madre canyon, called Outside
Inn. Bill Pruett carved his and Gala's
initials in a tall oak tree there..Outside
Inn; cabin built in Sierra Madre;
Spencer had an unfortunate accident on New Year's day that led to his
early death. He stepped off the street
car in Los Angeles and he died about a week later on the 9th of January, one
day after his 65th birthday. from
pneumonia in 1935, at the age of 65.
On a tape recording of Bill Pruett in [year], Bill spoke of his Aunt Lizzie Pendergast (Spencer's sister).[x] Shw was married to Dewitt Clinton Pendergast and they had a son
named Glen.
When Bill visited her (613 Cedar Street, Portland , Oregon?, he invited
her to come to his ranch in Covina, California. He offered to buy her ticket and pay her way; she accepted. [scan pictures from this visit?]
Her granddaughter, Dorothy Jean Pendergast Boyce[xi]
remembers stories of her grandmother: :
[insert Dorothy's memories here...or Richard Pendergast's
stories.)
At the time of Lizzie's death in 1964, she asked for her remains to be cremated,
then taken to La Crosse, where they were to be laid in a carved out section of
her father Abraham's monument. Mrs.
Charlotte Bean, who lives on the site of the cemetery (2001) remembers that
years ago, a funeral director came and asked her husband Glen Bean, to dig down
three feet in front of Abraham Pruett's headstone. Glen did this and placed the urn as Lizzie as requested, adjacent
to her father. Bill recalled that at
that visit in 1947, Lizzie mentioned that she had a son who still lived in La
Crosse. He was a musician. Her daughter-in-law Agnes was very
interested in the family stories and genealogy. Dorothy Boyce, her daughter, lives in Oregon (2002) and her son
Michael Boyce is also very interested
in genealogy and has done extensive work on the Boyce family history.
In 1999, I found an old letter among my grandparents' papers with the
Pendergast home[xii]
address in Portland, Oregon. I took a
chance, called the number and spoke to Richard Pendergast, Agnes and Glen's
bachelor son. He remembered meeting
Bill Pruett and asked me if he ever solved the problem he had been working on
regarding a water-powered engine. In
2001 when the family was attending the wedding of Kathleen Pruett Seal's son
Jason, Mary Ann and Jeff Laun, Janet Schneider, and Patty Kuchenski visited
Richard and his brother James at the old Pendergast home.
[i] One mile from
the Hwys 14, 61, and 35 intersection going towards Coon Valley (on the right
side adjoining the old Bean's Greenhouse property
[ii] The tombstones list their parents as J. F. and H. M. Hosmer.[ii]
[iii] La Crosse Chronicle, 2/4/1892, page 3, C2
[iv] Jane is the
daughter of Viola Pruett Walsh, granddaughter of Spencer and Bertha Pruett.
[v] Evelyn
Schlotthauer is the daughter of Burt and Sophie Pruett, granddaughter of Spencer
and Bertha Pruett.
[vi] Margaret
Neal is the daughter of Ethel Florence
Pruett and Alfred Walper, granddaughter of Spencer and Bertha Pruett.
[vii]
November 23, 1905 grant deed recorded 1/2/06 in book 2556, page 40. Grantor: Jennie B. Halrath
Grantee: Spence A. Pruett
Description: Lot 75 of Ascot
Avenue tract recorded in book 8, page 93 of map
Acknowledged 11/23/05
Consideration: $350.
[viii] JOHN BELL
PRUETT
The Tetley mortuary received notice today of the death of Mr. John
Pruett at Minneapolis, Minn. Services
and burial will be held at the Fessler chapel, 109 S. Third Street, Thursday
afternoon at 2:30 o'clock and burial will be in the family lot in Oak Grove
Cemtary."
T 3/15/1922 G 4
[ix] Grantor: Spencer A. Pruett, a married man and Bertha Pruett, his wife
Grantee: Fred Woodall and Annie Woodall, his wife as joint tenants
Description: Lot 75 of Ascot Avenue tract recorded in book 8, page 93 of map
Acknowledged Spencer Pruett famdged 11/14/21
[x] Elizabeth
Pruett Pendergast, 1881-1964, Spencer Pruett's younger sister.
[xi] Dorothy Jean
Pendergast Boyce is the daughter of daughter of Glen and Agnes Pendergast; Glen
was the son of Elizabeth Pruett and
Dewitt Clinton Pendergast).
[xii] list address…Michael Boyce of Medford,
Oregon tells the story of cleaning out the family house in Portland and one of
his brothers suggested tossing all the old pictures with La Crosse studio
insignias, since no one knew who these people were. Michael took them and stored them in his garage for ten years,
when he found my web page and contacted me.
During our 2000 road trip to Washington State, Jeff, Amy and I met with
Michael. He entrusted these pictures to
me to research (and to ask the elders in the family). These are now posted on
the following site:
home.pacbell.net/jefflaun/picindex.htm
