SARAH F. STEPHENSON AND CHARLES CONRAD CATOR, SR.

My husband and I spent years going to his old home state areas of Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC.  Every time that we passed Surrattsville, MD.  He would share the story that his Granddaddy Charles Conrad Cator Jr. often told: Surrattsville is important to our family.  Remember that. 

My husband's great grandfather Charles Sr. was born in 1863, smack in the middle of the Civil War. It was years before we realized that my husband's great grandmother, Sarah F Stephenson, married his great grandfather, Charles Conrad Cator Sr. and they resided there for a while and had children in Surrattsvile.  Sarah was Irish.  Cator is thought to be Scots-Irish.

In the 1700s Surrattsville was named Surratt's Villa, and ultimately would become today's Clinton, MD.  The Villa was simply a crossroads and a few buildings.  By the 1800s it was calls Surrattsville and had its own post office, a voting place, and a tavern. Mary Surratt, famed from the days of Abraham Lincoln, owned a home there and in DC. 

Charles and Sarah F. married on the 4th of  December 1890 in DC per the record of their marriage. Since Sarah was born in 1871, she was but 19 years old to Charles 27 years of age.  Charles and Sarah had a baby boy who lived 5 months; he died 25 Apr 1892.  Before she died at the age of 27 in 1898, she had two living children, Granddaddy - my husband's grandfather who raised my husband. Granddaddy was Charles Conrad Cator, Jr. born 1895.  Their other living child was Aunt Mabel Estelle Cator (born 1893).  Granddaddy was just 2 when Sarah died; Mabel just 4. 

Charles Conrad Cator Sr now married Rachel Lurania Clifton as his second wife.  She is the sister of Charity and Joseph Clifton.  This is important as Charity married into another line (Belle Cator's line).  When Sarah Stephenson Cator died, leaving Charles Sr. to take care of his two living children, he was likely guided to marry the single Lurania to help raise his children.  Perhaps he loved her dearly, but the stories in the family do not support this.  Lurania is not fondly remembered our family.  She was mean-spirited and would punish the children in a myriad of ways, including hours in iced bath water.  Charges were actually brought against her for abuse of the children.  The charges were dropped, but not forgotten by our family.  This was likely a story 27 year marriage, at best.  She died first; he outlived Lurania by 15 years.  Peace.  The coming of the dreadful Lurania as stepmom within the ame year that Sara died, 1898, was ultimately harsh for the children.  By the 1900 census, Lurania's brother Joseph Clifton was living with them.  He was a 23 year old unmarried milkman and I hope he was good to Mabel and Charlie Jr.

By 1910, Joseph Clifton had moved on, but the teenagers Charlie and Mabel now had their granddad living with them, Thomas Cator, age 75 as a "boarder" who had his own income.  Charles Sr. was a furnace man at the Navy Yard in DC.  Lurania never had any of her own children.  A good thing.  

When Charles Sr. died he had chosen to be buried with his first wife Sarah when he passed away, rather than with Lurania who lies alone further back in the same cemetery.

Interestingly, Charles Jr and Ruth Ridgeway eloped while under the reins of Lurania.  This is an interesting story as Lurania was continuously on the prowl! Charles Sr was not opposed, though it implied he was.   See the full story at http://snippetbiographies.blogspot.com/2012/12/charlie-cator-runs-away-twice.html

HISTORY DURING THEIR LIVES:

William McKinley was president the year before Sarah died.  She may or may not have lived long enough to realize that the USS Maine exploded in Cuba in February of 1898.  And she may not have lived long enough to see Wyoming and Idaho become new states (43, 44) nor to know that Hawaii was annexed by the USA in mid 1898. 

In 1881 she and Charles were well aware that their President James Garfield was shot and died.  And, think of it!  They lived at the very time of the OK Corral gunfights in Tombstone, AZ in that same year when the Earp Brothers and Doc Holliday tried to disarm Billy Clanton and Frank McLaury.  Billy, Frank and Tom died.  And electricity was generated to 85 customers in NYC on September 4, 1884, and a year later the Statue of Liberty was delivered. 

The Anatomy of an Obituary

Charles Conrad Cator, Jr., also known as Charlie, Buck, and Granddaddy, was a character.  He was a small in stature man who lived a brimming life. When I met him for the first time, I expected to greet a man who would cuss while commanding the room. Interestingly, he was so sweet to me, so kind, and very interested in me, the woman who married the grandson he raised, Patrick.  He was in command of the room, of that there was no doubt. I was delighted by Granddaddy immediately. My husband loved and loves him deeply.  

Did I see the true character of Charlie Cator? 

I have always honored his care for his family, his raising of six daughters and two grandsons.  Since then, I have heard many spirited family narratives about Granddaddy and have a clearer picture of how others saw him.  The stories are fascinating, as was the man who was dearly loved by many despite his being blunt, cantankerous, and bold.

When he passed away, his obituary did not tell of the depth of his character either.  His accomplishments in life were many, but not quite as written.  So, here is my exploration of his obituary's structure or anatomy.  

On January 17, 1987 Granddaddy died.

Charlie Cator had several interesting jobs, but he never retired from any of them.  

His last job, prior to "retirement" was with Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company in Washington, DC.  He was on two weeks of vacation from Pepsi and the day before he was to return to work from his vacation, his wife Florence, Grandmother, had a mild stroke.  Charlie asked for more time off due to this, but Pepsi refused. Charlie quit and moved to Colonial Beach, VA.  

He had worked for Potomac Electric at one point. While there he got hit by 2400 volts twice and 4800 volts once.  One hit actually burned his pants leg off, so he got off that pole!  He got into his truck and went to a bar.  He needed a drink!  The police looked for him and found him in the bar.  He had survived.

Another near miss was when he fell off a light pole at the 14th Street Bridge at night and landed half on the bridge and half off the bridge.  He told everyone that "you can find my fingerprints in the bridge."  He had survived.

So, he did not retire from anywhere, but he could have retired from the railroad.  He was severely hurt when coupled by a train while working as a dispatcher.  After a year in the hospital, they offered him a lifetime job with the railroad but he would "not take handouts."  But, he had survived.  

Thelma Sizemore was his live-in caregiver companion, but not his nurse.  After all, Charlie was cleaning out the gutters in his 90s.  

He and Florence personally raised two grandsons also, Patrick and Tommy Hill.  His daughter that predeceased him was Evelyn Cator.  Four daughters have passed away; not sure about Jerri. 

We love you, Granddaddy!

Charlie Cator Runs Away Twice!

My husband's grandfather is Charles Conrad Cator, Jr.  He was known as Charlie, Buck, CCC Jr. and Granddaddy. He was raised during his father's second marriage by a stepmom nobody seems to consider fondly.  Stepmother Lavinia Cator is reputed to having been "mean." An example of punishment was to put her stepson in a bath that was iced and ice cold and make him stay there for a long time. There was a custody battle brought forth by a relative, but it failed to remove Charlie from his father's house and from mean stepmom.  CCC, Jr. was born, we think, in 1895, so in 1914 he was about 18 or 19 years old.   Charlie made the Washington DC Herald newspaper on March 7, 1914 as a runaway who disappeared on March 6th with 5 other teens.  Rosa (16), Lillian (17), and Lena (17) were missing along with 3 boys, Charlie (15!), Walter (19) and Gottlieb (18).  Don't really know where they went and why, nor what happened to them as I couldn't find a follow-up story.  But...it must have something to do with the same day article in the Washington Post.  

Interestingly, this article in the Herald does NOT mention his future wife, Ruth Ridgeway, as a runaway, but the Washington Post articles of the same day and year report on only Charlie at 18 and Ruth at 19.  They were in love.  She was a fun-spirited young woman and Charlie would love her greatly for many years to come. 

Charlie had worked for the train yard and been coupled by two trains, resulting in injuries requiring a year in the hospital.  Physical therapy for his arm, for example, was holding a bucket and adding a piece of coal each day till his arm finally straightened and became strong.  Charles was again working at the Union Station in DC as a call boy in 1914. In railroad slang that means Charlie was the guy who made sure each crew member was scheduled for regular runs and aware of extra runs to be completed.

He arranged for three days of leave to get married.  Sounds like a good plan, doesn't it?  Charlie's huge mistake?  He told his stepmother that he intended to marry Ruth "at once"!  Egads!  Mistake, mistake, mistake.  She told him, "I'll see about that; you're too young to get married!"  Charlie fled the house and called Ruth.  

Mean stepmom stopped Ruth and Charlie from getting a marriage license at Rockville MD. Evidently Lavinia got the word from somebody that they were going to elope to Philadelphia and she called the Philadelphia Police Department.   Then she heard they might elope to Camden NJ, so, what does mean stepmom do?  She telegraphs the clerk of the court in Camden to stop the two runaways!  You get the gist.  Every time she heard of a new possible marriage location, she attempted to stop the wedding saying that he was too young to get married (at 19!) and can't support a wife. She wanted him to wait till he was 21 even though dad, Charles Conrad Cator, Sr. was okay with the marriage. Mean stepmom also alleged that he was not well and she feared for his health. Hummm. 

So, did they get married?  YES! 

After mean stepmom contacted 50 towns to stop them.  Can you imagine her determination?  Don't understand her reasoning since Charlie's dad was okay with it. Lavinia overlooked Frederick MD.

Charlie and Ruth became Mr. and Mrs. Cator in Frederick MD.  

Mean stepmom may have been persistent, but Charlie and Ruth were in love.

They would have three children, one being my husband's Mom, Bernice.  Nice.