Head of Tide

Old newspapers provide a great source of family history. Factual details of an event are nice, but if your ancestors weren’t ‘in the news’ then you won’t find much. Newspapers, like all businesses, exist to make money and during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, papers printed whatever they could find that might generate sales (like today). People enjoy reading about the ‘social’ comings and goings of people in the community (and also like today). Papers reported business starts, travels and visitors and this provides a lot of information about ancestors.

In Kingman, Arizona, The Mohave Miner grew to become one of the prominent papers of my great grandfather’s era. It is where I found an inkling that my great grandfather’s mining adventures didn’t involve panning gold from a stream. 

Charles Herbert was a mine operator. He and his contemporaries probably worked in the mines, but they weren’t mine workers per se. In my research I also came across a Congressional Record entry where a field hearing had been conducted and my great grandfather testified before it. It is the closest thing I have to a real conversation from him. In his testimony, which is fairly dry, he discusses the difficulties of running a mine. He talks about labor and transportation expenses, the difficulty of finding markets, and the technical aspects of refining the ore before it can be transported for sale. My idea of my great grandfather panning for gold was all wrong. He was a mine operator. A player. The Man.

During my visit to Kingman I attempted to find every trace of my great grandfather. He lived there 20+ years, but my hunt proved difficult. As it turns out, most of the time my great grandfather had been at various mine operations. I counted at least six different mines and ventures that he was involved with during those years in both Arizona and Nevada. I have a stock certificate (now worthless) from one of the companies and I think there were other mines he worked that I’ve yet to discover. I found lease agreements for separate endeavors which mined various ore including; silver, gold and feldspar. I also possess letters that he sent to relatives asking for the liquidation of his other assets and for those to be sent to Kingman because he needed the cash. I think, whatever money my great grandfather had, went into his businesses. The 1930’s were especially difficult.

As to the ‘gold digger’ third wife, Frances. She is another story altogether. She was forty years younger than Charles Herbert and about twenty-six years old when they married in 1919. In Kingman, I found two lawsuits filed in Mohave County against Frances and CH. Apparently Frances had made trips to California on two occasions in 1924, and purchased items there on credit. She bought jewelry at one store and clothing (for both of them) at another. The bills were never paid and I think she likely forgot, or thought no one would find her in Arizona. A lawyer bought the outstanding debt, went to Arizona in 1929 and filed two lawsuits. Frances and CH lost both (after many delays) and had to make payment. I estimate that her 1924 purchases would be worth about $30,000 in merchandise today. Although Frances didn’t spend all of Charles Herbert’s money, she did what she could. She was something,

We didn’t find much else in Kingman to help in my quest to find Charles Herbert. The Beale Hotel is still standing but closed and likely to be torn down. I have a letter written by him on Beale stationary. I wanted to see if they had any old registry books but access was not available. The train station my great grandfather used still stands. During COVID we could not enter, but I doubt there are any records of him having traveled by train there. I had an address for where my great grandfather died, but the location was an empty lot. I believe my great uncle, Oakes, came and took his body to Maine for burial, but haven’t found any record of a service to confirm it. I could not find any of his previous residences either. Frances had a son, by a previous marriage, who my great grandfather adopted, but I could not find a record of the boy attending school in Kingman. I suspect that during those formative years Frances had him attending elsewhere, as Kingman might have been too basic for her tastes. This too would have added to the cash drain.

We enjoyed our stay in Kingman and might go back to see if we missed something along the way. I’d like to rent a four wheel vehicle and see if we can find any of the old mines. More peering into the past may be warranted there.

Next up: Big Bend National Park

Cover photo is of the McCracken Mine ruins.
Used courtesy of Jan Emming.