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Post by Scout on Nov 27, 2005 16:59:49 GMT -6
Liz & Treasuredude,
No, he is posed outside by a rocking chair, dressed as a woman, complete with parasol. Apparently he wrote on the back....''For Dear Sister Sadie, with love of a ''summer girl.'' I have to admit that the first time I saw it my mouth fell open. He appears to be about 50 years old in the photo. This is a fabulous book, full of photos I had never seen before [obviously!] Quite pricey at $100, but I have to say it is an incredible book in full color with huge firearm and relic section in the back. Buy it...you will not be disappointed. Maybe someone can post the photo. Also great photo of Varnum in World War I uniform, also largest collection of enlisted men photos. A must for any LBH book collection.
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Post by El Crab on Nov 27, 2005 20:32:34 GMT -6
Perhaps it was a joke? Then again, maybe he was a crossdresser.
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Post by alfuso on Nov 28, 2005 8:20:33 GMT -6
it may have been an inside family joke.
alfuso
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Post by Scout on Nov 28, 2005 9:13:52 GMT -6
Yea, well that's what we'd like to believe...but take a look at the photo and judge for yourselves. It is an awfully strange photo though.
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Post by Melani on Dec 13, 2005 19:48:58 GMT -6
What sort of picture was it that Keogh had of MacDougall's sister? My friend who is into 19th century photography has just been telling me about the "carte de visite", a visiting card with a picture of the person on one side and their name on the other. Would this have been a sort of casual thing for someone to have, like any other visiting card, or would it have been a big deal for Keogh to have one from a lady?
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Post by elisabeth on Dec 14, 2005 7:31:55 GMT -6
This I don't know. But I'd have THOUGHT it would be quite a big deal ... Gentlemen usually only carried photographs of their admitted sweethearts, surely? However, McDougall himself doesn't seem to make much fuss about it, so maybe not.
Not sure we'll ever get to the bottom of this, unfortunately!
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Post by El Crab on Dec 14, 2005 13:44:12 GMT -6
Maybe it wasn't MacDougall's sister?!?!
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Post by elisabeth on Dec 14, 2005 20:41:44 GMT -6
Now THERE'S a thought ...!!!!!!!
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Post by Melani on Dec 15, 2005 13:35:55 GMT -6
I have checked with my friend the photo guy, and he said that by the 1870's the carte de visite had gone from being the newest thing in visiting cards to more like a cheap photo, rather like the the stickers, bookmarks, etc., that come with my son's school photos. But clearly the only way for Keogh to have it was if she had given it to him specially.
Re: Noonan and Nash--Consider that possibly one or two of the husbands did in fact know the truth. After all, they couldn't exactly be openly gay in those days.
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Post by Treasuredude on Dec 15, 2005 14:04:08 GMT -6
I have checked with my friend the photo guy, and he said that by the 1870's the carte de visite had gone from being the newest thing in visiting cards to more like a cheap photo, rather like the the stickers, bookmarks, etc., that come with my son's school photos. But clearly the only way for Keogh to have it was if she had given it to him specially. Re: Noonan and Nash--Consider that possibly one or two of the husbands did in fact know the truth. After all, they couldn't exactly be openly gay in those days. That's my thoughts. How the hell could you be married to someone for more than 15 minutes and not know they're a guy?
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Post by elisabeth on Dec 16, 2005 2:54:47 GMT -6
I'm sure that's right. One of "her" husbands deserted soon after their marriage, but all the others seemed perfectly happy with the arrangement.
It does seem unlikely that this was the only gay liaison in the entire army! Just the only one (that we know of) involving cross-dressing and actual marriage ...
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Post by Melani on Dec 16, 2005 13:56:01 GMT -6
It would also certainly explain Noonan's suicide, since everyone would have assumed he knew.
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Post by d o harris on May 17, 2006 17:15:11 GMT -6
Billy,---Many thanks for the link on Military Burials. I've already put it to use, including going to the Ft. Lincoln page where is written Cpl. John Noonan, 7 US Cavalry, died of gunshot wound, Nov. 30, 1878. There is no mention of 'Mrs. Noonan' or any other citizen being buried at Ft. Lincoln Sept.--Nov.
The LBHA roster lists Noonan's place of burial as unknown.
On Nov 11, the Bismarck Tribune published an article headlined THE MYSTERY OF MRS. NOONAN. It appears that the authorities at Lincoln wanted to suppress the news, as it was unknown to the Tribune until it was able to plagiarize the Chicago Times. Plagiarism was a common attribute of small town newspapers in those days, and was generally accepted so long as the thief revealed the originating source. The Chicago Times received the news from its Fort Lincoln Correspondence. The Tribune also had a Fort Lincoln Correspondence, as often noted in the paper, but in this instance, the Correspondence was uninformative. Probably one source fed both outlets.
Summarizing the article, Mrs. Noonan married a soldier of the Seventh Cavalry in 1873, having been married twice before, the first time to a man named Nash, and then to a person [notice the word soldier is not used] who was killed in the fight with Sitting Bull, two years ago." The article continues, extolling her skills as laundress, midwife, and seamstress, and her exemplary housekeeping skills. And, she was fastidious. It was noted "She has attended several dances in the garrison during the past year given by the soldiers of the post, and at all times was arrayed in the finest in the land, and has been known to change her dress as often as three times during the entertainment." Around the 26th of Sept she became ill ,was attended by the post surgeon, but grew worse. During her illness she was attended by the laundresses, who had always looked upon Mrs. Noonan as something between a man and a woman. Before her death she made a request to one of the laundresses that she be buried with the clothes she had on. On the 29th she expresse d a desire for a priest, and the Rev. Father Chrysostrom, of Bismarck came to hear her last confession. She died at 5 A. M. on the 30th. The Christian ladies of the post ignored the wishes of the deceased and took the body away to prepare it for burial, in the process of which it was discovered Mrs. Noonan was a man, to the eventual misfortune of Cpl Noonan. Noonan asserted to the very end that his wife had been a woman. Nonetheless, the pressures became unbearable, and in its Dec 2 issue the Tribune reported on the 30th Noonan had gone into a stable and shot himself through the heart. The Tribune and Bismarck may have believed they were finished with the Noonans, but Mrs. Noonan had other ideas. Late in December a medium appeared in town, and at her first seance, attended by leading citizens who were also spiritualists, the first manisfestation was none other than the departed spirit of one Joseph Drummond, aka Mrs. Noonan.
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Post by Diane Merkel on May 17, 2006 18:07:17 GMT -6
Very interesting article, D. O. You are correct that I need to update that listing on the website. In fact, there are many in the Seventh Cavalry section that need some attention, but I believe I am current with the Indian section. If anyone has additions or corrections to any of the listings for either section, please always feel free to drop me a note. When I was at Fort Lincoln several years ago, I saw the original gravestone for Noonan and know he was re-interred (along with the others at the Fort Lincoln Cemetery?) at the Custer National Cemetery. I have been to his grave, but I don't recall seeing Mrs. Nash/Noonan's marker there. The listing for Noonan on findagrave.com says, "She is buried in this cemetery under the heading 'Unknown Noonan' since her supposed maiden name is not given." I just checked the Custer National Cemetery records (link below) and see no mention of "Unknown Noonan." Can someone confirm or deny a marker is there for Mrs. Nash/Noonan? www.interment.net/data/us/mt/bighorn/custernatl/cust_no.htmI would ask my Wonderful Husband, but he's out mowing the yard so that I will be able to see the street once again. I do not ever interfere with or discourage his attempts at manual labor. Diane
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Post by elisabeth on May 19, 2006 5:51:43 GMT -6
So, D. O., what do you make of "person"? That it was some civilian scout or something? (It'd presumably have to be someone officially attached to Fort Lincoln, for her to remain as laundress there ...) Or -- do we infer that it was someone of equally ambiguous gender? Who either was, or was thought to be, a woman in disguise?
Stranger things have happened; many women fought in drag in the Civil War ...
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