Estelle Oury

b. 8 January 1865, d. 11 November 1899
FatherRobert Oury1
MotherHarriett Daily2
Birth8 Jan 1865 Estelle Oury was born on 8 Jan 1865.3 
  Estelle's full name was Roberta Estelle, however as an adult she appears to have preferred her middle name, using it in several variations. Her obituary and her 1897 marriage record spell the name Estella, however, her headstone reads Estelle. Both variations are used interchangeably in this report. Her 1889 marriage record uses Stella. A book on the Sanders Family refers to her as Essie.4 
Marriage24 Mar 1889 She married first Harry Buchanan Dunn, son of Thomas Edmiston Dunn and Caldedonia V. Sanders, on 24 Mar 1889 in Smyth County, Virginia.1 
Divorce12 Oct 1895 Estelle and Harry were divorced on 12 Oct 1895. Although Estelle filed the divorce papers the couple's 2 children were ordered to live with Harry.5,6 
  It is not known exactly how or why Estelle left Virginia and moved to Klamath County, Oregon or if her children visited her while she was there. It has been reported that she made the trip west in reply to an ad from a marriage agency; this is consistent with oral family tradition.7 
Marriage22 May 1897 She married Dr. Stacy M. Hemenway on 22 May 1897 at the Hotel Linkville in Klamath County, Oregon.8,9 
22 May 1897 She was 32 and he was 61. 
Death11 Nov 1899 Estelle died from an overdose of chloral hydrate on 11 Nov 1899 in Klamath Agency, Klamath County, Oregon.3 
Burial She was buried at Ft. Klamath Cemetery in Klamath County, Oregon.10 

Research Comment:

There are no doubt many things about Estelle's life we will never know. According to her obituary she was addicted to morphine, a not uncommon occurance among women in the latter 1800s when the drug was readily available by prescription and used to treat a variety of female maladies. Her second husband, Dr. Stacy Hemenway also remains a somewhat illusive figure. He graduated from the Chicago Medical College in 1862, fought in the Civil War (9th Cavalry, IL Volunteers) and served as an army surgeon in the northwest after the war. He was the first superintendant at Washington State Hospital for the Insane at Steilacoom. He studied the effects of strychnine poisoning and was quoted in medical articles of the time for his work. In 1889 he entered the Indian Service.

At the time of his marriage to Estelle, Dr. Hemenway was the resident physican in charge of the Klamath Reservation in southern Oregon. His office and residence were at the small community known as Klamath Agency. Anecdotes found in publications focusing on the period suggest he was a respected member of the community. And yet he was married twice before his marriage to Estelle. One marriage ended in divorce when his wife deserted him during a trip to Wisconsin. His second marriage also ended in divorce after his wife left him for another man. Following Estelle's death he married a young woman who died of apoplexy a year later. He met his fifth wife through a marriage agency. Although she outlived him they did not live together for a good deal of their marriage. Jenny Dunn has researched Dr. Hemenway and his wives extensively and provided much of the material used in this narrative, including all of the information in this paragraph. Her research is supported by documentation from both primary and secondary sources. Jenny's email address may be found by locating her name in the footnotes at the bottom of this page and then clicking on the number to the left of that footnote.

Related Links and Images:

Estelle's headstone
Obituary from the Klamath Republican newspaper

Family

Harry Buchanan Dunn b. 31 Aug 1858, d. 6 Feb 1927
Children
Last Edited28 Aug 2012

Citations

  1. [S60] Thomas Hockett and Shelia Steele Hunt, Smyth Co. VA Marriages 1851-1891 & 1860 Census, p. 53. H. B. Dunn, 29, book keeper & Stella Oury, 25, d/o Robt & Harriet, 24 Mar 1889.
  2. [S575] Jenny Dunn, "Oury Family," e-mail to Diana Powell, 16 June 2006.
  3. [S1536] "Death of Mrs. Hemenway", undated clipping from the Klamath Republican newspaper.
  4. [S575] Jenny Dunn, "Estella Dunn Questions," e-mail to Diana Powell, 27 Jul 2006. Jenny provides Estelle's first name.
  5. [S52] Letter, Carolyn Ryburn to Diana Powell, Jan. 2004.
  6. [S575] Jenny Dunn, "Question and Update," e-mail to Diana Powell, 15 Jul 2006. Jenny cites Washington County VA Chancery Order Book M 1895-1897.
  7. [S1537] Carol Crandall, Klamath Basin Cemeteries, p. 30. The transcription of Estelle's stone includes this note by the compilers: DAR note: ".... Came out from some matrimonial agency to marry him" [Dr. Hemenway].
  8. [S575] Jenny Dunn, "Estelle's Marriage Cert," e-mail to Diana Powell, 27 Jul 2006. Jenny's email included a scanned image of Estelle and Stacy's marriage certificate from Klamath County.
  9. [S16] The hotel was located in Klamath Falls which was called Linkville until 1893.
  10. [S575] Jenny Dunn, "Question and Update," e-mail to Diana Powell, 15 Jul 2006.
  11. [S52] Letter, Carolyn Ryburn to Diana Powell, 10 May 2001.
  12. [S575] Jenny Dunn, "Question and Update," e-mail to Diana Powell, 15 Jul 2006. Jenny's email included a scanned image of Georganna Dunn Gorsline's death certificate issued by the Tennessee State Dept. of Health.