Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Charles Edward Boyer worked as a foreman at Sosman & Landis from 1889 to 1909.
He was born on November 7, 1865, in Chicago, the youngest of two sons born to James A. Boyer (1824-1866) and Julia Anne Ege (1837-1890). His father was one of several children born to John Kerst Boyer and Elizabeth Aurand. Charles older brother, John K., was named after his grandfather in 1861. James A. Boyer was the youngest of five children, with his siblings being: Valentine (1814-1890), Peter (1815-1820), Nathaiel (1817-1827), and Marie E. (1829-1894). It was Marie’s second husband that greatly affected Charles’ youth and the families circumstances after the death of his father in 1866.
James A. Boyer worked as a ship caulker and assed away on October 9, 1866, leaving a young widow with two infant children. By the summer of the following year, the three were in dire financial straits. On August 9, 1867, the “Chicago Evening Post” posted the following notice: “Estate of James A. Boyer, deceased. Public notice is hereby given to all persons having claims and demands against the estate of James A. Boyer, deceased, to present the same for adjunctions and settlement, at the regular term of the Country court of Cook county, to be holden at the courthouse in this city of Chicago, on the first Monday of September A.D. 1867, being the second day thereof.” His unexpected passing meant that Julia was forced to sell their home, and by the fall, the “Chicago Evening Post” published her intent to sell:
“Notice is hereby given to all whom it may concern that as guardian of John K. Boyer and Charles E. Boyer, infants, I shall apply to the Superior Court of Chicago at its April term, A.D. 1867, for an order to sell the west forty (40) feet of lot number ten (10), of block number forty-five (45), in the original town of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois. Signed, Julia A. E. Boyer, Guardian, and B. E. Ellis, Solicitor” (March 16, 1867, page 3).
By April 11, 1867, Julia posted another notice in the “Chicago Times” for two weeks:
“Julia A. E. Boyer, guardian of John K. and Charles E. Boyer. Petition to sell the west forty feet of lot ten, block fifty-five. Original Town, to enable her to pay liabilities of the estate” (page 3). On October 25, 1867 (page 3), the “Chicago Evening Post” announced the Guardian’s Sale of Real Estate on Saturday Nov. 9, 167 to the highest bidder, with terms one-third cash and the two remaining payments of one and two years, secured by notes bearing eight percent interest and trust deed upon the property sold.” Despite her desperate attempts stay financially afloat, she became the financial target of Marie Boyer’s second husband Laurin P. Hilliard, an up-and-coming Chicago businessman.
For two weeks in 1869 there were two notices published in the papers:
The first was “Laurin P. Hilliard v. Wm. Boyer, et. Al Bill to compel specific performance of an alleged contract by Charles E. Boyer, since deceased, for the sale of Lot 2, subdivision of Blocks 5 and 6, Canal Trustees’ Subdivision of blocks in south fractional half of Section 29, 39, N. 14 east.”
The second was:
“Laurin P. Hilliard v. Elizabeth Boyer et als. Bill for deed of an undivided half interest in 5,760 acres of land in Iowa, the legal title to which at the date of his decease was in Charles E. Boyer, but in which complainant claims the interest stated, as a partner in the purchase.”
The story gets a little complicated and could be a drama in itself. Hilliard was already well-off when he decided to target his wife’s family. Maria’s first husband was Medor B. Beaubien, a Pottawatomie Indian who purportedly abandoned her when his tribe relocated to Kansas. It was Beaubien’s property that came into question and Hilliard went after it in a long and drawn-out litigation with forgery allegations tossed in. The case was summarized in the “Chicago Evening Post” on August 3, 1872 (page 20). Hilliard had a profound influence on the lives of not only Julia, but also her young sons.
So, who was this man who gained wealth by suing those who could not defend themselves? Laurin Palmer Hilliard (b. 1814) was one of the earliest settlers, arriving in Chicago by 1836. He started out as a general merchant, but then became a lumber dealer and ship builder between 1841 and 1861. He also worked as a country clerk before becoming City Commissioner. By 1872, he was the president of the Protection Life Insurance Co and featured in the 1877 publication, “Chicago Business Men and Vistors.” At the end of Hilliard’s brief bio, it stated, “his substantial character and unsullied name is a tower of strength to the company.” By the 1890’s Hilliard was a millionaire, but spent quite a bit of time in court for the questionable business tactics of his life insurance company.
He lived until 1895 and when he was struck and instantly killed by a carriage. Karma seems to have arrived a little late in the game.
Regardless, in 1869, Hilliard was fifty-five years old, wealthy and cashing in on widow who was just trying to survive with two small children. This court case would place undue hardship on Charles, his brother and mother. Although I have yet to confirm what the outcome of the suit, my guess is that Hilliard won. In 1870, Julia, her two young sons, and 74 yrs. old mother, Hester McLaughlin, were boarding at the home of Robert A. and Rebecca Dimmick. She need help, and quick.
On November 12, 1870, Julia remarried a younger man name John F. Allen (b. 1841). The two celebrated the birth of two daughters, Laura and Ella in 1873 and 1877. Laura was born in Chicago, and Ella was born in Wisconsin. By 1880, they moved to Kansas where Charles’ step father was the Sherrif of Trego County, Kansas. Her sons from her first marriage, Charles and John, grow up quick, never attend school and are employed at young age. John was not included in the 1880 census, as he passed away at the age of nineteen on March 5, 1880; cause unknown.
A few years later Charles returned to Wisconsin and was working in La Crosse as a boiler maker for M. Funk. He returned to Chicago by 1889 when he began working for Sosman & Landis as a foreman. The 1890 Chicago Directory lists Boyer as a foreman, working at 236 Clinton, the same address as Sosman & Landis’ main studio that year.
On August 29, 1894, Charles married Maretta “Retta” Dunaway (b. 1874). Retta, and her twin sister Maria, were born in Wisconsin, and that is likely when Charles met Maretta. It appears that Retta was a twin, with her parents being Colwell Dunaway and Louisa Almeda Johnston. Charles and Retta celebrated the birth of two children, Clermont Aurand Boyer (1895-1961) and Ruth Claudine Boyer (1900-1972). Aurand, names after his grandmother’s family. The Boyers continued to live in Chicago for the next few decades, with Charles working as a foreman in the studio. In 1909, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “After twenty years of good service, Charles Boyer, our foreman, quit us. We all regretted his going.” Boyer continued with in this same profession for the short term, but I have yet to determine where he worked after Sosman & Landis. In 1910, Charles E. Boyer was still listed as a foreman in the theatrical scenery industry.
The 1920 Federal Census listed Boyer as a manager at a Brass company. He would continue in this capacity until his passing until 1935, working in the employment department of the firm. Boyer passed away on June 24, 1935. On June 26, 1935, the “Chicago Tribune” reported, “Burial Rites for Charles E. Boyer, 70. Funeral services for Charles E. Boyer will be held at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon in Oakridge cemetery. He died Monday in his home at 3512 Le Moyne street at the age of 70. He is survived by his widow Retta; a son, Clermont; a daughter, Mrs. Ruth Boyer Anderson, and three grandchildren; brother of Mrs. Ella Hamilton and Mrs. L. R. Zeimer of Lakewood, O. Services at Oak Ridge Abbey” (page 23).
Boyer’s work at Sosman & Landis was not remembered until 1956 when a newspaper article described the wedding gift that he gave his daughter in 1921. His daughter Ruth married Rev. Gustave Edwin Anderson in La Crosse, Wisconsin that year.
On September 23, 1956, the “La Crosse Sunday Tribune” published the following article on page 13:
“Rev. And Mrs. Anderson Own Unusual Painting
Young Artists Unaware They Painted Twins
Some paintings are more than works of art; they are stories told in oils. The story of such an oil painting dates back to approximately to the summer of 1913 when two young artists, H. Puthuff and Victor Higgins began their career at Sosman-Landis Scenic Studio in Chicago.
Vacation had come and the two boys went out to California to visit one of their mothers. On leaving Chicago they promised the foreman, Charles E. Boyer, that each one of them would bring back and oil painting for him. Their vacation was a series of busy, happy days of painting. Soon the last days came and will them the question of what painting they were going to give the boss.
The mother suggested the twin pictures, but said, “We have no twin pictures. We have always worked separately and never conferred about our work.”
“Oh yes you have, boys. I’ll pick them out first. She did. Unknowingly each of the boys had painted different halves of the same foothill with canyon and Point Loma near San Diego, in the background. When placed together the sky matched perfectly and so did the contours of the hills, canyon and wheat field, although the wind had blown the grain in different circles because the boys had painted different days. And a tree in the foreground, with its slight irregularities, show signs of two different artists. Together the oils make a perfect whole.
Both men regretted giving their halves, but finally conceded that giving it to the boss was the best solution.”
To be continued…
