Elizabeth Howland and Great-Uncle Jacob Wiser (Weiser)?

[novice]

I saw the reference to Ray Howland in one of the posts and it brought to mind one of the items that Steve Creager asked me to research. He indicated there was a story that Elizabeth Howland was some relation to Jacob Weiser and wondered if I could run down her ancestry. He didn't believe there was anything to the story but would I try to check it out?

Steve related that Elizabeth's maiden name was Forcade and that she had married Ray Howland in Detroit Michigan in 1906. From Arizona census information, we knew she was born about 1885.

In Robert Blair's book he references an article written by Ernest Douglas (Mesa Journal-Tribune January 18, 1931) which gives the Howland's version of the Lost Dutchman story. One sidebar in the story was that Lizzie Howland discovered some old letters among other family heirlooms in an old trunk, written to her father from her great-uncle Jacob Wiser (Partner of Jacob Waltz).

Lizzie's father was Napoleon Forcade. Napoleon Forcade married Mary Wiser July 18, 1883 in Bay County, Michigan and our Elizabeth was born September 1885 in Bay County, Michigan. In 1898 Lizzie's mother (32 years old), died and is buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Bay County, Michigan. Later, on October 3, 1898 Napoleon Forcade married Suzanne P. Senecal in Bay County. Napoleon died in 1920 and Suzanne died in 1943 and both are also buried in St. Patrick's Cemetery in Bay City, Michigan.

In the 1880 Saginaw County, Michigan census, we find Elizabeth's mother Mary Wiser and her grandmother E. J. Wiser who was widowed. Mary was apparently E. J. Wiser's only child. Mary's mother gave her age as 37 and her birth place as Ireland. Mary gave the birth place of her father as England.

Elizabeth Howlands ancestors on her father's side (Napoleon Fordace) were French Canadian Catholic and on her mother's side (Mary Wiser), the father was English and the mother was Irish Catholic.

This is almost certainly the Jacob Wiser ancestry connection to which Elizabeth was alluding but there is no hint of German ancestry or a Jacob Wiser in her ancestry. The story proved to be a dead end but the research may serve to blow away some more of the chaff.

In the Barry Storm book, Trail of the Lost Dutchman, published in 1939 there is a map on page 54 that he calls the "Wiser Map". There is no text within the story that addresses the map and it is just thrown in as a stand alone item. It appears to me that Storm freely used a lot of the Ernest Douglas story from the Howlands in his book and he was surely in contact with the them sometime while researching his book. For me, it is a good bet that this map or the map information was furnished by the Howlands.

There are seven landmarks identified and for those who may not have access to the map (I don't think it is included in the maps of the site) it is a very simple graphic ending up in Needle Canyon.

One thing that I suspect someone can help me with is LANDMARK #1 – "The Howland cabin near entrance to first canyon entering Superstition". It appears to be at the base of present day Peralta Canyon? Did the Howland's have a cabin or camp there in the 1930s?

LANDMARK #2 – The first canyon climbing northward toward Weaver's Needle
LANDMARK #3 – A ridge at the head of the first canyon from which the needle can be seen
LANDMARK #4 – Weaver's Needle
LANDMARK #5 – East Boulder Canyon descending on the west side of the Needle
LANDMARK #6 – A Low pass between East Boulder and Needle Canyons
LANDMARK #7 – Needle Canyon in which the trail ends.

There is certainly nothing exciting about the map and I'm not sure why Storm included it?

I know next to nothing about the Howland's activities in the Superstitions except what I have read in Blair but the impression I get from him is that they were not beyond making up a story if it suited their purposes. It seems to me that they did seek publicity. In another thread it was stated that Ray Howland said he saw Adolph Ruth the 15th of June, 1931 but Deputy Jeff Adams discredited his testimony and didn't include it in the official report. Perhaps there was good reason Adams and others didn't believe Howland?

Garry

If anyone has any interest I will try to post a picture of the map but since I don't want to destroy the old book's binding during the scanning it may not be perfect but you should be able to read it? Just ask.

[Joe Ribaudo]

Garry,

That is one fine piece of research into the "factual" background history of a popular story. Thanks for the trip down history lane.

Take care,

Joe

[LDM]

LDM

[novice]

LDM

Thanks for the location of the Howlands cabin. Seems either Storm had his map wrong or I'm interpreting the map and canyons incorrectly (Which could easily be the case). Also thanks for the heads up on the Howland and Milton Rose reference. The only newspaper I have access to is the Arizona Republican 1891-1907 and some of that is missing.

I have posted the Wiser Map in the member archives.

I have been trying to run down some additional background on the Howlands. I was largely unaware of their activities but my present understanding is that they were certainly important in contributing to the Lost Dutchman story as related today.

Blair has the Howlands arriving in the Phoenix area in 1927 but there is a World War I Draft Registration Card from Maricopa County, Arizona that lists Ray Christopher Howland, age 35 and a registration date of September 12, 1918. His occupation was a miner and he and Elizabeth were residing at 11386 Monroe Street in Phoenix. They also appear in the 1920 census. Later, by the 1930s, It appears they had evolved into some of the leading Dutchman personalities of that period?

Does anyone know when (approximate year) the Howlands gave up on the LDM search or at least left Maricopa County? How did Ray and Elizabeth support themselves during their search for the LDM? Was Ray ever grubstaked and if so by who? Any assistance will be appreciated.

Garry

[Gregory E. Davis]

LDM; Milton Rose knew Ray Howland very well for he, along with Milt's father, various friends like, John D. Mitchell, Irwin, and other's would sit around the old pot belley stove at the Mesa Tribune in the evening after Milt's father would put the paper to bed and swap Lost Mine Stories long into the night. Just like Dutch Hunters do today. Milt told me that Ray was a car painter and would earn a living by applying his trade between lost mine hunting trips. Milt also mentioned that Ray moved to a small shack on the Agua Frie (Spelling? Sorry, don't have my dictionary with me today), River to the West of Phoenix. Ray had all of his notes, letters, maps, including the map Liz said came from her Uncle, and a manuscript he has written about the Lost Dutchman Mine to publish in a trunk. Here is the bad news. His shack and all his belongings including the trunk were washed away and lost in a flood. Milt said that after Ray lost all his things in the flood, he kind of lost interest in everything. Cordially, Gregory E. Davis