Author Topic: Skelton Family  (Read 31905 times)

Offline woodlea

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Skelton Family
« on: Tuesday 05 January 10 09:24 GMT (UK) »
Searching for any descendants of William Skelton & Vaitleain Vann who lived in Montana from the 1870's onwards.

Offline *Sandra*

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 05 January 10 12:26 GMT (UK) »
This must be your family in 1900 ? Stanford, Fergus, Montana. Have you tried making contact with researcher on An...try who might have information to help you
William Skelton 48 born Oct 1851 England Married for 20 years. Married in 1879
Vaitlain Skelton 34 born 1865 Minnesota Died 13 July 1955. Parents Pierre Venne - Marie Bellegarde
William H Skelton 18 born  Nov 1881  All children born in Montana
Martha M Skelton 14 born Aug 1885 died in 1982. Was married to Lewis F Coughlin
Joseph V Skelton 12 born Aug 1887 Montana
John Louis Skelton 11 born May 1889 Montana Married to Sarah ??
Peter A Skelton 8 born July 1891 Montana Married to Ida ??
Maud V Skelton 6 born July 1893 Montana
John S Norlan 30 Servant
Stanford Skelton 5 born Jan 1895 Montana Died Jan 1973 Judith Basin. Stanford. Montana. Married to Sophia ??
Lena C Skelton 2 born July 1897 Montana
Carl M Skelton 10 months  born 1899 Died 6 May 1978 Cascade. Montana
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Offline woodlea

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 05 January 10 14:25 GMT (UK) »
Thanks dettori28.
 This is my family. Have tried An...try without much success. Also found a Skelton ranch in Montana & sent an e-mail, but no reply.

Offline *Sandra*

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 05 January 10 17:04 GMT (UK) »
Quite interesting reading about your William Skelton.
Skelton was married to Miss Vaitleain Vann Dec. 2, 1879, when he was 30, she 15. They first homesteaded two miles east of Stanford in 1880 and were the first settlers on Wolf creek. They made their home in the Judith basin, where he was engaged long years in the ranching and livestock business.Among the early friends of Mr.and Mrs. Skelton were Father De-Smet, the pioneer priest, and Charles M. Russell. At his first meeting with Russell, Skelton had often told how the cowboy artist had asked him:
"What are you doing?"" I am trying to plow my first furrow," Skelton replied. From that remark came the inspiration for the name of one of Russell's famous paintings, The First Furrow"
Skelton was one of the oldest members of the Montana Cowboy association.

A Charles Russsell signed print "The First Furrow" The Wild West is being sold on e-bay at the moment for a small sum.

Interestingly a painting called In Without Knocking by the same artist supposedly depicts The Skelton Brothers.
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Census information is Crown Copyright  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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Offline *Sandra*

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 05 January 10 17:38 GMT (UK) »
Independent Record
Helena, Montan Obituary
12-21-1943
William Skelton, 93,
Noted Figure Of Old West, Dies Resident of Montana 78 Years Counted Many Thrills in Life Geyser, Dec. 21.—William Skelton of Geyser, first settler in the Judith basin and one of the most colorful figures of pioneer days
!r. territory and state, died early Monday in a Great Falls hospital after an illness of four days. He was 93 years of age.A resident of Montana for 78 years, Skelton counted among his experiences brushes with Indians
in which he narrowly escaped with his life, work as a wood chopperfor Missouri river steamboats, gold seeker, range rider, rancher and cattleman. He still owned, at the time of his death, theranch which he homesteaded In1880. On Dec. 2 Mr. and Mrs.Skelton celebrated the sixty-fourth anniversary of their wedding at their home here. Funeral services will be conducted In Great Falls Wednesday at 2:30 p. m.,with the Rev. T. Malcolm Jones
officiating and burial will be in Highwood cemetery.William Skelton is survived by his widow, Mrs. Vaitleain Skelton,and seven children. The latterare Mrs. Martha Coughlin andCarl Skelton of Geyser, Peter A.
Skelton of Twodot, Stanford Skelton of Stanford, Mrs. JamesHogan of Chicago, Mrs. William Sweeney of Helena, and John Skelton of Seattle. All will attend the funeral.
Born in England Oct. 22, 1850, William Skelton first came to Montana in 1865 and for a time worked as a woodcutter for steamboats plying the Missouri to Fort Benton. Later, with a friend, Tom Dwyer, he joined a gold
rush to the Black Hills.
He returned to Montana in 1876, the year Chief Sitting Bull and his warriors annihilated General
Custer and his Seventh cavalry.
At the Little Big Horn river some of the Indians saw Skelton and Dwyer and were about to attack them when Sitting Bullull motioned them back.
He then motioned to the white men to dive into some willows,which they did, managing to escapewith bullets whizzing about them.
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Offline *Sandra*

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 05 January 10 17:57 GMT (UK) »
An obituary for Williams son Stanford Skelton. Hopefully with more names in the frame - other rootschatters will come up with more up to date information for you. So hope this all helps.

Billings Gazette
1-4-1973
STANFORD — Stanford
"Bay" Skelton, born 1895 Montana died aged 77, Judith Basin.  Stanford Skelton died Tuesday at Great Falls. He was a pioneer rodeo rider and producer and a Western movie actor. Mr. Skelton was born Jan. 31,1895, near Stanford, a son of Mr.and Mrs. William Skelton. He attended schools at Utica, Stanford, Great Falls and Missoula.
On Jan, 30,1929, he was married in Hollywood: They returned to the family ranch near Stanford. His wife died in 1969. He was a member of the Montana Cowboys Association, Montana Stockgrowers, Elks Lodge of Great Falls, Eagles Lodge of Lewistown, Stanford American Legion Post, Judith Basin Historical Society, Sons and Daughters of Pioneers, and was a veteran of World War I.Survivors include a son, (*); a daughter, (*); three sisters, Mrs. Martha Coughlin, Great Falls, and Mrs. Nina Hogan
And Mrs. Lee Sweeney, both of Helena; a brother, Carl; and four grandchildren.
Funeral services will be 10:30a.m. Friday at St. Rose of Lima. Catholic Church. Vigil Service will be 8 p.m.Thursday at the O'Connor Funeral Home, Great Falls.


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Edited in accordance with RootsChat policy of not publishing details of living people here, or details of people who may still be living. This is to protect all concerned from spam, identity abuse, internet abuse, etc, etc.
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Offline *Sandra*

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 05 January 10 18:07 GMT (UK) »
An obituary for John Louis Skelton born in 1889 Montana.

Independent Record
Helena, Montana
10-7-1962

John Louis Skelton, 74, father of William Skelton of White Sulphur Springs, died in a hospital
in Great Falls. Funeral Services were held in Great Falls, and burial was in a Great Falls cemetery.
Mr. Skelton was born May 15,1888 in Stanford. He was the oldest bartender in the Great
Tails Bartenders' Union; and was lifetime member of the Monana Cowboys' Association. He had lived near White Sulphur Springs for the last several years

John Louis Skelton was married to Sarah and living in Great Falls Ward 1, Cascade, Montana in 1920 with son William L Skelton born 1914 Washington.

In 1930 John, Sarah, William are in Sedro-Woolley, Skagit, Washington with another son John D Skelton born 1922.
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Offline *Sandra*

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 05 January 10 18:43 GMT (UK) »
Peter Skelton born 1891. In 1920 living in Harlowton, Wheatland, Montana with a wife Ida and Daughter Lynette V aged 3 years 3 months. Wife Ida immigrated in 1910 and is Canadian. This is under Skilton.

Van Skelton is living in Spion Kop, Judith Basin, Montana in 1930 with Sofice born Pennysylvania aged 42 years and 2 children - Stanford M Skelton born in 1919 and Frances L 1922. They have been married for 12 years. Van is a farmer
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Census information is Crown Copyright  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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Offline woodlea

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Re: Skelton Family
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 06 January 10 07:46 GMT (UK) »
Hi dettori28
Thank you for all this very fascinating information about the Skelton family. Have printed it off & will read it all very carefully & enter the information on my family tree. It gives me an in-site into their lives. Really grateful for all your time & effort. :)