Mary Bruguier-Westerman b. 1904

[Spirit of the Owl Woman]

I am looking for the genealogy of Mary Westerman who died 16 Jan 1936 and was buried in Yankton, S.D.

I have been informed by the authorities of St Elizabeths that Mary Westerman was shipped to St Elizbeths Mental Hospital, Washington, D.C., along with Oscar Hope, 4 Oct 1935 and both perished there. Mary's body was shipped to Yankton, S.D. for burial.

Any information about Mary Westerman and her family would be much appreciated.

Pidamaya.

Lavanah

[Spirit of the Owl Woman]

ANSWER: Mary Bruguier Westerman b. 1904, died 16 Jan 1936 at St Elizabeths Psychiatric Hospital and her body was shipped to Yankton. I realize it was difficult to research without the dob. I could not find it until Dr Prandoni of St Elizabeths gave me Mary Westerman's age at date of death as 30. Searching I found the marriage record of Mary Bruguier and George A Westerman in 1926.

The first record I have Mary Bruguier she is listed as 16, yr old, 1904, daughter, on the 1920 census with father, Charles Bruguier, b. 1873 and mother, Alice Jewett-Bruguier, b. 1884. Also listed is Helen L, b. 1905, daughter, Mollie M, b. 1913, daughter, William Arthur, 1917, son.

Charles was married to Agnes Arconge in 1893 and was divorced by 1901. As far as I can determine there were no children from this marriage. And, in 1903-4 she is married to Henry Frederick who has children from his previous marriage only.

I have her mother listed as Susan Canfield (1882-1908) and her father as Charles Bruguier on my tree but I can find no census with her name as daughter of Susan and Charles. I have Helen Louise Bruguier b. 1905 and d. 1925 and Theophile Charles Bruguier, b. 1906 and d. 1906-7, as children of this marriage.

On the 1921 ICS for Yankton, Charles is listed with children: Helen, Mary Mollie, b. 1913 (listed as NIECE) and Wm Arthur, b. 1916. No Mary Bruguier, b. 1904.

So who is the mother of Mary Bruguier, b. 1904-5 and daughter of Charles Bruguier?

Your help would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Lavanah

[hermin1]

Charles jr. Bruguier was the son of Charles Bruguier and Maggie Hope. will continue the search.anf post what if any thing I can find.

[Spirit of the Owl Woman]

Thank you Hermin. I have been going through the War Eagle/Bruguier trees and one of them states that Charles Phillip Bruguier (b. 1870-3) was married to Margaret LaPlant (1864), daughter of John B LaPlante, b. 1815, Indiana and Josephine "Josette" LaPlante, b. 1837, in 1901 but I can not find her on any ICS. It also states that Margaret had a son, William Bruguier. Unless Margaret remarried and then the children went by their step-father's surname, which is not all that uncommon among the Sioux and is part of kinship. But, trying to find Mary Bruguier prior to the 1920 census and prior to her marriage to George A Westerman has been very difficult. Even after her marriage to George she does not show up on any ICS records.

Margaret LaPlante's -- Siblings are: John b. 1855, Joseph, b. 1857, Mary, b. 1859, Louis, b. 1860, Andrew, 1866, Charles, b. 1869, Julia, b. 1869, Moses, b. 1875;

Thanks Hermin, if anyone can find it you can or at least point to a direction.

Lavanah

[Spirit of the Owl Woman]

Here is another clue as to Margaret LaPlante, mother of Mary Bruguier. I found a birth record for Cora May Quinn, b. 26 Apr 1900, Charles Mix, S.D. Parents are listed as Margaret LaPlante and Samuel Quinn (b. 1871 and listed on Sisseton Wahpeton census but always without wife/mother of Cora). Cora May Quinn marries John C Sully (b. 1892 - Santee) 12 Apr 1918 in Lake Andes, Charles Mix, S.D. Cora is living in Greenwood.

Margaret then marries Charles Philip Bruguier in 1901, according to War Eagle tree and has Mary (1904) and William Bruguier (no dob).

[Spirit of the Owl Woman]

Well, it took some long time searching for the story. It is sad to say the least, but here is what I found.

Margarette Laplante was b. abt 1864 to John Baptiste LaPlante, b. 1815 in Indiana and Josephine "Josette" LaPlante, b. abt 1837, a Yankton Sioux. See 1870 and 1880 Big Sioux, Union, Dakota Terr. census.

I first find her on the '86 Yankton ICS married to Edward "Ed" Lyman, probably about 1885. They had a daughter in '86 who died '86-'87. He is gone by '90 census and she is alone.

1893 she is Margarette Sherman married to an unknown Sherman. If anyone knows please share. Margarette has two daughters by Sherman in '95 and '97, both do not survive. I do not know when she divorced Sherman but she goes by that name until '99 when she is Margarette Quinn.

Margarette has a daughter with Samuel Quinn of the Sisseton Agency by the name of Cora Quinn, b. 26 Apr 1900. Cora is listed with her father on the Sisseton Agency census. This relationship does not last long in '02 she is back to Margarette Sherman and in '03 she is listed as Margarette Quinn. I could find no 1900 census that showed them living together, so maybe they did not.

In the meantime, Charles Phillip Bruguier has divorced Agnes Arconge abt 1900. So from 1900 to 13 of Apr 1904 when he marries Susan Canfield, he is a free man. I presume he is having a good time before he has to settle down and is fooling around with Margarette.

Margarette gets pregnant with Mary Bruguier who is b. 25 Apr 1904, 10 days or so after Charles marries Susan Canfield. Margarette dies in childbirth. Mary is taken in by her uncle Charles LaPlante who is newly married to Margaret Escacerga of Ft Peck. Mary now becomes Mary LaPlante, daughter of Charles and his wife Margaret. This is why you cannot find her.

Charles and Margaret are in Wahehe on the 1910 and 1930 census. In 1920, I cannot find them in Charles Mix. But, that is when Mary Bruguier shows up living with her father on the 1920, Wahehe, Charles Mix census as Mary Bruguier and then on her marriage record she is also Mary Bruguier.

Mary goes on to marry George A Westerman in 1926 who is living in Santee, Knox, Neb and divorced. Mary is a maiden and living in Greenwood, Chas Mix at the time. As far as I can determine at this point, they have two children: Linda and Paul.

Mary Westerman was admitted 4 Oct 1936 along with Oscar Hope to the St Elizabeths Psychiatric Hospital in Washington, D.C. where both she and Oscar perished. Their bodies were shipped back to S.D. for burial. What I want to know is did they come home with their brains?

When Hiawatha Indian Insane Asylum closed its doors in 1933, seventy one Indian patients were transferred to St Eliabeths, where 30% of them perished including my cousin, Peter Picotte.

Sioux relatives who did not come back:

Maggie Black Cat - Pine Ridge
Albert Blaine - Yankton
Joseph Carpenter - Cheyenne River
Stella Fast Horse - Pine Ridge
Sarah Shortwoman - Cheyenne River
Peter Picotte - Yankton
Mary Westerman - Yankton
Oscar Hope - Yankton

And, that is just from our Sioux Nation. To read more:

www.recoveryxchange.org/downloads/Forgotten%20Dead%20of%20St.%20Elizabeth's.pdf

Lavanah