The Tutherlys and the Sperrys and a California Connection

If you are a Walker/Watters grandchild, David Folsom Tutherly (1819-1866) was your 3rd great grandfather. He married Susan Sperry (1824-1896). Susan had three brothers, Charles, Simon, and James. According to Deda's notes, the 'Sperry Boys' went west in 1863-1864, and David Tutherly was supposed to go with them, but he died before he could sell his farm in Claremont, NH. He died of pneumonia in 1866.

In the files are newspaper articles about two California Sperry families and two marriages. Determined to make the connection to the Tutherlys, I spent way too much time spent connecting the dots.  I've determined that these two Sperry women (if you are a Walker/Watters grandchild) are your 1st cousins 4 x removed. Since we have family on the West Coast, I was looking for a story about ancestors in California. And although the relationship is pretty diluted, the stories involve a Polish Prince and a Wealthy Nursery/Vineyard Owner. Unfortunately, no  matter how hard I searched I could not find images of either Elizabeth Helen Sperry Poniatowski or Harriet Evelyn Sperry West.

Elizabeth Helen Sperry was the daughter of Austin Sperry, the millionaire miller. Elizabeth married Andre Poniatowski, the second son of Prince Stanislas, head of the historic Polish house of that same name. Andre came to this country in 1894, the object of his visit being to offer his nobility for an heiress. His only income was a pension allowed him by the Russian government. The price reportedly paid by the Sperry's for Elizabeth's title was $1,000,000; enough to put Andre in the ranks of financiers. He formed a syndicate for the exploitation of rubber and pearl deposits in Paragua before moving to exploit the California Jockey Club whereby he intended to control all the big race tracks in the country. Eventually the Prince and Princess moved to Paris, where in 1912 the French government conferred on him the order of the legion of honor for his services in promoting the sale of French financial securities in America and American securities in France.

In a Pittsburgh Press 1915 article, it is stated that "in spite of the uncertainties of the title, the California girl has always behaved herself in a most exemplary way, and since her husband has finished sowing his wild oats, they have gained a large following in the exclusive society of the French capital, where they are both well thought of, the princess even more than her husband, as she expends a great part of her life in work among the poor of the city, especially the Polish people or those of Polish descent." Elizabeth died of an undetermined cause at the age of 30.

Elizabeth's cousin, Harriett Evelyn Sperry, married Frank Allen West. Frank's father George and his brother William owned El Pinal Ranch and Vineyards near Stockton. The Wests laid the foundation of their nursery business when few others in California took an interest in anything except the quest for gold, which had drawn thousands of people to the infant state. But when the mining fever abated and the exodus to the valley and the pursuits of agriculture began, the Wests were in a strategic position. Their business thrived and there was a demand for their nursery stock as far south as Riverside and San Diego. There was also a call for their grape vines and cuttings at points as far as Texas. 

A newspaper article describing the wedding of Evelyn and Frank in St. John's Episcopal Church states, "though the most fashionable event of the year by reason of the social prominence of the contracting parties, was marked by an utter abstinence of ostentation and by the quietness and good taste of its arrangements." After detailed descriptions of the clothing, the flowers and the music, it continues, "The ceremony was very short and proceeded without hitch of pause, the responses of both parties being given in a tone audible throughout the church." Although I have determined the date of the wedding to be November 15, I cannot confirm the year, although it was probably in the mid-1880's. Evelyn died on April 4, 1896 after being sick for "several months" so the marriage, though happy, was relatively short.

So there you have it: a bit of a Downton Abbey twist with a Polish Prince marrying an American heiress and the most fashionable event of the social year in San Francisco. The life of two cousins in 19th century California. And all with a tiny traceable connection to the Walker/Watters family.