Person Page

     Camilla E. Dornan was born about 1903 in Glenn, Allegan Co., Michigan.^1,2 She was married by Geo. E. Brown to Earl I. Page, son of Trayton Page and Lucy Townsend, on 29 June 1924 in Ganges, Allegan Co., Michigan.¹
     She was a schoolteacher at the time of her marriage.¹

     Ira Dornan was born in November 1883 in Michigan.¹ He was married by George A. Brown to Pearl Mentor, daughter of Homer Mentor and Emma Gardner, on 7 November 1914 in Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Co., Michigan.²
     He was a teamster.²

     Myrtle M. Dornan was born in May 1892 in Ganges Twp., Allegan Co., Michigan.^1,2 She married, as her second husband, Clayton F. Galloway, son of Herbert H. Galloway and Laura L. Keller, on 21 November 1915 in Ganges, Allegan Co., Michigan. The marriage was performed by G. A. Bowles.^2,3 She died in 1977.³ She was buried at Taylor Cemetery in Allegan Co., Michigan.³

     Benton Thompson was born about 1842 in Ohio.¹
     He was a mason.¹

     Sarah Thompson was born about 1852 in Michigan.¹

     John Thompson was born about 1856 in Michigan.¹

     Rachel Ewing Sherman was born on 5 July 1861 in Lancaster, Fairfield Co., Ohio.^2,5 She married Paul Thorndike, son of William H. Thorndike and Martha Eliza Abbot, on 30 December 1891 at the home of the bride's uncle, Sen. John Sherman, 1319 K Street, in Washington, D.C. The ceremony was performed by the bride's brother Rev. Thomas Sherman. Because the bride was still in mourning over her father's death earlier in the year, it was reported that only close family and friends attended the wedding. However, this included President Benjamin Harrison, Vice President and Mrs. Levi Morton, several members of the president's cabinet, Sen. and Mrs. Leland Stanford, and Miss Alice Roosevelt.¹ She died on 26 October 1919 in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, at age 58.⁶ She was buried on 28 October 1919 at Central Cemetery in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.^7,8
     She was initially educated at home, and later at a convent school in Reading, Hamilton Co., Ohio.¹
     On 15 October 1903, after their son William unveiled the statue of Rachel's father Gen. Sherman at its dedication ceremony in Washington, D.C., she and her husband Paul were guests of President Roosevelt at a White House dinner and spent the night.⁹
     She and Paul are listed in the 1900 census in Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, with their children William, Martha, and Anna. Living with them were servants William and Susan U. Armstrong (ages 32 and 30), and a boarder Lavinia E. Armstrong (7, no doubt the daughter of William and Susan).⁵
     She loved going to the theater, and was a voracious reader. She was interested in the preservation of old books, manuscripts, and letters¹, and after her father's death edited The Sherman Letters, Correspondence between Gen. W. T. (her father) and Senator John Sherman (her uncle) from 1837 to 1891, published in 1904.¹⁰ She was also prominent in the Catholic and philanthropic communities of Boston¹¹ and was instrumental in the creation of social services for patients of Boston City Hospital after their release.¹²
     In late 1910, as a member of the board of trustees of the Boston Children's Institutions (a charitable city organization providing housing and care for destitute and delinquent children), she was involved in some controversy between the board and Boston Mayor John F. Fitzgerald over conditions at the Parental School in West Roxbury, and the naming of a new superintendent there after the forced resignation of Dana P. Dame.¹³ Dame had resigned at the request of the board on 10 November 1910, to take effect 1 December, during an investigation by the Finance Commission into charges against school officials. Three assistants were also discharged by Dame, at the board's order.¹⁴
     Letters to the mayor from former school officials and others protested the board's actions, and on 23 November he ordered the trustees to keep Dame on until he personally investigated the situation, otherwise he would remove the entire board.¹⁵ Two days later an editorial in the Boston Herald supported the trustees, saying that by law they had complete authority to appoint and remove school officials, and that they had all the problems "ironed out" until the mayor got involved.¹⁶
     On 26 November the mayor met with Rachel and Charles Putnam, chairman of the trustees, and afterward stated that they had come to an agreement on the interpretation of the laws governing the powers and duties of the board. But two days later she and Putnam wrote to the mayor disputing that, citing various parts of the law and saying they had the authority to appoint and discharge school officials without the mayor's prior approval.¹⁷ In response the mayor characterised the points of law they made as "technical and of minor importance," and said that it was his duty to hold the trustees to the same standards that they set for their subordinates. He asked for a response from the board letting him know if a report of abuses at the school was sent to them "some years ago," and if so what they did about it, including the number of visits to the school by each trustee in recent years.¹⁸
     After not hearing from the board, on 1 December the mayor wrote directly to Rachel renewing his request that the board retain Dame, pending the report of the Finance Commission investigation. He asked that she respond either personally or through Putnam as to whether or not they intended to comply with his request.¹⁹ She apparently didn't respond, and on 6 December a news article said that the board had chosen John Hebberd as Dame's successor, but that Dame would likely remain as superintendent until 1 January in compliance with the mayor's request.²⁰
     On 16 December Rachel resigned her position on the board. In her letter to the mayor she said she was leaving for personal reasons, but would remain until the report of the Finance Commission's investigation had been delivered. She also said she would continue to be available "for any hearing your Honor may direct into my conduct during the time of my service on the board." The mayor was surprised, but reluctantly accepted, and replied that "I have never felt that you were personally responsible in any degree for whatever deficiencies may have been revealed," and that "I ... assure you of my personal esteem and my appreciation of the sacrifice you have made in devoting so much conscientious thought to the study of the problems."²¹
     The board apparently eventually succeeded in replacing Dame, although not until late February 1911, and not with Hebberd. An 8 February news article reported that civil service examinations would be held on 18 February for the superintendent's position.²²

     Bertha Kuhn was born on 18 September 1882 in Milford, Oakland Co., Michigan.^3,1 She was married by G. N. Jennings to Edwin Weston Phillips, son of William N. Phillips and Phoebe Artman, on 15 April 1903 in Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan.¹ They divorced sometime between 1920 and 1929.⁴
     In 1910 she and her husband Edwin were living at 75 Huron Street in Pontiac, Oakland Co., Michigan.⁵ They moved to 113 Willow Ave. in Pontiac sometime before 12 September 1918.² In 1920 they had two roomers, Joseph and Jennie Gilbeau, ages 46 and 47.⁶
     She is listed as a widow in the 1930 census, living and working as a servant/housekeeper in the home of Robert Case at 332 Seward St. in Pontiac.⁷

     Mary Benson Kilbourn was born on 19 February 1867 in North Lake, Waukesha Co., Wisconsin.⁴ She married William Thorndike, son of William H. Thorndike and Martha Eliza Abbot, on 7 May 1914 at St. James Protestant Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. The groom's brother Paul gave the bride away, and his brother Abbot was best man. The bride's twin sister Henrietta (Mrs. Arthur Kennedy) of Denver, Colorado, was matron of honor. After the ceremony a breakfast was held for family and out-of-town guests at the home of Thomas V. Dawson. The couple left the next day on their honeymoon, a trip to the West Indies.¹ She died on 7 September 1945 at her apartment in the Astor Hotel in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin, at age 78.⁶ She was buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church Cemetery (Plot 471) in North Lake, Waukesha Co., Wisconsin.⁷
     She and her husband William are listed in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin, in the 1920 and 1930 censuses. In 1920 they had a servant, Bessie Sievarson, age 20.^3,8
     After her husband's death she lived the last several years of her life with her twin sister Henrietta (Kilbourn) Kennedy at the Astor Hotel in Milwaukee. Henrietta died on 26 April 1945, a little over four months before Mary.⁹

     Maud Alice Kilbourn was born on 27 March 1866 at Hawkhurst, the family estate in North Lake, Waukesha Co., Wisconsin.^3,2 She married Abbot Thorndike, son of William H. Thorndike and Martha Eliza Abbot, on 10 May 1888 in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin.¹ She died on 9 June 1936 at age 70, at her sister Mary's home in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin.² She was cremated, and her ashes were buried at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church Cemetery in Summerville, Dorchester Co., South Carolina.^4,2
     She and her husband Abbot lived in several cities throughout the midwest due to his career. They are listed at 827 Astor St. in Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., Wisconsin, in the 1900 census, along with two servants.⁵ They moved to Omaha, Douglas Co., Nebraska, in 1909.⁶ They have not been found in the 1910 census, but the 1910 Omaha City Directory lists Abbot as a manager, boarding at 2211 St. Mary's Ave.⁷
     They weren't in Omaha long, however. They moved to Iowa about 1911^8,9, and are listed at 3027 Jackson St. in Sioux City in the 1920 census.¹⁰ After her husband's retirement in 1924 they moved to Summerville, Dorchester Co., South Carolina, where they lived the rest of their lives.¹¹ They are listed there on Sumter Ave. in the 1930 census.¹²
     In 1901 she, Abbot, and her sister Mary traveled to Europe. They returned home on the ship Minneapolis, leaving London for New York on 18 October.¹³
     In 1907 she and her sisters Henrietta and Mary sued the Milwaukee Auditorium Co. and the city of Milwaukee to prevent construction of an auditorium on the site of "the old exposition building," on land their grandfather Byron Kilbourn (one of Milwaukee's founders) had given to the city with the restriction that only a market house could be built there. A market house had been built, but was later removed, and in 1881 the land was leased to the Milwaukee Industrial Exposition and an exposition building was built there.¹⁴ In an attempted answer to the suit, at one point the auditorium building plans were altered to include a market in one corner of the basement.¹⁵ The suit apparently went forward nevertheless, but on 9 November 1908 the court ruled against the three sisters.¹⁶
     For at least 15 years, since the death of their mother, she and her sisters operated the Kilbourn Fresh Air Home on North Lake. It was basically a summer camp for disadvantaged children from the poorer areas of Milwaukee, hosting 25 children every two weeks. She was apparently the driving force behind the charity. When she and her husband Abbot moved to Omaha in 1909 a newspaper article lamented "the end of a very fine charity," called her the "guiding spirit of the organization," and said that "several thousand children were cared for" and "not only were hundreds out on the road to health but many lives were actually saved."⁶

     Robert Leach was baptized on 6 March 1613/14 in Hurst, Berkshire, England.² He married Alice (?).^3,2 He died intestate before June 1674 in Manchester, Essex Co., Massachusetts.^2,1
     On 15 May 1639 he and his brother John ("Lawrence Leach's two sons") were granted 70 acres of land in Salem, Massachusetts.^1,2 He was made a freeman there in 1644.³ He was also a founder of Manchester, Massachusetts, and settled there in 1636.³ In Manchester he served as Town Clerk until 1648, and Selectman from 1658 to 1661.³
     The genealogy by F. Phelps Leach says Robert Leach "married twice (I think) ...," and names his first wife as Mary (or Miriam). And in addition to sons Robert and Samuel, born in Manchester, Massachusetts, it lists daughters Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Bethiah and Abigail, without birth dates or locations. However, in The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson lists only one wife, Alice, and says that the Robert Leach listed in the Leach genealogy "is a chimaera, created by mixing records for Robert Leach of Charlestown and Robert Leach of Manchester, the latter of whom was the son of the immigrant." Thus, only Robert and Samuel are listed here as children of Robert and Alice.^3,1

     Clement Leach was married in England before 1629.²

     John Leach was baptized on 29 September 1616 in Sonning, Berkshire, England.² He married Sarah Conant, daughter of Roger Conant and Sarah Horton.^2,3 He died after 26 January 1684/85.²
     He emigrated from England to Salem, Massachusetts, with his parents in 1629.³ On 15 May 1639 he and his brother Robert ("Lawrence Leach's two sons") were granted 70 acres of land in Salem, Massachusetts.^1,2
     The Leach genealogy by F. Phelps Leach lists two wives (Sarah Conant and Sarah Waldron) and eleven children (John, Sarah, John, Rachel, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, Richard, Remember, Hannah and William) for John Leach. However, there were several men named John Leach at that time, the church records are unclear about exactly who the parents were for many of these children, and the Leach genealogy is known to be unreliable. The article "English Origins of Lawrence Leach of Salem, Massachusetts," in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register names just one wife, Sarah Conant, and one son, John, baptized in 1648. It does note that they had several other children, but doesn't name them.^3,2

     Margaret Leach was baptized on 15 July 1621 in Sonning, Berkshire, England.¹
     She emigrated to America in 1635 on the Susan & Ellen.²

     Rachel Leach was baptized on 15 July 1621 in Sonning, Berkshire, England.² She married first John Sibley about 1641.² She married Thomas Goldthwaite before 1670.^2,1 She died after 5 March 1682/83.²
     She and her first husband John had at least nine children.¹

     Alice (?) married first Robert Leach, son of Lawrence Leach and Elizabeth Mileham.^1,2 She married second Robert Elwell on 29 May 1676 in Gloucester, Essex Co., Massachusetts.²
     Her will was dated 27 March 1691.¹