Who Do You Think You Are? (The life and death of Beecher Edgar Chipman) / Beecher The Bounder / Who’s Buried In Jean Chipman’s Tomb?
Behind this seemingly ordinary document is a story. Beecher Edgar Chipman was my paternal grandfather. And this is his previously unknown third marriage.
Why did a couple who lived in Flint, Michigan drive to Bowling Green, Ohio to get married on 24 Apr 1950?
On 23 Apr 1959, Beecher drowned while fishing in a lake in Pendleton Township, Missouri. His companion, listed as Jean Esther (Southard) Chipman on her death certificate, also drowned. They’re buried side by side in a cemetary in Farmington, Missouri.
Who was Jean Esther Chipman?
The answers may shock you.
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But first, who was Beecher Edgar Chipman?
He was the second son, and third of five children of James Edward and Allie May (Oxley) Chipman. The family owned a small cotton farm in the fertile Missouri boot-heel county of Dunklin. The Missouri boot-heel, virtually unknown outside the state, had been leveled in the New Madrid earthquake of 1812.
Beecher was born in the small town of Senath, southwest of Kennett, the county seat. Other than cotton, Dunklin County’s most famous export is singer/songwriter Sheryl Crow, who hails from Kennett. Senath is now a ghost town.
Although he read classics like David Copperfield and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the best grade Beecher could muster in high school was an “M,” equivalent to a “C.” More often he scored an “I,” which is equivalent to a “D.”
(Click on image to enlarge it.)
Beecher married Jewel Winifred Bailey (my grandmother), the daughter of Alvis Cowan and Mary Ann Cordelia (Harkey) Bailey. The Harkeys came to Dunklin County about 1850, from Wilkes County, Georgia. Like many young families during the Depression, Beecher and Winifred moved north to Flint, Michigan, where the men sought work in the factories.
In a letter to me dated Jan 1988, Beecher’s niece, Beverly Ann (Page) Budzynski, had this to say about Beecher:
“I’m sure your father [1] is bitter and has every right to be. Beecher was not a good father—but he was a very interesting and complex person.
“Many people disapproved of him but they liked him. Even as a child, I can remember his visits. He came in like Santa Claus—a big, good-looking man, big smiles and a big hug. I know my mother [2] loved him very much—but really didn’t know what to do or say. My dad [3] disapproved, I’m sure because he was such a family man, but I know he really liked Beecher. (Of course, it was through Beecher that he met my mother!)
“Beecher was a tool and die maker in the factory—well respected in his job. In those days, men heard the factories were hiring and they would gather outside the gates. Someone would come out and choose likely candidates. The story goes that Beecher got jobs for many men! He simply stood there, got chosen—and gave the other fellow’s name. The next day, the other fellow reported to work! He must have looked like a good worker!
“I have one surviving aunt on my dad’s side. She’s 75 and knew Beecher well—in fact, I’ve always wondered why they never got together as they would have made quite a couple!! She remembers Beecher with great fondness—describes him in modern teminology as a “hunk.” She said he was full of life and fun.
“I can remember many discussions about Beecher and why he did what he did! My mother thought Beecher was devastated by his first wife’s [4] death. He seemed to punish himself thereafter. He sought out low life bars and low life women. Then, he would return to some semblance of family life. But, he couldn’t seem to stay on the straight and narrow. Who knows what would have happened had Winifred lived.
“Also, Beecher was a product of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and was always popular with the girls.
“My mother used to tell me how she learned to drive at seven. She had gone somewhere with Beecher and she wanted to return home. He wasn’t ready so let her drive the car home! She was allowed to keep on driving—in fact her father [5] never learned to drive well, and I think Allie May [6] didn’t drive at all.
“Mother drove them on family trips to Hot Springs, Ark, St. Louis, and when she was 13, drove them to Flint!!”
[Notes: 1. Ralph Vernon Chipman; 2. Pauline Aquilla (Chipman) Page Moffit; 3. Carl Davis Page; 4. Jewel Winifred Baiely; 5. James Edward Chipman; 6. Allie May (Oxley) Chipman.]
This letter dated 18 Mar 1989 from my father to his half-sister Dixie painted an unflattering portrait of Beecher:
“Upon receiving news of our father’s [1] death, while at work with the railroad in Cicero, Ill., my first reaction was a sense of lost opportunity for any improvement ever in my relationship with him.
“The uneasiness and threat was my fear that Dad would appear, (or “show up out of the blue,” as you well express it), get drunk and thrown in jail, or fight, causing me and my family embarassment among my work friends, and our social and neighbor acquaintances. From reports from Poppa [2] and Aunt Lawcie Mason [3] he had indeed done exactly that around Senath and Kennett. He had borrowed money from Lawcie and Orval Mason for jail bond. Poppa, of course, was always indulgent of Dad. However, Lawcie, Jewell [4], and Winnie [5] were not. As close as Dad ever came to causing this fear was his taking Jeff [6], then some three years old, and spending a couple of hours at one of the sleaziest bars in Burlington, Iowa. At the time, we thought he was just going to the nearby grocery to to buy cigarettes, but instead the two of them returned some 2–3 hours later with Dad definitely smelling of alcohol, and only then told us where they had gone. Of course that was the last time any of our children went anywhere with Dad.
“So my secondary feeling … was relief. He had lived his life as he had chosen, and now he was gone.
“My earliest recollection of Dad was his visit to James Edward and Allie Oxley Chipman’s 10-acre farm near Senath, Mo. when I was perhaps 4–6 years old. People sat on the little front screen porch visiting in the evening. Dad was laughing a lot, talking, and in a genial mood. I asked him if I could smoke his cigar butt, and he said sure and when I smoked it I was very ill and threw up. He thought it was funny, but Momma Chipman [7] was duly critical.
“Dad was involved in the historic auto labor union lockouts/riots in Flint sometime around 1934/1935. The men barricaded themselves in the auto shops, while some overturned cars outside, etc. The contention was to get the union recognized. Also, General Motors, before the union, generally annouced each December a flat $100 Christmas bonus: that was a significant sum….
“Dad was … drinking quite a bit, and I recall he and Essie [8] arguing over it. I believe there were other women problems too, between them.
“He regularly practiced, with [his] pistol, behind our house [in Clio, MI], and could usually keep a tincan rolling with a fusillade of shots.
“In the end, the reason I left Flint was that Dad agreed I could quit school and get a job at Champion Spark Plug Factory. This proved to me he really did not care about me, because previously he had always said I should get good grades, and aspire to attend General Motors School of Technology. His work clothes and shoes were always saturated with oil and grease, so he told me, “you don’t want to work in the shops and always be dirty and grimy, which is why you should study and get an education.”
“I think Dad meant well sometimes. But he was addicted to alcohol. He never learned any self discipline. He did not seem to recognize that he was responsible for his actions, and omissions. Our family history reveals him based on the evidence, despite his charisma, or powers of verbal persuasion. And maybe Momma Chipman’s Pentecostal devotion penetrated his mind sometime, kicking his butt around the block, whether he liked it or not.”
[Notes: 1. Beecher Edgar Chipman; 2. James Edward Chipman; 3. Lawice Idella (Chipman) Mason; 4. Jewell Vester Chipman; 5. Winford William Chipman; 6. Me; 7. Allie May (Oxley) Chipman; 8. Essie Lee Hyatt, Beecher's second wife.]
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Which brings us to the mystery that began this column—the utlimate fate of Beecher Chipman, and the last two (as far as is known) women in his life.
Beecher had four proven children, by Winifred and Essie, and five more probable by Imogene, for a total of nine.
1. Beecher Edgar Chipman married 1st, Jewel Winifred Bailey (my grandmother), daughter of Alvis Cowan and Mary Ann Cordelia (Harkey) Bailey. The Harkeys were a prominent family in Dunklin Co. Children:
(a) Donald LaVerne Chipman, born 4 Jan 1927, died 4 Mar 1929
(b) Ralph Vernon Chipman, born 3 Nov 1928, only surviving child by Beecher Edgar Chipman’s first wife, Jewel Winifred Bailey
(Alvis Cowan Bailey, father of Jewel Winifred Bailey, from a tin-type, mid to late 1880s.)
[My grandparents, Jewel Winifred (Bailey) Chipman and Beecher Edgar Chipman.]
Jewel Winifred (Bailey) Chipman died at Flint, MI on 1 Sep 1929.
These Flint, MI city directory entries chronicle Beecher’s second and third marriages:
(Beecher Edgar Chipman, 1931, Flint, MI.)
2. Beecher Edgar Chipman married 2nd Essie Lee Hyatt. Children:
(a) Joyce Elaine Chipman, born 22 Feb 1932
(b) Dixie Lee Chipman, born 12 Oct 1940
Beecher and Essie were divorced in 1949.
(Beecher Edgar Chipman and his second wife, Essie Lee Hyatt, 1933. Bottom row: Ralph Vernon Chipman, Joyce Elaine Chipman.)
3. Beecher Edgar Chipman married 3rd Lulu Imogene (Oliver) Golden. Children:
(a) Susan Chipman, born 22 Oct 1944
(b) Donna Chipman, born 21 Apr 1946
(c) James Edward Chipman, born 10 May 1948
(d) Glenda Chipman, born 9 May 1949
(e) David Chipman, born 21 Feb 1954.
[Lulu Imogene (Oliver) (Golden) Chipman]
Beecher met Imogene, a divorcee whose maiden name was Oliver, while both were working in the Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan. Although Beecher married Imogene on 24 Apr 1950, four of his children by her were born prior to the marriage. Obviously he divorced his second wife in order to marry the third. In the 1940s having children out of wedlock was scandalous, but today it barely rates a yawn in liberal enclaves like Hollywood. Beecher married Imogene in Bowling Green, Ohio so people in Flint, Michigan wouldn’t know the couple had been “living in sin.”
Without a DNA test, I can’t be 100% certain of the paternity of Imogene’s children. In all probability, they’re Beecher’s. Beecher deserted Imogene while she was pregnant with David and worked for a toy company in St. Louis. I found an old letter which gives the reason: “BE [Beecher] claimed child No. 5 [David] was not his, and evidently Imogene and BE separated about the time child No. 5 was born.” Beecher may have used that as an excuse to extricate himself from Imogene and the children.
It’s the third child by Imogene, James Edward Chipman (just known as James), who interests me here. The details were sketchy, and came from a correspondent (not James’s family): James “killed a policeman in Flint, was sent to prison & escaped. He was recaptured and is serving time in Marquette Prison.”
Using this information, I was able to locate a dossier (including photograph) on James. He’s currently incarcerated in the maximum security facility at Marquette Branch Prison in Marquette, Michigan.
The letter wasn’t entirely accurate. Using newspaper accounts from The Flint Journal, I was able to piece together events:
James was in the Genesee County (Michigan) jail for the 10 May 1970 murder of a Flint teenager, with whom he’d been arguing about a woman. On 6 Apr 1971, Genesee Co. Deputy Sheriffs Ben Ray Walker and Harry G. Abbott took inmates James Chipman, Charles Macklin, and Jesse Bailey to a local dentist. When Walker took off James’s handcuffs, James jumped Walker. In the ensuing struggle, Macklin gained control of Walker’s handgun, fatally shot Walker and wounded Abbott. James and Macklin hid in a nearby home but were apprehended.
Charles Macklin confessed to the murder of Walker. Macklin was later killed while attempting to escape from prison.
On 20 Jan 1972, James was convicted of manslaughter for the murder of 10 May 1970 and sentenced to 7-15 years. On 9 Aug 1971, James was sentenced to life in prison for the Walker murder, and drew 50–70 years for the attempted murder of Abbott, the same sentences given Macklin. (The trial took place in Pontiac on a change of venue.) Circuit Court judge Donald R. Freeman told James: “Even though you did not pull the trigger of the gun that killed Walker, you are equally guilty because you plotted with Macklin to escape.” Although James wasn’t technically guilty of Walker’s murder, he was an accomplice.
In Jan 1984, James and another convicted murderer escaped from Huron Valley Men’s Facility near Ypsilanti, Michigan. James eluded the manhunt for nearly seven weeks until he was recaptured in Phoenix, Arizona.
James appealed his ”concurrent life sentences for his jury conviction of first degree murder and assault with intent to commit murder” to the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit. On 7 Dec 1987, the appeal, alleging unconstitutional instructions to the trial jury, was denied.
According to the Jackson Citizen Patriot, on 26 Jan 1990, James and four other prisoners escaped from the Southern Michigan Prison Central Complex in Jackson County, Michigan, overpowered two guards, took them hostage, and stole their van. After a brief high speed chase, the prisoners surrendered peacefully. The two guards sustained minor injuries. The kidnapping charge earned James an additional 25-50 years, but it hardly matters.
I don’t know any of the children by my grandfather’s third marriage, and I’m not going to judge them. They maintain James is innocent. He is said to be in bad health. He brought tragedy to the family of Ben Ray Walker, tragedy to his brother and sisters, and tragedy to my family as well. I won’t become involved in his defense. Having seen his photo, I think James probably is the son of Beecher Edgar Chipman.
But who was Jean Chipman, with whom my grandfather is buried? The facts are these:
According to her death certificate, she was Jean Esther Southard, born 16 Feb 1913 in Morehouse, MO, the daughter of Robert E. and Lillie (England) Southard. Her family was located in the 1930 Mississippi Co., AR Federal census, as follows:
Lila Southard 34 b. MO (head) widow; Esther 17 b. MO (dau.); Lester 13 b. MO (son); Lucy 10 b. MO (dau.); Edna 9 b. MO (dau.); Eva 7 b. AR (dau.).
Lillie (England) Southard is listed as an orphan born March 1896, living in the home of Samuel Evans in the 1900 New Madrid Co. Federal census. Lila Southard is probably the Lula Southard who died on 16 May 1931 in Mississippi Co., AR. Jean’s brother Robert Lester Southard was born 9 Oct 1916 in MO, and died 26 Mar 1989 in San Diego, CA. His death record lists his mother’s maiden name as “England.”
New Madrid Co., MO marriage records show that R.E. Southard married Lillie England on 10 Mar 1912. Robert Ephron Southard was born on 3 Feb 1892 in Fredonia (Caldwell Co.), KY, the son of Brice and Jennie Southard.
The death certificate of Jean Esther Southard “Chipman” checks out. I have no birth certificate confirmation for Jean’s birth date as 16 Feb 1913, but it tracks with the 1930 census entry. The informant on her death certificate, Giniver Shockley, was correct in all other details, so I think she may be trusted here.
Jean had an insurance policy worth $800.00 with Bankers Life and Casualty Company of Chicago. The policy was issued in 1954, and Beecher was the beneficary. I wrote Bankers Life and Casualty asking for a copy of Jean’s application, but received no reply. However, it’s known that Jean lied about her birth date on the application. Evidently the insurance company spotted the discrepancy when they examined Jean’s death certificate, and reduced the payout on her policy from $800.00 to $550.00.
Probate papers were filed with the St. Francois County, Missouri Probate Division, appointing Berl J. Miller, then St. Francois County Coroner, as administrator of Jean’s estate. But because Miller had ruled that Jean and Beecher died simultaneously, the money was paid into Jean’s estate as if she had survived Beecher.
According to the estate papers, Jean had two sons: Carl Wayne Crader of Fresno, California and J.C. Crader, address unknown. Miller determined that Jean had no relatives in Missouri.
Mr. and Mrs. Carl W. Crader are listed among the relatives attending Beecher’s funeral. Carl Wayne Crader was born 28 Aug 1932. That places Jean’s marriage to Carl’s father as ca. 1931. The location of the marriage is presently unknown, but could have been in Mississippi Co., AR.
So who got the money from Jean’s estate? Berl J. Miller—who was also the proprietor of Miller Funeral Home (now Taylor Funeral Service) of Farmington, Missouri. Jean’s sons received nothing. Before you cry “foul,” after burying Jean and performing the duties of an administrator, which included newspaper notices to locate heirs, Miller actually wound up with a deficit. In reviewing the estate papers, it would appear no one contributed anything to help defray his expenses.
There is no record of Jean’s marriage to Beecher. My father and Beverly Ann (Page) Budzynski ( Beecher’s niece) agree that Beecher and Jean had never married. Beecher hadn’t divorced Imogene, so Jean’s use of the “Chipman” surname was as an alias. Missouri abolished common law marriage in 1921, but the few states that accept it require the parties to be free to marry. Beecher and Jean were cohabiting in rural Missouri in the 1950s, and found it prudent to say they were married.
The insurance policy, effective 22 Feb 1954, comprised Jean’s entire estate. Why is that date significant? Because David Chipman, Beecher’s last (probable) child by Imogene, was born the day before, on 21 Feb. Beecher had abandoned Imogene before the birth of David Chipman.
Beecher had no children by Jean, who was in her forties when she met him. My father signed Beecher’s Social Security death benefit over to Imogene at the urging of Beecher’s sister Pauline Aquilla (Chipman) Page Moffit (who was Page then).
Beecher and Jean are buried at Doe Run Memorial Cemetary in St. Francois Co., Missouri. They are buried together and will remain together. The cemetary is sometimes informally referred to as “Rosella McCloud” because of the memorial arch which bears her name. The cemetary is an association.
For now, the legend on Beecher and Jean’s shared tombstone giving her surname as “Chipman” will remain. Here’s how their tombstone should read:
Beecher Edgar Chipman
Son of James and Allie Chipman
Born May 15, 1908 Died April 23, 1959
Jean Esther Southard alias Chipman
Daughter of Robert and Lillie Southard
Born February 16, 1913 Died April 23, 1959
Jean’s identity was the last loose end in the biography of Beecher Edgar Chipman.
The birthdate on Beecher’s death certificate of June 16, 1909 is wrong—his father, James Edward Chipman, filed a delayed birth certificate in 1939 to meet some requirement. Beecher was born before birth certificates were mandatory in Missouri.
Beecher and Jean had gone fishing that calamitous day of 23 Apr 1959. What really happened? I located the couple’s obituary, and discovered there had been an eyewitness:
Berl J. Miller, St. Francois County Coroner, ruled the deaths “Accidental Drowning,” and no inquest was held. Note that Beecher’s wife is listed as “Esther E. Chipman.”
Beecher’s funeral was on 27 Apr 1959 at Miller Funeral Home in Farmington, Missouri. It was attended by many family members and friends.
But that’s not quite the end of the story. This is:
After a life of self-indulgence, Beecher Edgar Chipman had become a modest farmer. He left behind a car with a blown clutch, a few chickens, and some ethereal hogs. And scars along the way. You don’t just walk away from someone like Beecher.
Beecher could not have been more different from his four siblings, who were all (as people said in those days) “upright.” Every family has a Beecher. He could be superficially charming, as such men often are. In the end, the Earth swallowed him up.
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Material in brackets mine. The inspiration for this column was the TV series “Who Do You Think You Are?” But there’s nothing heart-warming about the story of Beecher Edgar Chipman. His children depended upon him, not just for the basics of life, but for emotional support as well, and he treated them cruelly. He was not only irresponsible, he was emotionally abusive.
In many family histories written between the 1880s and 1930s, their “Beechers” are concealed in a hiding place of a few words. Complete wastrels, if they have the “right” ancestry, assume an importance they never had in life. Beecher Edgar Chipman was a descendant of Mayflower passengers and Anglo-Saxon monarchs, yet he couldn’t have been less idealistic, and he was no prince among men. He was of one of the oldest families in America, but had he known the details of his ancestry, I doubt he would have cared.
Having written this column, I feel as though I have finally buried Beecher. And the woman, though not his wife, who lies buried with him. There are no additional scandals known to me or my informants, just a trail of scars. People have survived horrors far greater than this dismal tableaux.
The best way to exorcise a ghost is to bring him into the light, and let him evaporate like dew on the mourning grass.
RIP.
