Seeking the Lee family of New Orleans abt 1890

[cordley]

I am looking for the family of Meckie L Lee who died 2 March 1913 in Los Angeles.

I cannot find a death registration for Meckie, nor any census around 1890-1900 or before.

I have her Will and Probate -  this gives much genealogical information including :

Brothers : CP Smith, MF Smith
Son William R Lee
Daughter Dot Lee Gordon (marriage info below)

but no locations or dates for any of them.  So I surmise Meckie's maiden name was Smith, and her husband, Mr Lee, has pre-deceased her.

1894 - Daughter Dot (Dorothea Marie Lee} marries Capt Lawrence Christian Gordon in Florence.  She is "the daughter of Mrs M L Lee of New Orleans and a prominent member of a family well known in the Southern States".

4 May 1905 - Meckie's Will - "of Chicago, County of Cook and State of Illinois"
22 July 1905 - Codicil - "of Chicago, County of Cook and State of Illinois"
23 Feb 1909 - Codicil - "of the City of Chicago, County of Cook and State of Illinois,now residing temporarily in the Dity of Los Angeles, Cal"
1909 - Probate - "at the time of her death she was a resident of the County ofLos Angeles in the State of California".

I do know about Capt Lawrence Christian Gordon (later Major, of the British Army) so am not looking for more info on him, he dies in San Francisco on 5 Sep 1914.  I don't know the cause of his death at the age of 52.  He is British, born in Turkey.

Any help in finding Meckie's ancestry - probably also her husband's , would be most useful.

Thanks,  Pam.

[CaroleW]

How old was she when she died?

Where does she fit into your FH? 

[*Sandra*]

Was she born 1852 Kentucky ?

Married to Stephen Rawson 1886 Illinois and divorced a few years after that ?

Sandra

[cordley]

I have no idea when she was born, can't find any death record which gives her age, nor census or birth ditto. 

All I know is that her daughter Dot was born about 1878 in the US.  Haven't found any records for Dot either except the UK 1901 census when she is living in London, aged 23, husband away (with the Army, I guess).

Am researching a line of the Gordon family, a British family with much Military involvement, whom she married into, distant ancestors of mine.

Will need to look at the Stephen Rawson info...  what was the maiden name of the bride?

[*Sandra*]

Nothing to help here.

The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, California
Wed, Mar 19, 1913 Page 24

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/129066682/

Meckie L. Mrs. Lee - 1852 - married aged 34 years -

Marriage Type   Marriage - Marriage Date   1 Mar 1886 - Marriage Place   Cook, Illinois
Spouse Name   Stephen W. Rawson - Spouse Age   49

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7XD-K8C

Sandra

[*Sandra*]

Union County Courier
Elk Point, South Dakota 
Wed, Feb 1, 1888 Page 1

https://www.newspapers.com/article/union-county-courier/129066779/

The Inter Ocean
Chicago, Illinois
Thu, Feb 2, 1888 Page 7

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-inter-ocean/129067633/

Sandra

[*Sandra*]

The end of this article gives an insight into past marriages,

The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, California 
Mon, Oct 17, 1887 Page 5

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/129066893/

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times/129066927/

Sandra

[amondg]

The Daily Inter Ocean 22 December 1888 Chicago
Gives an account of an appeal for her son to spend Christmas with her, he had been in jail for 10 months.
The name of the son is given as Ralph Lee.

previous examples posted by Sandra give his name as William Lee.

  The Daily Inter Ocean 19 January 1889.

Gives a time line of Meckie Lee arriving in Chicago and the events that followed, apparently "Banker Rawson was a brutish man who had tried to kill her, hence being shot by her son.

[amondg]

Another article in the Salt Lake Herald 2 June 1888 also gives an account of the shooting,
Meckie was at first deemed an accomplice.

Her husband was a millionaire and a much older man, who was not described as someone anyone would mourn when he was shot.