Mattie Logan - Woman Pioneer?

Twenty years or so ago, I bought a manuscript, "Our Logan Family, 1803-1966".  It was compiled by Ora Ellen Doyle of Greensburg, Kansas (yes, it was devastated by the tornado in 2007).  This manuscript is my starting point when I start looking at a particular line in my Logan and Hedrick families.

The patriarch of the Logan family is Tarlton L. Logan born 7 January 1803 in Tennessee.  This line of Logans removed to Greene County, Missouri where Nancy Logan met and married Thomas Hedrick.  Tarlton had 11 children, born in Tennessee, Mississippi and Missouri. Many of his children moved West into Kansas and later Oklahoma.

One child, Wesley Robert Logan and wife, Elizabeth Milberry Hazelton, settled in Pratt County, Kansas.  They farmed in the Byers area and are buried in the Byers Cemetery.   Wesley and Elizabeth Logan had six children; Alf, Leona, Talton, Townlie, Pearl and Rosa.  Talton married Mattie Semelia Bennett in Mitchell County, Kansas in 1903.  I knew from Ora's book that Talton abandoned his family in 1913.  I decided to search for him again since it has been many years since my last search.

I started with the census so I could track the movement of this family.  I found a big surprise, but first here is the trail:

1. 1905 Kansas State Census -  Pratt County, Kansas - farmer
2. 1910 Federal Census -  Ingalls, Gray County, Kansas - farmer
3. 1912 Oklahoma City Directory lists Talton L Logan salesman for Vulco-Fiberine Co. rooming at the Colonial Hotel.

This is where the trail for Talton ends.  I Googled for the company he worked for and found digital images of The Sentinal Nespaper in Florida  from 1913, according to the newspaper, this company sold wallpaper.  That is all I could find online.

I knew Mattie lived in Colorado.  FamilySearch added a new database of divorce records so I went to FamilySearch and browsed through all the Logan index cards.  I found the index card showing Mattie as the plantiff and Talton as the defendant.  The divorce was granted 03/08/1920 in Elbert County court. This index listed their marriage date as May 28, 1903 in Mitchell County, Kansas. The minor children listed on the index card are: Florice May age 14, Lottie Elizabeth age 12, Elsie Leona age 7 and William Lee age 10. 

I put in a request to see if the divorce decree may be accessed.  I would like to know if it states the last known address for Talton.

I searched for Mattie in the 1920 census.  I found her living on a farm in River Bend, Elbert County, Colorado.  The farm is Owned/Free. She lists herself as widowed.  The census was taken in January and she was still married to Talton. I thought perhaps Talton had bought land in Colorado so  I decided to look for a land patent.  I went to glorecords.blm.gov and found Mattie was granted a patent on 320 acres in 1919 not Talton.  

  According to the manuscript, Mattie remarried in 1929 to Marcellus Hazelton.  I found them in the 1930 census, he is listed at Erneast M. Hazelton.  Both Mattie and Marcellus are buried in Pershing Cemetery, Limon, Lincoln County, Colorado. Mattie and Talton's daughter Rosa Muriel Logan is buried here also.  Her tombstone looks like it is 1918 but the manuscript states 1913.  

I wonder if Talton moved them to Colorado and then disappeared.  If the date on this stone is actually 1913, that sounds like a reasonable argument.  Why did he move them to Colorado and why did he leave? I haven't found any trace of Talton from the time forward nor have I found a burial listing anywhere.  This is a mystery I would love to solve!  I hope to hear from direct descendants of Talton and Mattie Logan who can clear up this mystery.

 Florice Mae Logan married Vernon Edwin Mathews in Denver, CO on Aug. 1, 1922 in front of the J.P.  Both were residents of Elbert County, CO.  He was almost 22 and she was almost 18.  His father was Richard Matthews born in England, came to the US in 1869, naturalized in 1893, a farmer/stockman near Agate, CO.  Vernon died in 1927 and is buried in Pershing Memorial Cemetery.  Florice married (2) James Butler.  Florice died in 1997 ans is buried in Pershing Memorial Cemetery.

Lottie, William and Elsie Leona married and moved to Twin Falls, Idaho by 1940.