M. 6 Mar 1895 in Oswego, Kansas2
Husband: Howard Milton Sheridan
D. 17 Mar 1917 in Los Angeles, California3
Pregnancy can sometimes take a toll on a woman’s body, and when a woman gives birth multiple times, it can result in a progressive deterioration of her ability to safely deliver a child. Such was the case for Laura Ethol Ross, who knew she had stop having children, yet had no easy way to prevent it.
Laura was born in Jersey County, Illinois on September 24, 1873 to James Ross and Mary Edith Luckey, their first child.1 Her parents were first cousins. The family would grow to include four younger brothers. When Laura was about 6 years-old, the family moved to Labette County, Kansas.4 Laura’s father purchased a farm outside of the town of Parsons, but died of pneumonia in 1884.5,6 Her mother then married a farmhand named Albert Leonartz and had three children by him. He was said to be strict with all of the children in the family.
The course of Laura's life seemed to establish itself in 1893 when she became pregnant out-of-wedlock. Her child was born in October of that year and she called him Thomas.6,7 She would later tell her son that his biological father was named Thomas Carey, and claimed that he refused to marry her, but gave her $75 for child support. DNA evidence has proven that the man was Thomas Michael Carey (1864-1937), who later became a fruit wholesaler in Coffeyville, Kansas. Carey married another woman in 1895 and went on to have four more children, none of whom ever knew they had an older half-brother.8
There are no families stories handed down about how Laura might have coped alone with an infant, but she must have been desperately looking for a husband. So on March 6, 1895, she married a man named Howard Sheridan in Oswego, Kansas.2 The marriage record shows that Laura had been living in a place called Idenbro, a tiny settlement southwest of Parsons which no longer exists.
Laura Sheridan in about 1897
There are no families stories handed down about how Laura might have coped alone with an infant, but she must have been desperately looking for a husband. So on March 6, 1895, she married a man named Howard Sheridan in Oswego, Kansas.2 The marriage record shows that Laura had been living in a place called Idenbro, a tiny settlement southwest of Parsons which no longer exists.
Over the next few years, Laura and Howard moved several times between Kansas and Missouri, and she had three more sons (one died as an infant). Money was tight and it was said that one winter, the family had $6 to see them through to spring. On one of the farms where they lived, 5 year-old Thomas once tried to keep the runt of a litter of pigs as a pet. Laura encouraged him by telling him, “Name it after somebody strong, and it will grow up to be strong.” So he named the pig "President McKinley." When Laura’s husband Howard found the boy with the pig, though, he got angry — he took out his gun and shot it.6
Sheridan family in 1905
Howard worked for the railroad, and in 1900, he was transferred to the state of Washington.6 Around 1901, the family moved to a remote section of woods near a town called Lake Kapowsin, not far from Mt. Rainier. The tiny house where they lived was right next to the train tracks.6 During this time, Laura had two more sons. After five years, the family moved to Tacoma, and in 1908, Laura had yet another boy before she finally gave birth to a girl in 1910.9,10
Laura's entries in her family Bible
Laura and her son Thomas in about 1912
In 1913, Laura was pregnant again. When she gave birth, the labor was difficult, and the baby boy, who wasn't named, survived for only a day.6,11 Laura lost a lot of blood, and the doctor warned, “If you ever have a child again, you could die.”6 This would be a challenge, because without any forms of birth control, the only way to prevent pregnancy was to practice total abstinence with her husband.
If Laura attempted to avoid having sexual relations with Howard, it didn't work. In about 1916, the Sheridans moved to Los Angeles,6,12 and within a few months, she found herself expecting a tenth child. On March 17, 1917, Laura went into labor at 8 months, and she bled to death.3 The baby, who would have been another boy, was stillborn. Laura was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in East Los Angeles in an unmarked grave.
If Laura had lived a century later, she would have had many options to keep from having more children. She should have survived to a ripe old age — sadly, she was just 43-years-old when she died. Howard never remarried and died in 1951.
If Laura had lived a century later, she would have had many options to keep from having more children. She should have survived to a ripe old age — sadly, she was just 43-years-old when she died. Howard never remarried and died in 1951.
Children by Thomas Michael Carey:
1. Thomas Michael Mitchell – B. 7 Oct 1893, Oswego, Kansas;7 D. 10 Mar 1980, Monterey Park, California;13 M. (1) Tillie R. Nack (1894-1915), 11 Nov 1912, Tacoma, Washington;14 (2) Hazel Laura Elwood (1901-1964), 11 Feb 1921, Los Angeles, California;15 (3) Lillian Myrtle Johnson (1909-2002), 8 Mar 1944, Los Angeles, California16
Children by Howard Milton Sheridan:
1. Howard Russell Sheridan — B. 6 Aug 1896, Missouri;17 D. 27 Jul 1965, Camarillo, California;18 M. Angela Arruza (1901-1974)19
2. Leslie Edward Sheridan — B. 30 Aug 1898, Labette County, Kansas;20 D. 9 Mar 1899, Labette County, Kansas21
3. Forest Milton Sheridan — B. 13 Apr 1900, Labette County, Kansas;22 D. 6 Jan 1971, Los Angeles county, California23
4. Charles Ohmer Sheridan — B. 1 Jan 1903, Lake Kapowsin, Washington;24 D. 1 Jan 1989, Los Angeles, California;25 M. (1) Unknown; (2) Ethel Bernelle Phillips (1914-1951);26 (3) Altha Sarah Beasley (1904-1979), 30 Sep 1950, Los Angeles27
5. Ray Kenneth Sheridan — B. 13 Oct 1904, Lake Kapowsin, Washington;28 D. 5 Mar 1982, Duluth, Minnesota;29 M. Angeline Irene Fisk (1915-1968), 26 Mar 1930, Seattle, Washington30
6. Orville Alder Ross Sheridan — B. 5 Jan 1908, Tacoma, Washington;9 D. 1 Mar 1993, Tacoma, Washington;31 M. (1) Lucille Potter (~1914 -?), 1 Jun 1935, Tacoma, Washington;32 (2) Ruth Bliss Mosley (1910-1970)33
7. Beulah Jane Sheridan — B. 7 Nov 1910, Tacoma, Washington;10 D. 3 Dec 1997, Puyallup, Washington;34 M. Harry A. Larsen (1909-1975), 8 Oct 1930, Pierce County, Washington35
8. Baby Boy Sheridan — B. 7 Sep 1913, Tacoma, Washington;36 D. 8 Sep 1913, Tacoma, Washington36
Sources:
1 Birth record of Laura Ethol Ross, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
2 Marriage record of Howard Sheridan and Laura Ross, Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911, FamilySearch.org
3 Death record of Laura E. Sheridan, California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994, FamilySearch.org
4 1880 U.S. Census, Labette County, Kansas
5 Transcription of Mary Edith Leonartz family Bible made in October 1976 by Ora Itasca Ross (1895-1987)
6 Interviews of Thomas Michael Mitchell, 1976-1977
7 Birth record of Thomas Michael Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
8 Email from a granddaughter of Thomas Carey, October 2004
9 Birth record of Orville Alder Ross Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
10 Birth record of Beulah Jane Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
11 Birth record of Baby Boy Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
12 1917 Los Angeles city directory
13 Death record of Thomas Michael Mitchell, California Death Index, 1940-1997, FamilySearch.org
14 Marriage record of T. M. Sheridan and Tillie Nack, Washington, U.S., County Marriages, 1855-2008, Ancestry.com
15 Marriage record of Thomas M. Mitchell and Hazel L. Elwood, California, U.S., County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980, Ancestry.com
16 Marriage record of Thomas M. Mitchell and Lillian M. Johnson, C., U.S., C. B., M., & D. R.
17 Birth record of Howard Russell Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
18 Death record of Howard Russell Sheridan, C. D. I.
19 Marriage of Howard Sheridan and Angela Nichols, U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current
20 Birth record of Leslie Edward Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
21 Death record of Leslie Edward Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
22 Birth record of Forest Milton Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
23 Death record of Forest Milton Sheridan, C. D. I.
24 Birth record of Charles Ohmer Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
25 Death record of Charles O. Sheridan, C. D. I.
26 Marriage record of Charles O. Sheridan and Bernell Green, C., U.S., C. B., M., & D. R.
27 Marriage record of Charles O. Sheridan and Altha S. Beasley, C., U.S., C. B., M., & D. R.
28 Birth record of Ray Kenneth Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
29 Death record of Raymond Sheridan, Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017, Ancestry.com
30 Marriage record of Ray K. Sheridan and Angeline I. Fisk, W., U.S., C. M.
31 Death record of Orville A. Sheridan, Washington, U.S., Death Records, 1907-2017, Ancestry.com
32 Marriage record of Orville Sheridan and Lucille Potter, Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854-2013, Ancestry.com
33 Death record of Bliss M. Sheridan, W., U.S., D. R.
34 Death record of Beulah J. Larsen, W., U.S., D. R.
35 Marriage record of Harry Larson and Beulah J. Sheridan, W., U.S., C. M.
36 Birth and death record of Baby Boy Sheridan, family bible of Laura E. Sheridan
