Sangre de Cristo Pass

 The Prairie Traveler: A Hand-book for Overland Expeditions, with Maps ..., By Randolph Barnes Marcy:

Sangre de Cristo Pass

Court Martial of Charles W. Squires

The Sand Creek Massacre was the basis for Charles W. Squires' court martial.

Source

Series XV Daniel McNaughton papers (Grand Rapids, Michigan, History and Special Collections):

...In Sept.-Oct. 1865 [Daniel McNaughton] was in Denver, serving as the court martial of Charles W. Squires.

"October 5, 1865 – Just days before the commencement of his court-martial trial, Private Charles W. Squier escapes from the Denver jail with the help of three conspirators.  Over the years, several alleged sightings of Soule’s murderer are reported, but Squier will never be brought to justice. Squier, who was harbored by his elder half-brother and noted archaeologist, E.G. Squire, drifted for a number of years in the East until his death in 1869 from injuries suffered in a railroad accident in New York."

Census 1855

E.D. 2, Milton, Saratoga, New York, United States

Joel Squires Head M 56

Mariah Squires Wife F 53

Charles W Squires Child U 18

Jennie Squires Child U 15

Lousa Coter Servant U 11

James Cassidy Mentioned In Wayne County, Michigan, Probate

Source

Necrology 1889 - Annals of Horticulture...

Unidentified Dragoon Officer's Remains

Early Military Uniforms - Dragoons Among Them?

Information found on a Rootsweb message board [another discussion was found here]:

• Skeleton found on the Arkansas River in Colorado [Lake County]
• Also Found were coffin nails
• Dragoon buttons [used between 1821 and 1855] Found

So we still have an unknown white male with red hair that was wearing a Great Coat with Dragoon buttons on it and have NO idea where he came from or who he was. His remains are going to be buried in the military cemetery in Grand Junction, Colorado.
 

The burial cemetery was written about in this newspaper article.

Married In Detroit

Reverend Lucius Rouse, from the Congregational Quarterly:

Source

Lucius Rouse, son of Whiting and Deborah (Bierce) Rouse, was born in Cornwall, Connecticut, 25 June 1796.  He married 1st, Charlotte Birdseye, who died in 1838.  His second wife was Frances Stead (see above), daughter of Benjamin Stead and Francis Morley. [Source]

United States Census, 1850

Edwardsburg, Cass, Michigan, United States

Household Gender Age Birthplace

Lucius C Rouse M 52 Connecticut

Frances S Rouse F 42 Maine

Eliza Rouse F 13 New York

Frances L Rouse F 4 Michigan

United States Census, 1870

Iowa, United States

Household Gender Age Birthplace

F S Rouse M 24y Michigan

Harriett Rouse F 25y New Hampshire

Frances Rouse F 1m Iowa

Frances S Rouse F 63y Maine

United States Census, 1880
Colorado Springs, El Paso, Colorado
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Self Frank L. Rouse  M 36 Michigan
Wife Harriet B. Rouse F 36 New Hampshire
Mother Francis S. Rouse F 73 Maine
Daughter Francis L. Rouse F 10 Iowa
Son T. Brainerd Rouse M 9 Iowa
Son Loucious H. Rouse M 6 Colorado
Other Debbie Sharpless F 40 Pennsylvania
Other Walter S. Sharpless M 5 Michigan
Other Oscar A. Sharpless M 0 Colorado
Other Wm. N. Burr M 28 Illinois

Not related; no further information.

The Sad Tale of Lieutenant George B. Backus

An article described as "an Interesting Story of the Young Army Officer's Domestic Life" can be read at GenealogyBank:  Lieutenant Backus Has Not Been Found  (April 7, 1892).  Note:  Some (but not all) links are part of a pay to view site (i.e. GenealogyBank) and a subscription is needed to view them.

 The message that got media attention:

Lieutenant George Backus left a message for the War Department that stated, "Strike my name from the rolls of the army.  I am going to commit suicide."  Lieutenant Backus was still alive  in Dallas, Texas, in 1895 when he was found suffering from morphine poisoning in another incident.  He succumbed June 14, 1895.

His sorrows stemmed from an incident in 1884, when he was stationed in Walla Walla, Washington.  There was a "situation" with Lt. Backus's beautiful wife and another soldier.  Backus divorced his wife and threatened the soldier that if he didn't marry Mrs. Backus, he would kill him.  "Within a month, she and the Southerner [he was from Maryland] were married."

At a later date Lieutenant Backus was involved in a duel with another woman at the heart of the dispute.  Since then Backus was "broken down greatly," but it was hoped that he hadn't committed suicide and that the note indicated "a fit of temporary abberration...".

Military history of George B. Backus:

[Source]

In a happier time (1880):

United States Census, 1880

residence: Linkville, Lake, Oregon

occupation:  Lt. Usa

  Household Gender Age Birthplace

self G. B. Backus M 29 Pennsylvania, United States

wife A. K. Backus F 21 Oregon, United States

From Ancestry: A. K. Backus [Amanda Katherine Backus]. Spouse: G. B. Backus. Residence: 1880 - Linkville, Lake, Oregon ...  .  She was the Amanda Stitzel in the 1870 Census.  Her father was Jacob Stitzel, a merchant in Portland, Oregon.

Amanda Catherine Stitzel married [George] Benjamin Backus on October 19, 1876, in Stevens County, Washington.  Amanda was Mrs. Ide according to this item on the GenForum message board.

In 1900 Gilbert Ide (born in Wisconsin -- was he the Southern man George B. Backus threatened?!), his wife Amanda, their children, and Gilbert Ide's step-son, George S. Backus, were living in Stevens County, Washington.

George S. Backus, son of Amanda C. and George B. Backus married Harriet Fish, who wrote about their life in mining camps.

The BACKUS surname is an interest of mine; I'm a descendant of William Backus, the original emigrant and suspected that George B. Backus (Jr.) was as well (he was descended from Francis Backhouse, not William Backus according to Ancestry).  George (Jr) was the son of George and Caroline Backus who were living in Colorado when the 1870 census was taken (and in Pennsylvania in 1860).  In 1860 George, Caroline and George, Jr., were living next to John C. (son of Thomas and Rebecca (Couch) Backus), whose historic home in McKean Co., Pennsylvania, is seen here.

Watrous Family In Wisconsin

The article about the Watrous Family Reunion (descendants of Orrin and Jane (Smith) Watrous) in Calumet County, Wisconsin, from "Wisconsin History," emphasized pioneering in Wisconsin.  Incidental information named Samuel Vincent as a Watrous in-law (husband of Demice).  Henry O. Watrous, son of Orrin and Jane, died in the Civil War battle of Port Hudson.  A newspaper editor from Colorado Springs, Colorado [Ansel Watrous], and a Watrous sister from Minnesota were attendees at the reunion.

Another Wisconsin History article featured Colonel J[erome] A. Watrous, age 78 (in 1918) and a third article mentioned Watrous family member(s) in his brother, Ansel's, reminisce in "Over the old trail."

United States Census, 1850

event place: Calumet county, Calumet, Wisconsin

Orrin I Watrous M 35

Jane Watrous F 35

 Hansel Watrous M 15

Henry O Watrous M 12

Jerome A Watrous M 10

Dennis L Watrous F 7 [Demice]

Catharine M Watrous F 1

Delia and Esther Watrous, daughters of my 3rd great grand aunt, Lorenza (Backus) Watrous, moved from New York to Wisconsin as did the Watrous family celebrating their family reunion. My Watrous relatives do not appear to be part of the reunion Watrous family, although a connection in more distant generations is possible.