My great, great, great uncle, Lucien B. Howard (or L.B. as he was often referred to), has been one of my favorite research subjects. Even though he’s not a direct ancestor — he is my great, great grandfather’s older brother, the firstborn to Enoch Galusha Howard and Henrietta Walling Howard – I find the details of his life interesting.
Some time ago I came across a reference to his death in the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Evening News which reported “Major Lucien B. Howard, formerly of Menominee, … died recently at Los Angeles, Cal. … He was 57 years of age and was possessed of considerable real estate.”[i] I have always been curious whether this was an accurate report and whether he enjoyed prosperity in his life.
Lucien was born in New York (probably New York City) around 1847. He moved with his family in 1855 to Tioga County, Pennsylvania and then six years later, at the age of 14, joined the 45th Infantry Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers (which his father organized) as a musician in the Regimental Band.[ii] He was discharged in 1862 and then reenlisted as a Bugler in 1863 (at age 16) for Company K of Pennsylvania’s 11th Cavalry Regiment.
Lucien was discharged from the service August 15, 1865 and married Angie I. Keeney, a neighbor of the family in Tioga County, on September 7, 1865.[iii] I found the couple in the 1870 U.S. Census living in Wabasha, Minnesota. Lucien was employed as a bookkeeper.
At some point Lucien and Angie moved to Alpena, Michigan, where his parents and siblings lived. The Alpena Argus reported in October 1871 that L.B. Howard received the appointment of manager for the telegraph line that was being extended to Alpena from Au Sable.[iv] For the next ten years, the newspaper contains numerous references to L.B. – his musical ability (which included being a band leader, having a piano tuning service, and winning awards for his cornet playing), his role in organizing and leading the Alpena Guards, his shooting prowess, and his employment with the telegraph company and role in extending the line.
On November 10, 1880, the Argus reported that L.B. moved to Jackson to work for the telegraph company as a press reporter. Other references seem to indicate L.B. and Angie subsequently lived in Ludington or perhaps Manistee. Eventually they settled in Muskegon – city directories indicate he worked for the Chicago & West Michigan Railway Company there – and in the summer of 1889, L.B. moved his parents to Muskegon as well.
Sadly, L. B. experienced the loss of three family members in three consecutive years while in Muskegon. In 1890 his mother Henrietta passed away. In 1891 his wife Angie died. Then Enoch, his father, died the next year. All three are buried in Plot 1-14-9 of Oakwood Cemetery in Muskegon, although the marker at the site only mentions Enoch.[v]
The 1895 Muskegon City Directory indicates Lucien B. Howard had “removed to Manistee, Mich.” At some point that year, Lucien married Harriet Louise Allen.[vi]
The 1897 Directory for the city of Menominee, Michigan shows Lucien as a resident there, working as a bookkeeper for the Blodgett & Davis Lumber Company.
In 1898 Lucien appeared on the roll of California’s registered voters, residing in San Bernardino County and voting in Redlands Precinct No. 5. The voter registration record gives this description of him: Age – 51; Height – 5’4-1/2”; Complexion – Fair; Eyes – Blue; Hair – Light; Visible Marks and Scars – Scar on little finger left hand; Occupation – Accountant.
At the time of the 1900 U.S. Census, Lucien B. and Louise A. Howard were living on East Citrus Avenue in Redlands, California. Lucien’s occupation is once again listed as bookkeeper and the couple is reported as renting their home.[vii]
On January 5, 1905, the following death notice appeared in the Los Angeles Times:
Lucien B. Howard had lived a full life. But had it been a life of prosperity? The Los Angeles Times article stated he “owned considerable real estate” at the time of his death, which was probably the source of the Sault Ste. Marie Evening News report. But the San Bernardino County Historical Archives had no record of a probate proceeding filed for him.[viii] The Archives had two deeds involving L.B., which they kindly emailed to me. One was an 1897 grant of an easement over a five-acre lot in the “Edmonds Orange Grove Tract” that L.B. owned in San Bernardino County.[ix] The other was a deed dated April 29, 1904 from L.B. to Louise for his “undivided one half interest” in the same five-acre lot. The deed also granted to Louise “eight shares of the capital stock of the West Redlands Water Company, a corporation.”
I found L.B.’s widow Louise in the 1910 and 1930 U.S. censuses. In 1910 she was living in the household of a female physician in San Diego with several others. Her occupation was “domestic department.” In 1930 she was still in San Diego, renting a room valued at $15 and employed as a practical nurse. She died in San Diego on December 27, 1948 at the age of 79.
My current theory on Lucien is that he died without any “probatable” assets; that is, he had put all he owned in his wife’s name before he died. The land and stock that he gave her appears to not have been enough alone to sustain her for the remainder of her life since she was employed as a domestic and a nurse and lived in rented rooms. Thus it doesn’t seem that Lucien lived such a life of prosperity that he could provide greatly for Louise.
Lucien’s life might not have been one of prosperity from the standpoint of wealth. But when I look at his life overall – going off to war with his father at the age of 14; being the manager of the first telegraph line in Alpena, Michigan; having much-admired musical ability; moving across the country at age 51 to live and work in California – I believe that he enjoyed a very rich life.
[i] Sault Ste. Marie Evening News, January 27, 1905 edition, page 6.
[ii] According to the Veterans Schedule of the 1890 U.S. Census.
[iii] As reported in the September 25, 1865 edition of the Tioga Agitator.
[iv] Alpena Argus, October 31, 1871 edition, page 3.
[v] The City of Muskegon confirmed this information. As a Civil War veteran, Enoch’s headstone was provided by the U.S. government.
[vi] I have not found a marriage record for the couple, but the 1900 U.S. Census indicates they had been married for five years at the time the census was taken.
[vii] According to the 1900 U.S. Census.
[viii] Both people from the Historical Archives who responded to my email inquiry suggested L.B. and his wife might have lived in Los Angeles, but I have not been able to find an online index to Los Angeles County probate records for this period.
[ix] The easement was “for the purpose of disposing of any and all surpluss (sic) irrigating water” and was granted to James H. Edmonds.
tracingthepast 