Vermicie Jane Woolery
ID # 1703, (1838-1926)
| Father | Henry Woolery (1798-) |
| Mother | Sally Martin (1802-) |
| Baptism | Vermicie Jane Woolery was baptized in 1838 at Canada. |
| Marriage | She married Elias Vrooman, son of George Laws Vrooman and Margaret Bolton, on 13 July 1856 at Floyd County, Iowa. The marriage record for Elias and Jane is provided by a transcription of Iowa marriages at Iowa GenWeb. This is for Floyd County. |
| Death | She died on 2 October 1926 at Sagle, Bonner, Idaho. |
| Burial | She was buried on 4 October 1926 at Westmond Cemetery, Westmond, Bonner Co., Idaho. |
| Note | One or two records seem to present Vermicie's first name as Vermicle. The 1850 census simply refers to her as Jane. Her petition for a pension uses Vermicie J. Vrooman. It appears that the 'Vermicle' transcriptions are due to handwriting problems The story of Vermicie Jane Woolery is a tragedy of epic proportions. Most of what we know comes from an application for a pension (823964) to the U.S. Government in 1906, decades after the death of her husband Elias in 1869. The 1870 census taken at Fairbury, Jefferson County, Nebraska, shows herself and her family as they were for a brief time, after the death of her husband, and before ill health caused her to surrender most of her children to the care of others. The family's travels are in some measure reflected in the places of birth shown for her children in the 1870 census. Margaret A., age 13, was born in Iowa Walter W., age 10, was born in California Joab, age 8, was born in California Nancy J., age 6, was born in Arizona Maria L., age 4, was born in California Mary E., age 1, was born in Wyoming Information as to the expanded names for her children as well as the dates of their births is taken from her pension petition. Life for Vermicie was difficult in the extreme; information provided in the depositions suggests that she was barely able to write. Still, such information that is available seems to confirm her memories to a remarkable degree as presented in her petition. For purposes of notes for this tree, what follows is necessarily a precise of her travails. There was no question that one Charles Letzinger, shot and killed Elias. He was later defended by three lawyers and the claim was self defence. Here is the story in Vermicie's own words: We left Los Angeles I think in March, reached Salt Lake City in May, crossed the Rocky Mountains in snow. We went down the Platte River till we reached Kearney, Nebr., and then struck across till we reached the Little Blue River. At what was called Kiowa Station on the Little Blue, Jesse James, Wm Cadwell and Charley Letzinger and four other guerillas came up. My husband was wearing his blue uniform and the guerillas called him 'Lincoln's hireling'. He replied that he guessed Lincoln's hirelings were as good as 'Jeff Davis's puppies.' Charley Letzinger then drew a gun and fired at my husband killing him instantly. My children and I were present. No others were present. The guerillas took my ax. I stayed with the body of my husband all night. The next morning I saw three or four militiamen and I signaled to them. They helped me carry my husband's body back nine miles where Hebron, Nebr. is now and where they were camped. We buried my husband on the hill there. There was not even a board to mark his grave. The story continues from there. Other depositions are attached to her petition and one suggests that she was 'assaulted' by the guerillas. The depositions say that Letzinger never denied shooting Elias Vrooman, but he maintained that he did so in self defense. Three lawyers defended him. He was acquitted. Reading Vermicie's story of the loss of her children is a sad business. Such as has been found, the fate of her children is told in place with each of them. Margaret Amelia was married to a Henry Laverty before she was 14. Some confirmation of this has been found. Walter was kidnapped and she never saw him again. (There is now some evidence that Walter and his mother may have met at some point after 1900.) Joab apparently was the only child to remain with her, but his care could not have been easy. To the extent he is mentioned in the depositions, he appears to have suffered from epilepsy. A Charles Mitchell adopted Nancy Jane. George and Lizzie Dorsey adopted Lulu. Mary Ellen was adopted by a George Shellhorn and she later married an Asa Weaver, a physician who was in Concordia, Kansas, at the time of the 1900 census. Beyond that, the papers at hand indicate that Vermicie's claim for a pension was rejected. It was not made until 1906, many years after the death of Elias. The argument for the rejection was based on her living with a man, apparently as his wife. Depositions attached to her petition plead her cause and a couple work against her. Her daughter Mary Ellen thought her mother long dead and wrote to the pension board on her behalf. We do not know if mother and child were reunited, though letters to the pension board indicate an effort on Mary Ellen's part to find her. The denial of Vermicie's pension was apparently based on the belief that she was living with a man as his wife. He was sometimes known as Michael Moore, but the evidence is that his correct name was Hornsby. At the time of her pension application, 1906 and 1907, Vermicie Jane was living in Elgin, Union County, Oregon. By 1910, she and Michael Hornsby are in Cocolalla, Bonner County, Idaho. In 1914, Michael Hornsby died 18 February at age 83 and was buried in Westmond on 21 February. In 1920, Jennie, as she is called, is with Nettie Connett in Westmond Precinct, Bonner Co., Idaho. In 1926, on 2 October, Jennie died at age 98. Her maiden name is given as Woolery. She was buried in Westmond on 4 October, 1926. The above is an abbreviated account of a rather more complex story. Another tale of Vermicie's life exists that conflicts with the story as she tells it, though much of what she had to say stands up well. At some point in her life she took up with Michael Hornsby and, perhaps, married him. At some point they fostered Nettie whose maiden name, according to Vermicie's pension application, was Beach, or Beech. Nettie married first a man by the name of Martin and then Louis Connett. Michael Hornsby was born in Georgia and, for a time, lived in Florida where he was married to a Georgia Tyson. They had two sons, but she died and her parents adopted the lads. Michael joined the Union cavalry and, it is said, was part of the search for John Wilkes Booth after Lincoln's murder. It is also said that Hornsby rode in Lincoln's funeral cortage with his cavalry detachment. Hard evidence is difficult to come by, but there is a newspaper account of the family of a Moses Hornsby of Georgia with a son Michael. So the story goes, neighbours came by with the intent of running the family out of the area. The Hornsbys fought back and there were deaths on both sides. Michael was said to have been fatally wounded, but seems to have survived. One of the sons of Michael was named Moses, so we are likely dealing with the same family. Apparently Michael never returned to Georgia or Florida and may never have seen his sons again. (See the web site for Old Fulton New York Postcards. The newspaper account for this story was syndicated and appears in several papers.) As stated, this is a very abbreviated account of Vermicie's story. It's certainly more complex. We may say with confidence that Jesse James had no part in the murder of her husband. Another version of the tale appears in Pioneer Tales of the Oregon Trail and of Jefferson County, Charles Dawson, Topeka, Crane & Co., 1912. This may be found on the internet and downloaded. See page 227. A careful reading of this version probably reveals some useful information, but it does appear that the story Dawson received, many years after the fact, was slanted towards the accused, perhaps originating with someone who was present when Elias Vrooman was murdered. It's useful for researchers to track down Jennie's original pension application - 823964. In varying degree the pension investigators took some interest in the story and questioned in some depth persons who had memories of events long past. I am indebted to a descendant of a sister of Elias Vrooman who researched the matter extensively and who provided me with a copy of the pension application. |
Children of Vermicie Jane Woolery and Elias Vrooman |
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| Last Edited | 4 Apr 2018 |