Recently I discovered an object online that was once owned by one of my family, a brass railway lantern that had belonged to Charles Henry Cherry (7 Jun 1837 - 16 Mar 1908). He was the youngest brother of one of my maternal third great-grandmothers, Mary Ann Cherry (17 Dec 1813 - 11 Nov 1853). Charles was a railway conductor for many years, but after a number of accidents that damaged his health he worked as a railway postal clerk. His lantern came up for auction, and sold for $1900.
 |
| The engraving on the glass globe reads: C. H. Cherry Local Mail Agent. The leather strap is embossed "U. S. Mail." |
I wonder what the appeal was for the winning bidder. Perhaps he or she collects railroad memorabilia, or just thought it pretty. It's nice to think that possibly they are another Cherry descendant.... Anyhow, it is reassuring to know that some things last, and I do hope the new owner is getting at least $1900 worth of enjoyment out of it. (Although I must add that it would look spectacular in my living room....)
It was one of those happy bloggish coincidences that this stray objet was formerly in the possession of the Cherrys rather than any of my other forbears, because the Cherry clan had been on my mind lately, and the subject of a recent post here. That time I wrote about the virtuous and upstanding Samuel Alonzo Cherry, a church deacon and underground railroad conductor; this post's subject is someone about whom there is a lot of aestheticism, a bit of mystery, and more than a whiff of scandal: Margaret Guthrie Cherry (Apr 1865 - 1 Feb 1935), Charles Henry Cherry's only child (and so Samuel Alonzo's niece).
Her obituary, as it ran in The Lethbridge [Alberta] Herald, 2 Feb 1935, seems laudatory enough:
Miss Cherry Is Called By Death
Interesting figure Dies in Local Hospital—Graduate Oberlin
College
The death occurred in a local hospital Friday about midnight
of Miss Margaret Guthrie “Dasie” Cherry, 73 years. For 20 years or more Miss
Cherry had been an interesting figure in the life of Southern Alberta, being a
large farm property owner and shrewd business woman. At the time of her death
she was interested in property in the Chin district but last spring she sold a
large sheep ranch north of Jamieson. The body is at Martin Brothers’ mortuary
awaiting advice from relatives in Marysville, Ohio, old home of the deceased.
George E. A. Rice of Shepherd, Dunlop and Rice, solicitor for Miss Cherry, is
handling her affairs here.
Miss Cherry was born in Ohio, her family being well
connected and prominent in that state for generations. She herself was a
graduate of Oberlin College and was of an artistic and cultured nature, and
among her friends she was a charming and versatile conversationalist. She was a
keen lover and excellent judge of painting and handicraft and had judged at
many national shows including the Chicago World’s Fair many years ago. Twice
she circled the globe as an employee of the United States government, her
mission being in connection with handicrafts and their development.
An enthusiastic lover of all animals, Miss Cherry was
especially devoted to horses. She knew the fine points of a horse, being one of
the best judges of horses in the country. She is survived by an uncle, J. C.
Guthrie, and a cousin, Dwight Guthrie Scott, both of Marysville, Ohio. The
funeral will likely be here on Monday
but this is not definite.
Miss Cherry was born in Ohio, and although nice as it would be to think, it is a stretch to say that Dasie's family was especially well-connected or prominent, and certainly not "for generations," unless you allow some artistic license, which she would probably appreciate. The Cherry family did not even move to Ohio until after her own father's birth. Her mother, Sarah Jane Guthrie (Sep 1841 - aft 1915), was born in Ohio at least, shortly after her family came to Ohio from Chester County, Pennsylvania; grandpa Guthrie was a farmer. Sarah Jane's older sister, Harriet B Guthrie (Oct 1848 - 5 Nov 1919) did marry Orlando McLean Scott (May 1837 - 1923) in 1871, three years after he founded what would become Scotts Miracle-Gro (Scott also held a patent for a device to "exhibit or hold whips"), so there was a sort-of prominence by proxy, I suppose. Harriet and Orlando's son Dwight Guthrie Scott (11 Dec 1875 - 28 Jul 1966) is the cousin referred to above. According to the useful timeline on the Scott Miracle-Gro website,
Until the early 1900s, any seed scattered on the
home lawn was usually the sweepings from the haymow, weed seeds and all. In
1907, O.M.'s elder son, Dwight, saw the role which lawns should play in the
American way of life, and Scotts began offering grass seed by mail.
 |
| So now we know whom we have to thank. From Little Shop of Horrors, 1986. |
Alas, I seemed to have divigated even more than usual. To keep off the grass, so to speak, and attempt a return to the apparently inescapable vegetative theme with the doubly-botanically named Miss Dasie Cherry.... Yes, she called herself "Dasie," a creative spin on the conventional "Daisy," itself a riff on the frenchified version of her true given name; an early manifestation of her artsy nature?
Her obituary states that she attended Oberlin College. I have not been able to verify this or learn what she studied, but it is not surprising. Oberlin seems a good fit for Dasie, both in its liberal arts offerings (and liberality in general) as well as its proximity to the Cherry home. By this time they had moved from Marysville to nearby Newark, Ohio.
In the 30 Dec 1884 edition of the Newark Daily Advocate, Daisy [sic] and a Maggie Burke performed the traditional Irish song Bundle and Go at a "Grand Musical and Literary Entertainment" at the local Music Hall. On 3 Feb 1893, the Daily Advocate reviewed another performance at the Music Hall, this one a bit more spectacular.
Her obituary states that she attended Oberlin College. I have not been able to verify this or learn what she studied, but it is not surprising. Oberlin seems a good fit for Dasie, both in its liberal arts offerings (and liberality in general) as well as its proximity to the Cherry home. By this time they had moved from Marysville to nearby Newark, Ohio.
In the 30 Dec 1884 edition of the Newark Daily Advocate, Daisy [sic] and a Maggie Burke performed the traditional Irish song Bundle and Go at a "Grand Musical and Literary Entertainment" at the local Music Hall. On 3 Feb 1893, the Daily Advocate reviewed another performance at the Music Hall, this one a bit more spectacular.
It was the last reference to music I have found in Dasie's career.
Her artistic nature next surfaced in February 1898, when she was one of the founding members of the Newark Camera Club, serving as its inaugural Vice President.
The organization itself was quite prestigious, and early members and exhibitors included Edward Weston and Edward Steichen, among others, although even one hundred years ago, in those far-off pre-Internet days, it seems people still couldn't get enough pictures of wacky cats.
The Club's members exhibited at the Chicago Photographic Salon of 1900, held under the joint management of the Chicago Society of Amateur Photographers and the Art Institute of Chicago; the Jury of Selection included Alfred Stieglitz, who also exhibited. Dasie was represented by "Portrait of Miss C." Was this perhaps a self-portrait? In a review of the exhibit in the May 1900 issue of Photo-Era magazine, Henry G Abbott wrote
Dasie G. Cherry of Newark, Ohio, was represented by a single portrait, the value of which was very questionable and which was marred by the presence of a window.
In Dasie's defense, elsewhere in the article, Mr Abbott critiqued a "picture, if picture you can call it," taken by "Edward J. Steicher [sic]." A year later, Mr Abbott cannot let it go; in his review of the following year's exhibit, which appeared in Western Camera Notes, Nov 1901, he recaps:
In the first salon there was a very large sprinkling of notable pictures.... There were night-mares too; such things as "Frost on the Pool" by E. J. Steichen; "Portrait of Miss C.," by Dasie G. Cherry....
At least by then he had Steichen's name right. Ema Spencer was a bit more kind in Camera Craft, in an article published in the Jul 1901 issue:
Miss Dasie G. Cherry had a picture, "Portrait of Miss C," in the Chicago Salon of 1900, the success the repetition of which a waning interest has prevented.
It might be noted, however, that Ema Spencer was--like Dasie--one of co-founders of the Newark Camera Club. The club also showed their works closer to home, of course. Dasie never seemed to have more than one picture on display, unlike her more prolific peers.
Her artistic nature next surfaced in February 1898, when she was one of the founding members of the Newark Camera Club, serving as its inaugural Vice President.
 |
| By Ema Spencer, from Brush and Pencil, Vol 3, Number 2, Nov 1898. Courtesy of JSTOR. |
The organization itself was quite prestigious, and early members and exhibitors included Edward Weston and Edward Steichen, among others, although even one hundred years ago, in those far-off pre-Internet days, it seems people still couldn't get enough pictures of wacky cats.
 |
| (ibid) |
The Club's members exhibited at the Chicago Photographic Salon of 1900, held under the joint management of the Chicago Society of Amateur Photographers and the Art Institute of Chicago; the Jury of Selection included Alfred Stieglitz, who also exhibited. Dasie was represented by "Portrait of Miss C." Was this perhaps a self-portrait? In a review of the exhibit in the May 1900 issue of Photo-Era magazine, Henry G Abbott wrote
Dasie G. Cherry of Newark, Ohio, was represented by a single portrait, the value of which was very questionable and which was marred by the presence of a window.
In Dasie's defense, elsewhere in the article, Mr Abbott critiqued a "picture, if picture you can call it," taken by "Edward J. Steicher [sic]." A year later, Mr Abbott cannot let it go; in his review of the following year's exhibit, which appeared in Western Camera Notes, Nov 1901, he recaps:
In the first salon there was a very large sprinkling of notable pictures.... There were night-mares too; such things as "Frost on the Pool" by E. J. Steichen; "Portrait of Miss C.," by Dasie G. Cherry....
At least by then he had Steichen's name right. Ema Spencer was a bit more kind in Camera Craft, in an article published in the Jul 1901 issue:
Miss Dasie G. Cherry had a picture, "Portrait of Miss C," in the Chicago Salon of 1900, the success the repetition of which a waning interest has prevented.
It might be noted, however, that Ema Spencer was--like Dasie--one of co-founders of the Newark Camera Club. The club also showed their works closer to home, of course. Dasie never seemed to have more than one picture on display, unlike her more prolific peers.
 |
| From the catalogue Exhibit of Photographs by the Newark Camera Club, Association Building, Newark, Ohio November 28, 29, 30, December 1, 1900 |
By 1902, however, she had other things on her mind, although her name continued to appear in print.
 |
| From the Newark Advocate, 26 Apr 1905. |
According to Mrs Bloomer's suit, Dasie had been carrying on for some time with Mr Bloomer, who, among other things was twenty years Dasie's senior, and like her father was a railroad man. From the Ohio Law Bulletin, Vol 53:
The questions are: did the defendant, Margaret G. Cherry, solicit the affections of the plaintiff's husband; did she, by her conduct towards him, and by the practice of the arts and wiles used only by designing women, cause the plaintiff's husband to transfer his affections from his wife to the defendant, Margaret G. Cherry; and did the other defendants, or either of them, encourage or assist her, or connive with her, in so doing, purposefully and maliciously?
The suit was finally settled in Sep 1907, favoring the Cherrys, which I find remarkable in that Dasie was simultaneously involved in another, parallel suit. She took Dr Theodore W Rankin to court to replevin--a word so recondite even I had to look it up, but seems to be just legal jargon for "reclaim"-- a diamond ring she said was meant for her from the late Mr Bloomer, along with one hundred dollars in damages! She won that case too; "shrewd business woman" indeed. But is it any coincidence that Dasie's father was dead just a few months later, or that shortly after this, she left her family home of "generations" and emigrated to Canada?
Poseuse and seductress, equestrienne and land mogul (it is hard not to want to use French when writing about Dasie; I feel she would appreciate it)... or just an artsy, brainy gal ahead of her time? We'll probably never find out. If nothing else, she certainly seems to have been a complicated woman. It is a shame that despite prominence and wealth, her relatives back home decided to have Dasie buried in an unmarked grave in Canada. She is gone, but not forgotten. At least by me.
 |
| Flowers at her otherwise unmarked grave. Mountain View Cemetery, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada Photo courtesy of a Findagrave.com member. Thanks! |
I would be curious to find out what happened to Dasie's estate; did it go to the Scotts Miracle-Gro heir, the state, charity? More than that, I would love to see a portrait of "this interesting figure," or perhaps better still, one of her own artistic "Portraits." Who knows--perhaps one will come up for auction some day.
UPDATE 2020
A couple years back, I received an email from one of the curatorial assistants at the Columbus Museum of Art. He had seen this blog post and wanted to find out if I had any more information on Dasie Cherry. It turned out, the museum was planning an exhibition about the Newark Camera Club, in conjunction with another organization, The Works, Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology. I let him know that I really didn't have much more to offer, then forgot all about it--until this year, when the joint exhibit was announced!
Once the exhibit opened, I made a trip up to Columbus to see the first half (The Works not yet reopened after closing due to the pandemic).
Although small, it was lovely and well-curated, but did not include any examples of Dasie's work, although she was mentioned in the exhibit brochure, about which more later. The emphasis was primarily on Clarence H White and Ema Spencer, two of the other co-founders who ultimately became the best-known members of the Newark group in the larger photographic world. After viewing the exhibit, I sat in the museum garden and--this being 2020--participated in a Zoom talk, "Dreamers and Doers: Newark at the Turn of the Last Century."
The talk on Newark intrigued me, and as soon as it could be managed, I made another trip north, to visit The Works, and see Dasie's old stomping grounds. I had not heard of The Works itself prior to this, but it is solid enough to be one of just a few Smithsonian Affiliates in Ohio.
Newark itself is delightful, a mix of old and new, Courthouse Square being its anchor. Repurposed buildings and vibrant murals, along with the Works--itself housed in a former machine shop built in 1882--made a walk through several blocks entertaining and educational.
 |
| A view from Canal Street toward the Licking County Courthouse. |
In the exhibit itself, the focus was more on Newark's connection to the Group, and although there were beautiful photographs by more members than just White and Spencer on view, Dasie's efforts were still missing. There were a few mentions of her in the explanatory texts on the walls, though. A White photograph, "Mrs Harry Scott, Donna and Dwight," distant cousins of Dasie's on her mother's side, was on display however.
Despite being just a few blocks away, I skipped the drive to Dasie's home at 153 W Locust, where she lived from roughly 1880 to about 1915, since the house itself had been torn down and replaced in the 1940s.
I did make a stop at the Licking County Genealogical Society, though, hoping to find out more about Dasie. Despite this being her hometown, it didn't yield a lot. There were some clippings about other Cherry family members, at least, and another obituary.
 |
| From the Newark Advocate, 4 Feb 1935. |
A penciled citation in a cemetery record gave me my last stop. Dasie's father, Charles Henry Cherry (7 Jun 1837 - 16 Mar 1908) was not buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, as I had read, but instead was transferred a few weeks later to nearby Fairmount Cemetery. I saw that Charles' Guthrie in-laws were also buried there; perhaps that explained the move. A short drive through hilly, rural central Ohio and a short chat with one of Fairmount's gravediggers (really) got me closer, but to no avail. I could not locate Charles' gravestone, despite walking the area. It was not surprising, as it was in the oldest section of the churchyard, where many of the stones were broken or illegible. I did discover the Guthries' stone, or what remained of it, at least.
But back to the exhibit brochure. Along with the photos and overviews and map were mini-biographies of many of the members, including Dasie. How excited I was to see it! And then I realized it was entirely cribbed from this very blog.... Flattering, I suppose.
No photos by Dasie to view, no new nuggets of information or shocking revelations to take in, no father's grave--and plagiarized to boot! While a nice outing, the trip was a genealogical bust.
But on the drive home, I saw a bright side. Dasie and I both earned our modest, respective bona fides: the dilettante artist's name lives on a century later in a museum, while your amateur family historian's work was published by a Smithsonian Affiliate.
