Dolton.org

By Louis Dolton, Jr., Topeka, Kansas

Lizzie Daisy Lee was born 23 May 1883 in Manhattan or Belgrade, Gallatin County, Montana Territory. Lizzie didn't much care for her given name and so she went by her middle name; Daisy.

Daisy's birth was not recorded at the time of her birth. Years later she needed a birth certificate and filed a "Certificate of Delayed Birth Registration" with the State of Montana. In it she certified that her name was Lizzie Daisy Lee, born 23 May 1883 in Manhattan, Gallatin, Montana, and her sex was female. Her father's name was Frederick B. Lee, who was white, and born in 1842 in Missouri. She said her mother was Rebecca F. Cowan, who was white, and born in 1846 in Kentucky. She gave the following abstract of evidence supporting her certificate. "Affidavit of William F. Lee that he is the brother of Lizzie Daisy Lee and of the age of 68 years and was at home at the time of the birth of Lizzie Daisy Lee and know that she was born near Manhattan, Gallatin County, Montana, on the 23rd day of May, 1883. Affidavit of Gallatin County, Montana, Sup't of Schools, that the census records of Dist. No. 9, for the year 1893, show the name of Lizzie Daisy Lee, age 10 years and daughter of F. B. Lee. Marriage License No. 1495 issued at Bozeman, Montana, to Edward R. Dalton and Daisy Lee on the 20th day of Dec. 1905, age of Daisy Lee given as 22 years, birth place, Manhattan, Gallatin County, Montana and daughter of Fred and Rebecca Lee." This was subscribed and sworn to by Daisy before L.E. Hays, Clerk Dist Court, on 29 Sep 1942 in Bozeman, Montana.

On her marriage certificate to Samuel Conrow; Daisy gave the information that she was born in Belgrade. Manhattan and Belgrade are about eleven miles apart and about fifty miles southeast of Helena.

Montana was incorporated as a territory in May of 1864. Over one-third of the territory was allocated to reservations for American Indians. Montana was admitted to the Union 8 Nov 1889. The census taker must have been unable to find the Lee family out there in the foothills of the Continental Divide. There doesn't appear to be a record of them in the 1900 or 1910 US Federal Census.

On 20 Dec 1905 Daisy Lee and Edward Ransome Dolton were married in Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana. Edward also didn't like his given name and went by Ransom. Ransom was a 29 year old man living in Hunters Hot Springs, Park County, Montana. He was born 16 Nov 1873 in St Joseph, DeKalb County, Missouri. He was the son of Joseph and Sarah (Thornton) Dolton. Daisy was 22 years of age and also living in Hunters Hot Springs. The wedding was performed by M. L. Rickman, Pastor of the Baptist Church in Bozeman and witnessed by W. O. Davis and John Cowan (who having the same last name as Daisy's mother may have been an uncle).

Little more than two years later Ransom and Daisy had a son and named him Lee Edward Dolton. He was born 11 Feb 1908 in Livingston, Montana. In 1882 the Northern Pacific platted Livingston, Montana, a major division point, repair and maintenance center, and gateway to Yellowstone National Park.

The fifteen years between 1910 and 1925 were a period of dramatic change in Montana. It was the peak of the homesteading boom on Montana's plains and they had the "county-busting" craze that created twenty-five new counties in the state. In 1910 there were a series of forest fires that devastated western Montana. On 23 Jan 1911, in the heart of winter, Edward Dolton died leaving Daisy and her ten year old son Lee Dolton bereft of their support.

There was no electricity or natural gas for lighting or heating the home or apartment. If you wanted light you had to buy an oil lamp and the oil to fill it. If you wanted heat you had to buy a stove and the fuel to burn in it. Daisy was an uneducated woman with a young son in a frontier town and had no way to earn the bread for their table. There was no washer and dryer to do the clothes and it was winter. There was no entertainment. The streets were not lit at night and were as dark as could be with just the light in the windows of homes and businesses to show the way. There was no telephone and if you needed help you had to walk to get it. If there were any family around their advice was 'you need to find yourself another husband.' But, Daisy already knew that. It doesn't take that long when you're desparate and there's an ample supply of unmarried men.

Five months after Ransom's death, on 5 Jun 1912, Daisy married Samuel B. Conrow. Samuel was born about 1878 in Montana Territory. He was a good man and took care of Daisy and Lee. Together Samuel and Daisy had four daughters and then finally a son. They were: Ella Conrow (1914), Marie E. Conrow (1916), Alice Conrow (1916), Evelyn R. Conrow (1924), and Walter R. Conrow (1925). Even though Lee Dolton stayed with the family until sometime after the 1920 US Federal Census he was gone before the 1930 US Federal Census. Samuel and his brothers operated the "Conrow Brothers Feed and Grain Company" and the "Conrow Brothers Tire Shop." They were on the leading edge of technology. The other brothers were: Phineas Conrow, Charles Conrow, Roscow Conrow, John Conrow, Joe Conrow, and Dave Conrow. They were farming together in 1860. I don't know how much farming they were doing after they started up the business in town. In 1860 the brothers were all farming in District 0195, Conrow School District, Park County, Montana.

Then, Samuel died. On 14 Nov 1939 when her youngest child was fourteen years old she lost her husband. Again, I don't know the cause of death. Samuel and Daisy had been together twenty-seven years and raised five children together. It was a tough life in Montana. But, this time Daisy had a large, prosperous family about her to help her.

There are two directory entries one in 1953 and one in 1954 that indicate that Daisy Conrow was living in an apartment in Seattle, Washington. One indicates that she is the widow of "Saml" and the other that she is the widow of "Bud". Both show her living at 627 4th Ave W apt 302. What was Daisy doing in Seattle? Her son Lee Edward Dalton died there 25 May 1965. Perhaps he had a long-term illness and she was there to help take care of him. He died at age 57 years which is fairly young unless you are ill. But, that is just speculation. It may be that she just wanted to live near him so she could enjoy the company of his family for a period of time.

Daisy lived another 29 years after Samuel's death. But, she didn't marry a third time. For some reason she was in El Cajon, California, at the time of her death; whether living there or not I don't know. But, her body was returned to Montana and buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Livingston, Park County, Montana.