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THIRD GENERATION --STILSON/STLLSON (Jacob 1,. Simon Franklin 2,. Schuyler 3,.) , III. SCHUYLER COLFAXSTILSON b. July 16, 1866, Fountain Twp., Jefferson, Minnesota the son of Simon and Nancy (Henson) Stilson, d. November 26, 1946, Sacramento, CA, buried at Odd Fellows Lawn in Sacramento. Schuyler might have been named for a fellow named Schuyler Colfax who was born at New York, March 23, 1823 and died at Mankato, Minnesota, January 13, 1885 and was a member of Congress from Indiana 1855-1869 and served as Vice President from 1869-1873. He married (possibly earlier marriage to unknown woman who had child Viola Alice) 1) Hattie b. September 1866 in Wisconsin, d. 1918. The 1900 census lists Hattie's parents with Wisconsin as their place ofbirth while the Oregon census of 1910 shows Hattie'sfather was born in Michigan, her mother in Illinois. 2) Mary. It appears that he was married to a "Rose" in some records. It was questioned if she might have been a third wife, however, Oregon Vital records show a Rose Stilson as having died in Oregon in 1918. It now appears that Rose and Hattie are the same person. The newspaper article that reports Schuyler saying his first wife died in 1918, further substantiates this. His first wife was Hattie and she was living in Oregon. It appears that Schuyler did return to Minnesota and had additional children, Jasper and John by wife Hattie. The 1910 Oregon census shows Hattie as head of the household, Hattie and Schuyler divorced, and reports that there were 7 children, 6 living. Two girls, Dora and Allie, were grown and gone by this 1910 census. They may have remained in Minn. or ? She was residing in Linn County, Oregon with sons Benjamin, Lowell, Jasper and John. Son Benjamin was a "chucker" in a chair factory. Schuyler might have remained and remarried and had additional children in Minnesota before returning to California as recalled by his grandson Frederick. (Schuyler returned to Sacramento, California in 1938.) Schuyler married a again, (death certificate lists him as widower and the name of his spouse Josephine) and had children Josephine, Grace and Frank L. Name of wife unknown. A clipping provided by Goldie Stillsonfrom The Argus Leader newspaper, Sioux Falls, S.D. in 1938 or 1939 carried the following article: "Locates Four Sons after 33 years. Minot, N.D., March 26 --At the Sacramento California railway station todo;y, Schuyler C. Stilson, 71, Minot resident since 1933 met sons he had not seen for 33 years and from whom he heard recently for the first time in 21 years. Stilson lost contact with his sons when their mother, his first wife, from whom he was separated, died in 1918. They were located by the Ward County welfare board here when he recently applied for old age assistance and they invited him to live with them in Sacramento. The sons are Benjamin, Lowell, Jasper and John Stilson, all of Sacramento, where they are engaged in a dry cleaning business. " We requested and received the death certificate for Schuyler which included the following information. The certificate was completed by Frank A. Stilson, but the obit listed a son Frank F. Stilson. So one is either incorrect, or perhaps the Frank A. Stilson was a grandson. Some of the other information appears incorrect as well. Cause of death was arterioscerlosis/heart disease, but appendicitis was also listed. He died at the Sacramento County Hospital. It lists him as a widower who had resided in Sacramento, California for the previous 8 years. It lists his deceased wife as Josephine Stilson (his second or perhaps even third marriage). His occupation was proprietor of the Metro Club. The certificate also lists his father as Samuel, born in Indiana, rather than his father who was really Simon born in Pennsylvania. Schuyler was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Sacramento, California. A photo of Schuyler and his brothrs appears in the Family Photo Album at the end of this history. Another photo is of Schuyler's children. The following information was obtained from memory of his grandson Frederick Earl Stilson: Frederick recalls his father "Mick" having to quit school at 3rd grade. Grandfather Schuyler disappeared from the picture and his wife died prior to Frederick Earl Stilson's birth. Frederick believes that Schuyler moved to Minnesota and remarried and had several more children. He later returned to the Sacramento area and lived. Frederick thought he had lived in Sacramento for five years or so and died in the 1930's. Obituary records show he died in 1946. Relations were not good between the two oldest sons and their father. The obituary for Schuyler Stilson was found in the Wednesday, November 27, 1946 issue of the Sacramento Bee. it reads: Stilson -Entered into rest in this city November 26, 1946. Schuyler C. Stilson, beloved father of Mrs .Allie Fuller of taft, Mrs. Josephine Richardson and Mrs. Grace Strand of Montana. B.F., L. C., J.P., John S. and Frank F. Stilson. A native of Minnesota aged 80 years. Friends are welcome at the Mission Chapel of Andrews & Grallich and are respectfully invited to attend the .funeral Friday at 1 :30 PM. Internment Odd Fellows Lawn. " Lucille Wagner recalls some memories in a letter she wrote in a 1987 letter to Goldie Stillson who was researching the family tree. Lucille writes that II Schyler was born July 16, 1866 and married first to Hattie _.They had two daughters: Dora and Allie, andfour sons: Jasper, Lowell, Johnnie and Benjamin. Aunt Hattie and her family lived in Albany, Oregon. She belonged to the G.A. R. and was a lovely person. 1 have pictures of Lowell to whom I wrote during World War I when he was in it. Jasper is very handsome. Lowell looks like Grandfather Stillson. Uncle Schyler was divorced from her (Hattie). He was not a good father and did not support his children. Uncle Schyler married another woman in North Dakota. This woman had a grown daughter, my age, at the time she wrote to me. I have her picture also four little children by Uncle Schyler and this second wife. I remember Doris, his step daughter, talked about baby Franklin. I didn't know the names of the other children born in North Dakota. Uncle Schuyler visited us many times when I was growing up. Mother never liked him. My brother Dean resembles Uncle Schuyler. He has large gray eyes and a big nose and hair like Uncle Schuyler. Uncle Schuyler went to Sacramento to be near his sons after dear Aunt Hattie, their mother died. He lived in an old hotel in Sacramento and spent his time playing cards with old people. Finally he died in his sleep in this old hotel. Lowell Stillson and his brothers owned a large dry cleaning company with branch offices. My husband, Bill and I went to the State Fair in Sacramento and visited Lowell and his wife Daisy. They had a lovely home. Later (many years) they retired and moved. 1 sent a Christmas card a few years ago and it was returned because they had moved. Uncle Schuyler was the youngest of Grandpa Stillson's children. There was no Silas Stillson. II Lucille writes in another letter to Goldie Benser Stillson in 1987 that she has a picture of Hattie and some other women with American flag and streamers that say "Ladies of the G.A.R. " and "Fair Oaks Circle No.1. " Goldie and Melvin have all the old pictures now. Another relative noted that Schuyler lived with his youngest son John in Sacramento. ?Viola Alice b. 1884, daughter of Schuyler and who? Perhaps a different Skyler? Children from marriage to Hattie: 1. Dora Stilson b. February, 1889 in Dakota. d. before 1946. (Editors note: There is a County in Minnesota called Dakota that is on the border of Wisconsin and a town also by that name. Since they were married in Wisconsin, perhaps they lived in Minnesota briefly before coming to Oregon.) 2. Ruth Alice "Allie" Stilson b. June, 1890 in Dakota, d. after 1946. m. Elmer E. Fuller. She is listed in the 1953-54 City Directory in raft, California and was still living there at the time of her fathers .funeral in 1946. 3. Benjamin F. Stilson b. August 1894 in Oregon, d. after 1946. Had two children Mickey or Michael and a daughter Delores. (Information on children from nephew Frederick Stilson.) 4. Lowell "Mick" Colfax Stilson b. June 17, 1895 near Albany, Oregon, m. November 30, 1922 in Ashland, Oregon to Daisy Bell Greiner. d. December 22, 1966. (Information follows on family of Lowell and Daisy.) Had three children. 5. Jasper P. Stilson, b. June 1899 in Minnesota, d. after 1946. Lucille Stillson Wagner recalls in a letter to Goldie Benser Stillson, "Jasper Stillson, my father's first cousin, lived in South Bend, Indiana. When Chicago burned, the story told, "Mrs O'Learery's cow had kicked over a lantern and started the fire. Shortly after this my father's cousin started a short order stand in Chicago. He prospered and planned a big restaurant at Madison and Dearborn St. in Chicago. (Goldie Benser Stillson has a copy of the post card of "Stillson's Restaurant, Chicago and it appears very elegant!) Cousin Jasper was artistic and designed and painted 'pretty ladies " on the walls of the entrance to this place. It was elegant and people dressed in formal attire for evening dinners there. Jasper lived in North Chicago, had a butler and big home. Hisfamily consisted offive daughters who married and lived in New York and other places. Jasper's wife died first. He died three months later of grief. I met a man that knew Jasper Stillson (in 1967) and he said he was afine gentleman and gave to the YMCA in Chicago. " Lucille writes that Jasper grew up in South Bend, Indiana and that he looked like his uncle Frank Stillson. Tall with dark brown eyes and brown hair and he wore a brown derby in those days. Jasper lived in Albany, Oregon with his mother (who had divorced Schuyler) along with his brothers and two sisters. Years later the boys, Jasper, Lowell, Ben and Johnnie moved to Sacramento. Hattie, she writes, was a wondeiful woman and belonged to the G.A.R. Lucille never heard the name "Rose. " This Stillson restaurant-cabaret is where Melvin Stillson and his teammates were entertained while playing in the national basketball tournament while they were in high school. 6. John "Whitey" Stilson, b. 1902 in Minnesota, d. after 1946 The obituary in the Sacramento Bee lists several other children not shown on the earlier census records. These are most certainly children from marriage 2) Mary(?) Birth order not known. These children may have been born in North Dakota. His second wife had a daughter named Doris. 7. Josephine Stilson m. Richardson. Was residing in Montana in 1946. 8. Grace Stilson m. Strand. Was residing in Montana in 1946. 9. Franklin F. Stilson. Still living in 1946. Researched by Goldie (Benser) Stillson. NOTE: Unverified records in the 1GI of the family history center list a Viola Alice Stilson b. 1884 in Kansas whose
father is listed as Skyler Stilson. She is shown as having married in Missouri to an Anthony Enola Horton in 1902.  ↑
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