
Olive Mae Francisco
Olive Mae Francisco was born on July 17, 1908, in Buffalo, Wyoming. She was the eldest daughter of William M. Francisco, and Florida (Flora) Pendergraft. The Johnson County War (an infamous conflict between new sheep ranchers, new small cattle ranchers, and established large ranchers) had concluded only 16 years earlier, so life in the Buffalo area was still a little like the ‘Wild West’.
Olive’s parents were married on September 12, 1908, in Buffalo, Wyoming, a little less than two months after her birth. Olive’s sister Lucinda Mae was born on April 25, 1909, in Lawrence County, South Dakota, William was managing a farm there at that time. On September 24, 1910, Mary E. was born in Butte County, South Dakota. William was a man of inconsistent behavior; he seemed to be a wanderer with an intermittent employment history. In a little over two years, he found himself trying to support a wife and three daughters. The news of a fourth child on the way may have sent him over the edge. Edith Geneva was born in Buffalo, Wyoming, on October 11, 1912. Shortly before Edith's birth William left his family. It's possible he may have been looking for opportunities for he and his family, because he did file paperwork for a homestead of 320 acres in Piniele, Carter County, Montana, on May 16, 1913. But he never returned. After over a year’s absence, abandoned, and with no means of support, Florida moved her family back to Buffalo, and filed for a divorce. That divorce was granted on May 14, 1914. Flora did her best to keep the family together. But being a single mother of four daughters was not an easy task. After a time, whether voluntarily or by force, Flora’s four daughters were placed in an orphanage in Laramie, Wyoming.
After some time, Flora met a new man, Felix Hecht. They were eventually married in Buffalo, Wyoming, on July 31, 1915. By this time Olive had been placed with several different foster families,
and Lucinda had been adopted. With
what I’m sure took a great deal of effort
and determination, Flora was able to be
reunited with Edith and Mary. Olive
was eventually taken by one family to
Orange Junction, Wyoming. That must
not have worked out for her because she
ended up with another family who
abandoned her in Crocker, Missouri.
Since she was on her own and without
any means of support, she went or was
sent to the county ‘Poor Farm’ in
Waynesville, Pulaski County, Missouri.
She was admitted there on February 9,
1921, according to the Poor Farms Ledger. She was 13 at the time, but she told them she was 16.
Around this time Olive may have started working in the W. L. Bradford home. In the past they had employed several young single women in their home. No doubt embittered by her treatment with various foster families, and the less than desirable life at the 'Poor Farm', she gladly accepted a marriage proposal from a young man named Andrew Smith Storie. Mr. Bradford signed
her marriage certificate as her legal guardian since she was only 14
years old. They were married on October 21, 1922, in Pulaski
County, Missouri. They had two children together. Clifford was
born on August 5, 1923, in Webster Groves, St. Louis County,
Missouri. Donald L. was born April 3, 1926. Sadly, all was not
well in the Storie household. Olive said that Storie was an
extremely jealous man, he refused to let her leave the house, or
associate with any friends or acquaintances. After several years,
the two divorced. It was finalized on August 10, 1927, in St. Louis
County, Missouri. Storie was granted custody of the two boys.
Not long after her divorce was final, Olive married John
Leslie Hudson, on September 27, 1927, in Webster Groves,
St. Louis County, Missouri. To this marriage four children were
born, John Leslie, Jr. was born on August 14, 1928. Henrietta
Louise, on June 26, 1930. Robert Gene, on December 4, 1932, and
Mary Ann, on June 17, 1934. John, when he was employed,
worked in the hauling business. When he was home, it was said he
was a drunkard, quarrelsome, and sometimes abusive. He
regularly spent what he earned on liquor, and abandoned his family
for weeks at a time, leaving his wife and children to fend for
themselves, usually subsisting off the charity of their neighbors.
Eventually, John made a career change and found a job with the
St. Louis County Road Department. This opportunity came to an
end on June 10, 1934, when he came down with Typhoid fever, which resulted in his death from double pneumonia.
Shortly after John's death, Olive contacted the County Welfare Association for help. They agreed to provide Olive with the necessary assistance to keep her and the children housed, clothed, and fed. They discouraged her from working, because they felt she should spend her time raising and caring for her children. However, she failed to cooperate with this plan. She went out to do housework for others leaving her children with neighbors.
After a while these neighbors
complained of the way she was treating
her children, so her relief was discontinued
to convince her of the importance of
spending her time at home. To help make
ends meet, Olive and her kids moved to a
colored settlement, where rent was
cheaper. Her brother-in-law Ed Hudson,
his wife Sophie, and their son Leonard
moved with them. Shortly thereafter,
Olive also took in a boarder. His name was
George Becker. At the time Becker was
separated from his wife and children. The
court had another discussion with Olive,
and they agreed to provide her with an
allowance of $20.00 a month for her support.
Olive’s mother-in-law, Henrietta Hudson wanted to place the children with other family members, but her requests were denied. Neighbors continued to complain about conditions in the Hudson home, and Olive began to see that maybe she should place the children in an orphanage, so they could receive the care they needed. The County Welfare Association in September 1936 set her up with the Works Projects Administration, to get her a job, so she could help support her children when they went into the orphanage. That was the WPA 3580. Nothing more was heard from her until there were more complaints. In 1936, Robert who was around four, was ill in County Hospital, and was diagnosed with Osteomyelitis. Surgery was prescribed as a treatment, but Olive didn’t feel that was the best option. Inquiries were made, and he was placed in Shriner's Hospital where he was diagnosed with Infantile Paralysis. When he was discharged from the hospital, he was in a plaster cast encasing him from his hips, down both legs. After he arrived home, he was taken care of by his uncle Edgar, and his wife Sophie. Olive was told that she needed to improve the care that her children were receiving but she was unable to meet the required standards. On December 18, 1936, the Hudson children were made wards of the court. And on February 27, 1937, they were placed in the German Protestant Children’s Home. Later they changed their name to the Evangelical Children's Home. The court would pay the home $10.00 a month per child. Though she was no longer obligated to provide for her children, Olive pledged to pay half of the children’s care every month, in installments. The court accepted her offer due to the poor condition of the county’s finances. At this time Olive Hudson was living at 6940 Manchester Road, St. Louis, Missouri.
On June 18, 1938, in Overland, St. Louis County, Missouri, Olive married George L. Becker. After a while they moved to Perryville, Missouri, where they got work running a farm. For several years Olive sent money to help care for her children and visited them when she was able. Eventually, Olive went to court to recover her children. On January 5, 1944, the court allowed her to take custody of her two older children, leaving Robert and Mary. Olive ended up having four children with George Becker. Their names were Rosie, Francis, Joanne, and Louis Becker. She continued to visit
Robert and Mary, and on occasion they were allowed to visit
her at her home in Perryville. One such visit took place from
June 27th to July 6th, 1949. Another from August 6th to
August 20th, 1950. In July of 1947, the court started paying
the Home $15.00 a month per child. They continued to do so
until Robert and Mary reached the age of eighteen. At that
time, the Home contacted companies offering good
employment prospects, with letters of recommendation.
They also found them a place to live. They even kept their
doors open to them for a while to offer advice and guidance.
In 1953 George and Olive were living at 435 Rayburn
Avenue, in Kirkwood, Missouri, and Olive was employed at
Rite Point Pencil, as a machine operator. Shortly after this
picture was taken, Olive began feeling unwell. After
consulting with a doctor, she was admitted to St. Louis County
Hospital. On December 5, 1953, Olive underwent surgery,
where they discovered cancer on the right lobe of her liver
which had metastasized from her cervix. Only four days later
Olive Mae Becker died on December 9, 1953, in Clayton,
St. Louis County, Missouri, of cervical cancer. She was 45
years old. She was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Kirkwood,
Missouri.
George Becker moved his family to California. On November 2, 1956, he married Violet Marie (Engeszer) Carmean, in Santa Clara, California. Violet was the widow of Henry Harrison Carmean. Henry’s sister was Henrietta Carmean, the mother of John Leslie Hudson, Olive’s second husband. George Becker passed away on November 29, 1974. His wife Violet followed him on April 16, 1978.
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