Abbie McCloud Henderson Moves On

Boy did Abbie move on! Henry died on December 7, 1897, and Abbie remarried eleven days later on December 18, 1897 in Joplin, Missouri. After many years of caring for a sick husband and large family with very little in the way of resources, I don't blame her. And although a family story says her son Lon left home due to the relationship, Lon and his older brother were still living with Abbie and her new husband, John Fisher, in Monte Vista in 1900. On October 26, 1906, Abbie married again, to John Groves. Over the years, Abbie and John Groves, and her children moved to California. Daughter Sarah Mandana and her husband Clifford Clark were in California by 1910, and Abbie and John by 1916. Eventually Lon, his wife Ruth, and daughter Virginia moved, and finally, Bill moved too.  While the family was apart, Abbie's children sent postcards keeping her apprised of their whereabouts and their well being. Abbie saved the postcards in a simple black album that we still have. Abbie, Sarah, Lon, and their families all ended up living near one other in Pomona. Abbie's granddaughter Virginia, who was born in 1910, spoke of her grandmother with a deep sense of awe and love, and she talked of Grandaddy Groves with great affection. Virginia said that although her grandparents had very little money, she and her parents were welcomed into their home with open arms and abundant generosity. On a lighter note, Virginia also remembered her grandmother teaching her how to heat maple syrup and pour it over snow to make maple candy. In the photo below, which was taken after she married John Groves, Abbie is wearing the GAR star her first husband Henry wore. Did she wear it in memory of Henry? Or as a kind of badge of honor she herself had earned? Either way, I am impressed by her resilience and strength.  

Abbie McCloud Henderson Fisher Groves

John Groves, the beloved "grandaddy"