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The Scottish American History Club
Newsletter
October 2008
The Five Moffitt Sisters
 “During the last thirty-one years William Mercer, a West
Virginia farmer, has married successively the five
Moffitt sisters, living on Raccoon Creek, near
Charleston, W. Va. He was 19 when he led his first
bride, Miss Jennie Moffitt, 16 years of age, to the
altar, and he became a widower several years later
through consumption, which so far as records show, seems
to have been an unfortunate inheritance of the Moffitt
family.
“Then came his marriage to Miss Ada Moffitt, Catherine
Moffitt, and Missouri Moffitt, each in succession
becoming Mrs. Mercer and each dying of the same disease
that carried off their oldest sister.
“Three years ago Miss Anna Moffitt, the last of the
family, became Mrs. Mercer, having jilted a young,
handsome, and prosperous businessman to wed her
quadruple brother-in-law. She was 26 years of age. Her
husband was 47, and on September 3, 1905, there was a
reception at the Mercer homestead in celebration of her
three years of married life.
“Mrs. Anna Moffitt Mercer is extremely handsome, being a
dark, glowing, muscular girl of the mountaineer type,
and looking exceptionally healthy. Mr. Mercer has eight
children by his various marriages, two of whom are near
their stepmother’s age and bright, attractive girls.
“The farms of the Mercers and the Moffitts adjoined,
with the Raccoon creek flowing between. The well trodden
path between them crossed a rustic bridge, and it was
here, it is said, William Mercer asked the momentous
question which ended in each of the girls becoming a
Mrs. Mercer. Mercer is a genial, cheerful, joyful man,
and, in spite of his having lost so many wives seems to
take a great deal of comfort and delight in his present
spouse. In fact, his successive wives all said as the
time of their death drew near that he ‘was as good a man
and as loving a husband as woman could want.’
“The neighborhood for awhile took a great deal of
amusement in conversing about Mercer’s marrying the
Moffitt family. When he was busy courting Miss Missouri
one inquisitive old mountaineer ventured to ask him:
‘Why don’t you marry somebody besides a Moffitt, Billy,
just for a change, ye know? Billy, looked thoughtfully
at the white house across the creek, and, munching a
straw said: I ain’t never thought much about it. Pears
like, though, if ye want a reason, it’s kin’ o’ handy to
go over there an’ git a wife. I ain’t got much time to
go chasin’ roun’ in the mountains for one. This reason
was satisfactory to the inquirer who said no more about
it.
“That the present wife is not jealous of his former
‘better halves’ is shown by the fact that the crayon
portraits of Mercer’s four wives hang in a row on the
sitting room wall beside her own. It makes me feel at
home, she said, to see the pictures of my sisters about,
and I wouldn’t be without them.”
Chicago Daily Tribune
December 16, 1906
Archibald G. Hodge
Mr. Hodge was an active member of the Illinois Saint
Andrew Society and during the years 1909 and 1910 gave a
large portion of his time visiting the Scottish
societies of Chicago and surrounding towns in the
interest of the “Scottish Old People’s Home of
Illinois.” He died January 21, 1920, and the Board of
Governors wrote a special memorial in his honor.
 He was born in Bombay, India, October 25, 1846, both his
parents were born in Scotland: his father in Kirkcaldy
and his mother in Stirling. He was educated in Edinburgh
and at the age of twenty came with his parents to
Goderich, Ontario, Canada, and later to Toronto, where
he managed the American Hotel and Walker House. At the
age of forty, he came to Chicago and became connected
with the Sollitt Construction Company, “where he acted
in the capacity of secretary for many years.”
Mr. Hodge was very interested in the development of
Scottish sports and dancing. He once managed the Cricket
Club in Edinburgh and at the age of 18 managed the
athletic sports at Holyrood Palace. He “managed many of
the annual Scottish athletic sports of distinction on
both sides of the border. As a supervisor of these
events he had no equal.” In Chicago, he was Past Chief
of the Caledonian Society and an active member of the
Englewood Scottish Club. He held an honorary membership
in nearly every other Scottish society in the area. He
was Secretary of the United Scottish Societies of
Illinois from its organization until his death. On his
death, he left his wife Lona and two sons, Archibald G.,
Jr., and William H. Hodge. The family lived at 4141
Indiana Avenue.
Sollitt Construction is still actively involved in the
Scottish community. Each year they furnish an
air-conditioned trailer to use as an office for the
Highland Games. They have also had three major
construction projects at the Scottish Home, including
the Georgeson Wing completed in 1998. My thanks to all
our friends at Sollitt Construction for all you have
done and continue to do for the Scottish community in
Chicago.
Mrs. John A. Logan
 We have written about General Logan several times, but
his wife, Mary, was also a person of special interest.
She was described as her husband’s “constant helpmeet
and inspiration” and later as a “great contributor to
the good of the nation.” During the civil war Mrs. Logan
was actively engaged in caring for those who were
wounded. She frequently visited her husband on the
front; and following many battles, she could be found in
the hospitals caring for the sick and dying. After the
war, she took great interest in the Grand Army of the
Republic and their efforts to help veterans and their
families. She was actually the one who conceived of a
Memorial Day to decorate the graves “of the fallen
heroes of the civil war.”
Mrs. Logan was an active member of the Daughters of the
American Revolution, Dames of the Military Order of the
Loyal Legion and once served as president of the
American Red Cross. For many years she was a member of
the board of directors of Garfield Hospital. She was
also the editor of the Home Magazine and
contributed many articles to the press and newspapers on
current topics. “She traveled extensively in all parts
of the world.”
Her father served in the Mexican War and her husband in
the Civil War. A son, Major John A. Logan, Jr., was
killed in the Philippines in the Spanish-American War in
the battle of San Jacinto, November 11, 1899. Her
grandson served in World War I and “was a major of the
37th division, 136th machine gun battalion with A. E.
F.” She contributed to the state of Illinois a valuable
collection of wartime souvenirs and war trophies as a
memorial to her son, Major John A. Logan.
Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan died February 23, 1923.
She is buried in Washington, D.C., alongside her
husband.
Pictured: Mary Simmerson Cunningham Logan
Walter Douglas Lost on the Titanic
 A little after midnight on April 15, 1912, the R.M.S.
Titanic sank off the coast of Newfoundland and took the
lives of more than 1500 passengers and crew. In Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, attention focused on the Douglas family
because Walter and Mahala Douglas and their maid Bertha
were returning from Europe. Walter Douglas was the son
of George Douglas, one of the founders of the Quaker
Oats Company. He and his brother George later founded
the Douglas and Company Starch Works in 1903. He had
just retired in 1911 and Walter and Mahala had built
their estate in Minneapolis which they named Walden. The
trip to Europe was to obtain new furnishings for their
new home. At the time of his death, he was a director of
the Quaker Oats Company. Our Saint Andrew Society has
had many connections with the Douglas family and Quaker
Oats.
It was reported that Walter Douglas “dressed in his
finest, helped lower the last lifeboat of survivors off
the Titanic. Walter’s body was found by the cable ship
MacKay Bennett and the crew recorded that they had
recovered a man about 55 with gray hair, in evening
dress with the initials W.D.D. on the shirt. They had
also recovered a gold watch and chain, a gold cigarette
case, five gold studs, a wedding ring engraved May 19,
‘84. In addition there was a pocket letter case with
$551.00 and a one pound note. Mr. Douglas was first
taken to his home in Minneapolis and then via a special
train to Cedar Rapids for burial. (His cousins, and
other family members living in Chicago were members of
the Illinois Saint Andrew Society.)
If you watch the History Channel, you know that several
attempts have been made to raise a section of the ship’s
structure from the ocean floor. Historians have now been
able to identify this large piece as part of berth C-86
which had been occupied by Walter and Mahala Douglas.
Mrs. Douglas returned to Minneapolis “where she resumed
her role in society.” She died in 1945 at the age of 81
and is buried alongside her husband in Oak Hill
Cemetery, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Pictured: Walter Douglas
A great website on
Brucemore, the Douglas estate, is linked here.
Interesting history and pictures of the family.
A website worth visiting is
Britannica. Click on "Enter the Exhibit" for
pages of pictures.
Scottish-American History Club
The history Club meets on the first Saturday of each
month, except July August and December, in Heritage Hall
at the Scottish Home. The meetings begin at 10:00
a.m. and last about an hour.
■ On November
1, the discussion will center around the Century of
Progress held in Chicago in 1933 and 1934. We will
compare that World's Fair with the one held in 1893.
Those of you who have memories or memorabilia are
invited to attend.
■ There will not be a
meeting in December, but the Annual Meeting and
Christmas Party of the Society will take place December
14 in Heritage Hall. The next Tartan Times will
give full details.
■ On January 10, 2009, the subject will be the
Presbyterian Church and its influence on American
history. Six American presidents have been members of
the Presbyterian Church and many others have attended
their services. It is truly a great story.
■ February 7, 2009, we will continue looking at
Abraham Lincoln and his Scottish connections, including
some new information on the influence of Robert Burns on
the life of Mr. Lincoln.
Anyone interested in Scottish-American history is
welcome to attend and there is no charge. Please check
our website for more
information on each meeting.
Centennial Award
The Illinois State Historical Society is 109 years old and has some 2,000
members. Each year they recognize businesses and other groups that have existed
for 100 years or more.
This year, the Illinois Saint Andrew Society was recognized along with 21 others
from across Illinois. The reception was held in the beautiful Governor's mansion
in Springfield. Because of Celtic Fest in Grant Park, Gus Noble, our president,
was unable to attend, so I had the honor of representing the Society.
The first official meeting of the Society occurred on January 26, 1846 when
charter members were admitted to membership. However, in 1845 some type of
organization existed with George Steel serving as president. The State
Historical Society has accepted 1845 as the starting date for our Society. The
beautiful plaque given to the Society will be displayed in the museum.
From the Editor
In our last issue, we
wrote about General W. H. L. Wallace of Ottawa,
Illinois. I was able to purchase on the Internet a copy
of the book written by his adopted daughter, Life and
Letters of General W. H. L. Wallace. It is
recommended to anyone interested in the Civil War. She
states that Prince, the General's horse, accompanied his
body back to Ottawa after his death at Shiloh. The horse
lived another 25 years and is buried in the family plot.
Mrs. Wallace had cousins who fought for the south and
some were captured and taken to Camp Douglas, where she
was able to visit them and bring food and other
necessities.
Several of you have sent emails about Fort McCoy.
Maureen Brady sent the following site which also
contains his picture:
Sparta Wisconsin. Dennis Follett wrote to say that
he knew the camp as Camp McCoy and that at some point
the name was changed. Dennis attended four summer camps
there when serving with the 327th MP Battalion located
by O'Hare Airport. He now lives in Maryland. Thanks for
writing.
One of our honored clans at this year's Highland Games
was the Moffitt Clan. They held their Annual General
Meeting in Chicago and Moffitts came from many states to
attend their AGM and our games. I had the privilege of
speaking at their banquet and, in doing research for the
speech, came across our lead story. It was a pleasure
having this special group of people with us and we hope
they will return soon.
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