Today’s post is more about people than it is about birds. Far more. But they’re my people and they’re important to me.
- First some background. I covered some of this several years ago in another post but for all this to make sense I need to bring readers back up to speed. It’s a long, detailed, convoluted and tragic story but I’ll be as concise as possible. Still, it’s a lot of reading and it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But it’s my cup of tea and if nothing else I have family and friends who will be interested. Besides, I wanted to make an “official” record of some of this new information so it wouldn’t be lost forever. I hope you have the fortitude to get through it but if not it’s perfectly understandable.
My great grandfather Joseph Smith Dudley was a farmer and freighter who hauled mining supplies in wagons from Utah to the Montana gold fields in the 1870’s. Each trip took months so he hired a young man, Henry Wadman, to tend to his farm while he was gone. Henry and Joe’s wife Matilda had a long-term affair during Joe’s many extended absences and in what turned out to be a gunfight in 1879 Joe killed Henry. Joe was charged with murder but after a five day trial in Salt Lake City he was found not guilty by reason of self defense. I know most of the details about the incident because I have all the old newspaper accounts of the trial and they were very extensive. Apparently no one in my modern family knew about the incident until I uncovered it while doing research on my family history. As you can imagine it was a bit of a bombshell to my generation of Dudleys.
There was significant bitterness in Utah over both the incident and the verdict (Mormon vs. non-Mormon, warring newspapers etc.) and it never seemed to die down completely. Joe and Matilda divorced and Joe remarried but after a time Joe’s “fine brick house mysteriously burned down in the night” (to quote an old newspaper article) and eventually he packed up and moved his family, including his son and my grandfather Devere Snow Dudley, out of state and out of country to Hill Spring, Alberta, Canada where he bought another farm. He returned to Utah fairly often to visit family and friends but he lived out the rest of his life in Hill Spring where he’s buried.
Joseph Smith Dudley (“Killer Joe) and family, 1889
Ok, this photo is part of what I’m so excited about. Two days ago I received a treasure trove of old family photos, some of them very old and this is one of them. I already had a copy of this photo but it wasn’t labeled so I didn’t know who was in it. All I knew is that it was probably important to the family. But the photo I got this week was the original and writing on the back confirmed for me who these people are:
- The man is my great grandfather Joseph Smith Dudley (Killer Joe) when he was 38 years old. He would have been 28 when he killed Henry Wadman.
- The woman is Joe’s second wife Isadore Snow and the mother of my grandfather Devere. Isadore (Dora) was a daughter of Lorenzo Snow, President of the LDS or Mormon Church.
- The baby is my grandfather Devere. He was born on 12/30/1888 so this photo was taken in 1889.
- The curly-haired little boy on the left is Devere’s older brother Joseph Smith Dudley II (my folks always called him “Crazy Uncle Joe – long story…). As an adult he actually named his own son after himself so that makes three Joseph Smith Dudleys in three successive generations. So you can see why I use nicknames for all the Joseph’s, like Killer Joe and Crazy Uncle Joe, in an effort to keep them straight. I mean no disrespect, none at all.
- The older girl in the background is Devere and Crazy Uncle Joe’s half sister, Ada (Mary Adeline Madsen) from a previous marriage of their mother Dora.
This photo has been driving me bat**** crazy for years because I didn’t know who these folks were. I was afraid that information was lost forever.
This is Killer Joe as an older man, probably about 1915. He looks very different at this age and without his beard (I posted this photo once before).
So how did I end up being born and raised in Montana if Killer Joe (great grandfather) and then Devere (grandfather) lived in Alberta up through most of the 1920’s? In 1929 Devere apparently became disillusioned with life and farming in Alberta, sold the farm to his brother Crazy Uncle Joe (I have the original hand-written contract) and moved about 50 miles south (as the crow flies) where he bought a farm on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation near Cut Bank, Montana the following year. Eventually my father Wayne Dudley and his brother Floyd (sons of Devere) bought the farm from Devere, split it up between them and then expanded the acreage of each farm, where they raised their families, including yours truly.
Here we see the Montana farmhouses and outbuildings of both families (I took the photo sometime in the early 1990’s if I remember correctly). I was raised in the house marked by the blue arrow and Uncle Floyd’s house is the larger remodeled one on the left. Most of our actual farmland is behind me and/or out of frame to the right (over 3000 acres combined). Hill Spring, Alberta is about 50+ miles over the right side horizon. The “badlands” in the foreground (what we always called the Crystal Hills) is where we had many adventures as kids exploring, riding our horses, collecting quartz crystals and finding bits of fossilized dinosaur bone. The badlands extend for a mile or so behind me and to the left.
As you can see the Dudley uncles, aunts and cousins lived very close to each other and were like one big happy family. We still are, those of us that are left, partly because we have a lot of shared family history. And we actually like each other!
The red arrows in the photo mark some of the oldest granaries on the farm, built by grandpa Devere and then later my Uncle Floyd and my father Wayne. Those ancient granaries are unused today except by…
the resident Great Horned Owls that have lived and raised their families in them for decades. This is the mated pair of adults with the smaller male on the left. You knew I’d have to end this post with birds, didn’t you?
I often have existential thoughts related to my family history and my own existence. If Joe hadn’t killed Henry Wadman and fled to Alberta to escape the notoriety my dad would never have met my Canadian mother, Lorna June Prince. In that case I wouldn’t even exist.
Food for thought for the entire Dudley clan.
Ron
PS – I want to make it clear that I don’t see Killer Joe as a villain, far from it. When you know all the details he really had no choice but to defend himself. According to testimony of multiple witnesses at the trial Henry Wadman was completely out of control. One example is the fact that witnesses testified that Henry threatened to murder Matilda and “drown all her children” if she told her husband Joe about the affair.
That is quite the family history and I understand the nicknames to keep them straight. At soon as I saw the farm photos I thought of the owls so I am happy that you included them. It is great that you know as much as you do and still have information coming to light to complete some pieces of the puzzle. When I worked in the Cypress Hills in Saskatchewan there were stories of families coming up from Montana to settle there, and we had a guest from Wisconsin come for a visit to research her relative’s roots. The owner took her to a neighbour’s ranch and together they found the remains of the original homestead. I found that fascinating, especially knowing how lonely it can get and the brutality of the winds and storms.
Thanks for sharing your Cypress Hills story, Jane. So many stories out there and many of them are lost forever.
I love that you shared this!
Very much feeling at one with you tonight, Ron. Love you more than you could ever know.
I’m glad you saw it, Shelley. That place and those people mean so much to all of us in the family.
Exactly!
Well, that’s the coolest thing by far I’ve read this week! Movie material. And I get a chill every time you post images of those fantastic owls!
Thanks very much, Wally. On both counts.
Ron, thanks for sharing. I love family history stories, and I enjoy telling stories from my own family. It’s so important to have a true sense of who you are. It gives life some interesting perspectives.
It sure does. Thanks, Bob.
All of us who read your blog are mighty grateful all that drama resulted in you! Great story and photos
!
Much appreciated, Kent. I’m pretty happy that Wadman didn’t win that fight myself!
That is so cool you have the pictures, and now have names to match the faces. I too have been doing my family history, and I can’t find pictures for most of my relatives of long ago. Not giving up though, I will keep searching. Funny how genetics are. My Grandfather Hickok had very thick tight curly hair. My Dad had a nice head of hair, with a nice wave when he had longish hair. My hair was straight and very fine. Go figure lol.
Thanks, Jean. “Go figure” is often right when it comes to genetics.
Riveting story, Ron! More than happy to read these kinds of posts. Get as much down for the record as you can! I love quirky and juicy family histories (as I have a few tales to tell, myself. Surprise. Surprise.). I admire my ancestors — there’s no way I could have cut it in their worlds. Interesting to know that you and I both have grandfathers with a Canadian connection. Glad you got some answers with respect to the photo. Your grandfather was a cutie.
I understand the travels from Alberta to Montana, but how did you guys end up in SoCal? Also, I’m MORE than a little jealous of your upbringing so close to dino remains. 😉
Marty, after Devere sold the farm to dad and Floyd he eventually moved to Escondido. The MT winters were too brutal for us so we started spending winters down there. It’s more complicated than that but that was a big part of the motivation.
Ron, what a fascinating bit of family history that you have. I regret that I know very little about my ancestors and perhaps you have inspired me to learn more. I’m a Minnesota farm girl whose grandparents came to the US through Ellis Island. I’m not even sure about the grandparents on the other side of the family. Shame on me.
Thanks for such a great post, Ron
Alice, I hope someday you’re inspired to dig into that side of the family. You never know what you might find.
Most interesting post today!Love the owls also! 😍 Sheila was certainly correct when she said this would make a great movie. This is a case where real life rivals fiction. Research one’s past can lead to many surprises but it looks like you knew most of yours already but picked up some interesting add-ons. I have my father’s genealogy going back 7 generations but when you reach back to Europe things get a little more difficult to find. I question my mother, 93, all the time as she is the last in the maternal side of my family. Many road blocks as she found out late in life her father was not really her father…oh the secrets we sometimes fall upon and have to unravel.
Kathy, scour your brain for all questions you might want to ever ask your mother. Once it’s too late it’s too late…
Loved this story. How lucky to have photos, documents and photos of your family history ❤️
Lucky indeed, Diana.
Very interesting, I am happy for you to have received the time capsule.
Me too, April. I still have a lot if photos to go through but I think I’ve now seen all of the oldest ones.
Greatly enjoyed reading this post. If I have the math right, Killer Joe would have been about in his mid 60’s in the circa 1915 photo and still looking like a guy you wouldn’t want to cross. The owls look pretty formidable, too.
I only estimated when that photo was taken Lyle but I’m thinking I was pretty close.
Downright fascinating.
I grew up with only my immediate family, and never knew any relatives. They were not spoken of, and there was no contact. I am envious of your close family, and your knowledge of the extended family. And have a huge weakness for ‘black sheep’.
Thanks, EC. I had so many relatives growing up, especially on my mom’s side, it was (and is) difficult to keep them all straight. And I was lucky in that virtually all of them are good people.
Your mom herself was amazing. She gave so much of herself to my brother and I. We loved her very much.
Thanks for sharing Ron!! I loved the history and the photos. I am glad to be related to the Dudley clan. I have a few fond memories of Cut Bank
Marsha
I remember your family visiting us on the farm too, Marsha. Good memories…
I love today’s post ! What a story, thank you for sharing . I still think there’s a book in your future !
Ha, if there is it won’t be me writing it! Thanks, Laurel.
Fabulous read! Family detective research is terribly exciting and will always reveal juicy little secrets. Your documentation is a gift to your family, as well as the history of the region. Glad you posted, Ron.
Susan, as you might expect some of my family has more interest in this kind of thing than others. But as some of them get older I feel confident their interest will increase, just like mine did.
Thanks for sharing that wonderful story!!! I LOVED IT!!! I love historical stories, anyway, but particurly love the ones, like this, with colorful characters…I think “Justified Killer Joe”, as I like to think of him as, was totally justified…We have a few in our family, too…and they are the ones I love to hear about and wish I could meet…
I just realized that I never confirmed the sex of my GHO…just said “him”….love those owls and the old barn wood….
I think he was justified too, Patty. In fact I think he had no other reasonable choice. Thank you.
What a story, and what a grand photo. I love to look at old group photos, you can tell so much about relationships. The sitters had to stay in position for some time, and that sometimes leads to revealing poses. In this one, little crazy Joe is leaning so trustingly against his father’s knee, it seems to say how deep his trust that his father would not hurt him. I’ve seen a photo in my own family of three children, two of whom seem to be flinching away from the oldest, and the smallest, a little girl, looks openly apprehensive. I know these people and their relationships, and the portrait speaks true.
I analyzed that photo pretty carefully too, Sallie. Looking at the scan full sized it’s obvious that both baby Devere and Ada are a little blurry. In the case of the baby it was probably because he was squirming a little and a slow shutter speed was used. In Ada’s case I think it was an issue related to depth of field. Just like me to analyze it from a photographer’s perspective… 🙂
Many family histories are poignant matters, thought-provoking, catalysts for “there but for fortune go you and I.” Reading your family history brought back thoughts of my own, and the work I had to do to learn it. Thank you for this, Ron. There is something mythological and poetic about the great horned owls roosting in the old barn. The owls invoke a story line outside human endeavors.
After the people finally left, their barn loft became a fine roost. .
“There is something mythological and poetic about the great horned owls roosting in the old barn”
I strongly agree, Martha.
Actually there’s still people on the farm but it’s far less hectic and busy around there than it used to be in the “old days”.
Ron, What a wonderful story and pictures you have. I too had a picture with just a first name of a woman in our family collection. I was in touch with some thru Ancestry and they sent me pictures of the family and the same picture I had showed up with a full name. It was great to match the relative. I now have a large family group picture on my dads side that have no names. I can only guess on some of the children. I hope some day the names will be found.
You just never know where you might find answers, Trudy. I had never heard about the Killer Joe/Henry Wadman incident until I made email contact with a relative of Crazy Uncle Joe living in Magrath, Alberta. She told me of family rumors about a killing involving Joe and “another man over a woman”. So I started digging and eventually found the newspaper articles about the trial. I think my jaw was hanging down to my keyboard for days as I read all those articles.
What a story! You are definitely the family historian! Now its your turn to make sure all the family has all these interesting details.
Charlotte
You’re right, Charlotte. In fact when your comment came in I was in the process of sending many of them the link to this post.
Wonderful post, Ron!! I love this kind of historical tale and I especially like the happy ending with the Great Horned Owls 🙂 As I said before, the last time you posted the photograph, that portrait of your great grandfather is as good as it gets! IMHO.
Joanne, I have another photo of him taken at the same time where it was “brushed up” (airbrushed?) to remove all his wrinkles and make him look younger. Apparently that was a common practice back then but I MUCH prefer the wrinkles and the resulting reality and character.
So fascinating, Ron! Reminds me of one of my early relatives who was a bugle boy for the Union forces (too young to fight but officer took him under his wing after he threatened to run away to join the forces) and was captured by the Confederacy. He was released back to home in Ohio in a prisoner exchange (which I never knew existed in those days). Anyways he ended up owning a tavern and shot a bad customer dead from the second story window. Went to trial and was found not guilty for same reason, self defense (!). All this came out on the record when his widow applied for military pension. I think the pension was denied as he was never a “soldier.”
Wow, you have some fascinating family history too, Ken. Thanks for relating your story.
Ken, your story is fascinating! Wouldn’t it be cool to get a hold of the transcript from that trial!?! I’d love to see how they convinced either the judge or a jury that shooting a man from a second story window was self-defense. Absolutely riveting!
Wonderful post today, Ron! I can’t imagine how difficult life was for those early pioneers, and the photo of the owls in the granary is one of my favorites. I can almost hear the howling wind!
Folks back then were incredibly tough, Diane. I must have some of their toughness genes but knowing what I do about their challenges and the way they handled them I’d be a wimp in comparison. I’d never have survived, of that I have no doubt.
Wind indeed! Some of those old granaries were eventually blown down by wind.
WONDERFUL! Absolutely WONDERFUL – a treasure for sure! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Very few family histories are “lily white” when one digs a bit and you are blessed to have it along with the photos which bring things to life like no words can………. Thx for sharing this Ron….. 🙂 “Better” today on the vertigo – still think it’s sinus rather than “rocks in my ears” 😉
Thanks very much, Judy. All this makes me wonder how many other interesting wrinkles there may be in some of my earlier family history. There are a lot of mostly blank spots in mine (especially in the 1700’s) where I know the names, dates of birth and death and locations where they lived but very little else.
Joe having to “peruse” the nails in the grainery – says it looks like some of the work his granddads did as well as his father and uncles having to “make do” back then as well as the machinery…… 😉 Joe kicking 90 in the ass.. Do you have a link to the first article for a refresher?
Judy, when I’m on the farm I often study the nails and construction methods used on those old granaries. And let my mind wander.
Here’s one of the links:
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2014/06/16/a-few-more-birds-and-a-personal-observation-from-our-recent-montana-camping-trip/
And here’s another related one:
https://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2014/11/27/why-im-thankful-on-thanksgiving-and-always-for-my-nomadic-dudley-ancestors/
Very interesting Ron, you really did have a rural upbringing, and you still qualified this post as a Feathered post by including the owls. That by itself is an interesting bird story having had generations of those owls growing up there. I like you have been involved in the genealogy of our family. We had three Sanborn brothers come from England to New England in 1632 who ended up settling in New Hampshire. One of our distant relatives was a well known abolitionist who was a financial supporter of John Brown and came very close to being arrested and hanged for that.
Interesting stuff in your family history, Everett. My first Dudley ancestor in America was Governor Thomas Dudley who arrived in Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the Winthrop Fleet. They founded Massachusetts Bay Colony (Thomas was second in command). Many of his children and grandchildren lived in or near Exeter, New Hampshire for generations. Perhaps some of our ancestors knew each other, in fact I’d be very surprised if they didn’t.
Love it, Ron!! I think family history is so interesting and important to know where you come from. I’ve always regretted that I don’t know very much about my Dad’s side of the family. I grew up in Michigan where my Mom is from with her 7 other siblings (with lots of cousins for my family). My Dad is from Trenton NJ & has 3rd generation Irish roots. Both his parents had passed before he was out of high school. He went in the Navy & met my Mom when he was temporarily stationed in my Mom’s home town, waiting for his ship to be completed. He met my Mom at the local USO & the rest is history. When I was young, I didn’t have the interest in where I came from. Then my Dad had a massive stroke at 57 & lost his speech, along with other handicaps. About that same time I moved to Florida. It’s been too late since then to find the answers to the questions I have. I’m so happy to hear that you are adding more info to your family history!! A VERY interesting history at that, Ron!!
“It’s been too late since then to find the answers to the questions I have”
I also waited too long to ask some of the pertinent questions, Jo Ann. That will haunt me forever.
I recently started going through the same type of old family pictures that are not labeled. Have identified as many as I could and am currently packaging them up to send to the Mormon side of our family (Provo) in the hopes their research can help. I think my family story is going to be boring compared to yours. My grandparents ran the local pickle factory in a town of approximately 100 people in rural Indiana. Loved your story and know it must be fulfilling to finally put the names to the faces.
Shirley, If anyone can solve some of your family history mysteries it would be the Mormons. I wish you luck!
I would bet there are many fascinating stories related to your family and their pickle factory! Probably even a newspaper article or two, as well. It would be fascinating to know more. Good luck in your search!
Fun stuff Ron. Love the history lesson. And its always interesting to play the “what if” game. Must have been fun there as a kid in the summer, but I just can’t imaging spending the winter.
Boy, you nailed it in your last sentence, Frank.
It was a perfect place to grow up in the milder seasons but winters on the farm were brutal. In later years we spent winters in or near town (Cut Bank) or in Escondido, CA where grandpa Devere was living at the time.
A fascinating tale, and so well told. I smiled at your mention of your modern family’s surprise (or shock) after learning the truth about Joe’s killing of Henry. It was only a few years ago that I learned my favorite aunt, whom I adored, had spent time in the Iowa Women’s Reformatory for embezzlement — long before I was born. I was the one who was shocked, not to mention being surprised that an entire family and all of their friends had been able to keep the truth from me for decades, in order to keep my relationship with my aunt unsullied. She turned out just fine in the end, but it gave me an appreciation for the stories every family has — and now I have the newspaper clippings! You’re very lucky to have those photos.
Yes, I’m lucky indeed.
I have no idea where the knowledge of the killing stopped in my family from generation to generation. Devere must have known about it but I don’t know if my parents did or not. It would be unlike them to try to keep it secret from us kids but maybe they did. I’ll never know and that drives me nuts. I’d so like to go back in time and ask them some questions…
Well, since I am our families genealogist you can’t bore me with a great family story/history! Old pictures are so important and reveling to have in your families archive. Fascinating stuff you are obviously very proud of your family history and rightly so!
I enjoyed it tremendously, many thanks for sharing!
BIG SKY COUNTRY – Such an appropriate term! Knew it as soon as we crossed the border into Montana from North Dakota.
Yup, you get it, Dick. Family history can be all-consuming once you get the bug…
Great story and historical photos, Ron. I see a resemblance between Killer Joe and you, in looks that is ;-).
Did you have irrigation on your farm near Cut Bank?
How was to have your farm surrounded by, or “inside”, the Blackfeet Reservation?
I can see why you were so interested in the events about the Blackfeet in Undaunted Courage, about the Lewis and Clark expedition!
Yup, if nothing else Killer Joe and I both have big ears. As did Devere.
No, the farm was dryland farming. There’s some irrigated land on the reservation west of Cut Bank but the only water on the farm was from wells or in the creek (not nearly enough water in the creek for irrigation).
Having the farm on the reservation had its challenges, including the fact that the tribe was (and is) allowed to run their cattle anywhere on the reservation after the growing season. Free range cows cause a lot of problems for farmers.
Undaunted Courage is still among my favorite books. I’ve read it three times and may do so again. Cousin Ken Dudley (Floyd’s son) was a member of the scout troop that discovered the actual site of Lewis and Clark’s Camp Disappointment along Cut Bank creek. Camp Disappointment was the northernmost camping site of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Disappointment
A killer story, professor. It’s a fascinating story.
Thank you, Arwen.
I loved this read! You are a fabulous story teller. What a wonderful movie this would make. I need to know (being a naturally curly girl myself) did those amazing curls get passed on to you?
Hey. I’m a curly girl too. 🙂
Thanks, Sheila. My hair (what I have left of it) is only slightly curly when it gets long.