52 Ancestors in 52 weeks

Prompt this week #33

STRENGTH

This week I will write about my great-granduncle

James Wallace Fueston

1868-1960

Photo courtesy Barbara Fueston Grandon personal collection 2023

City View Spokane, WA 2023

STRENGTH

I chose James for various reasons but mainly because he had to have lived a very difficult life steeped in heartache. His challenges included the tragic deaths of his brother and family by the “cars”, the horrific accidental death of his son at an early age, multiple events captured in news articles surrounding his sons arrests, as well as the birth and death of his 16 y/o daughter’s illegitimate son for which his brother, her uncle, was the father. Through all of the hard times within his immediate family he and his wife endured, stayed strong and supported each other to the end.

James Wallace Fueston is the 6^th child born to Ezekiel Fueston (1835-1890) and Ursley Smith Fueston (1838-1915). James was born in Kentucky as were most of his siblings. Prior to 1890 the family had moved to Nebraska. Tragedy struck in 1890 . James, then 22 years old and his siblings all experienced the horrific death of their brother John William Fueston (1857-1890). John, his wife Alice and baby all died in an accident where they were killed by “the cars” (train) in Big Springs, Nebraska. A few weeks later James and his family are faced with another death, the death of their father Ezekiel.

Newspapers.org. The Current North Platte, Nebraska. Sat, June 21, 1890 Pg 1

James’s mother Ursley, now a widow moves her family to Missouri. James is not listed on the 1900 census with her however, in July of 1895 James marries his Elizabeth Ann Hyden (1877-1959) in Missouri. She will be his one and only wife through-out their lives together.

The Fueston boys (men) get into trouble in Missouri and are not welcomed there. Perhaps this is why Ursley, moves to Spokane, Washington. She is first listed in Spokane in 1909, James is first found there in 1910. James and his wife remain in Spokane the rest of the days of their lives, but not without continued tragic events for he and his wife. Their strength and fortitude to stay together through it all is commendable.

James and Elizabeth are blessed with 11 children. Anna Bell, Ernest Sr, Mary Clemantine, Bertha Harrettia, Hazel, Charles LeRoi and twin brother William James, Oscar, Edward, Clifford and Richard Ray.

Their first known shared tragedy is the death of their daughter Hazel at age 9. She died from consumption in 1914. This is followed by the death of their son William James (twin to Charles LeRoi) in 1916.

The next domino to fall for them is their 16 y/o “school girl” daughter Mary Clemantine Fueston has an illegitimate birth. The father of her child is her uncle Charles Lafayette, brother to James and he is a 50 y/o while she is 16 y/o. James and Elizabeth’s grandchild dies a few weeks later.

A rough timetable below captures some of the events that took place in the lives of James and Elizabeth. As parents it must have pulled at their heart strings to be witness to the deaths of family including children, multiple arrests of their children, and to be witness to the divorces that took place and on top of it all to have your 16 y/o daughter have a child with her 50 y/o uncle and yet they still remain married. This is the ultimate of strength in and to each other. What a life, most could not have endured that which James and Elizabeth did until their 90’s.

Table of Events

Year	Child	Event	Notes
1914	Hazel Fueston	Death 9/yo Comsumption
1916	William (Twin to Charles LeRoi)	Death 7 y/o	Accidental head crushing. Fell from a wagon he was stealing and it ran over his head.
1917	Mary Clemantine Fueston	Illigimate birth (and 3 week later death)of son Elmer father is 50 y/o uncle Charles Lafayette	Charles is the brother of James.
1932	Charles LeRoi Fueston	3^rd degree Assault Criminal assault of minor	Sentenced to life in prison where he died in 1980. His crime so heinous his ashes are kept at the mausoleum and are not viewable by the public.
1933	Edward Fueston	Stolen watch from sister
1936	Edward Fueston	Forgery	3 year sentence
1943	Ernest and wife Jaunita Fueston	Assault and resisting arrest/wife investigation
1946	Oscar Fueston	Arrested for non-support
1948	Edward Fueston		Moved to State Pen sentenced 7.5 years grand larceny
1950	Edward Fueston		Walla Walla State pen census
1952	Richard R Fueston	1 degree forgery	Sentence: Min. 6 years
1953	Edward Fueston	Vagrancy
1954	Edward Fueston	Larceny
1959	Edward Fueston	Took a car for a test drive, didn’t return it
1959	Death of wife Elizabeth
1960	Death of James Wallace at the age of 91.	3 of James sons were in Walla Walla Penitentiary during the time of obit writing. Charles Leroi (rape) Richard Ray (forgery) and Edward Franklin forgery, parol violation and many more arrests).

James followed his wife Elizabeth in death a year after her. They are buried together at Riverside Memorial Park. The memorial park is peaceful, orderly and quiet.