Charles Weygant states:
3631. Colonel and Brevet Brig. General William Sackett, 1838-1864, of Seneca Falls and Albany, N., Y., son of (1452) Hon. Willaim A. Sackett and Zade Thorn, was married to Anna Sisselberger1.
On pages 340-341, Weygant has a letter dated July 7, 1864 from Lieut.-General U. S. Grant at City Point, Va., to General R. E. Lee, Commanding Confederate Army.
"Mrs. Sackett, the wife of Colonel William Sackett, who was wounded on the 11th of June, near Trevilians Station, Va., is here in deep distress and feeling great anxiety to learn the fate of her husband. Colonel Sackett was left at a house some two miles and a half from the station, in charge of Surgeon Ray, U. S. Volunteers. If you can let me know the fate and present whereabouts of Colonel Sackett you will alleviate the anxiety of his wife and family. ... Mrs. Sackett is very desirous that I should ask you for permission to visit her husband if he is still alive. She would not expect to go through Richmond, but would start from Alexandria, by private conveyance, if authorized to do so."
General Lee responded in a letter dated July 10, 1864, stating that he would see if he could learn of the fate of Col. Sackett and forward the information to General Grant. However, he was not able to give permission for Mrs. Sackett to make the journey to Trevilians Station.
The exchange of letters indicates that Mrs. Sackett had traveled from Washington, D. C. to City Point, VA where she met with General Grant. After the letter from Gen. Lee was received, she returned to Washington, D. C. where she later learned that her husband had died and was buried in Virginia.
By August 16, 1864, Anna Sackett was in Evanston, Illinois at the home of William’s sister, Zayde E. Sackett Lighthall and her husband, John. On that date she made a Widow’s Declaration for Pension. In the document she stated that she married Colonel William Sackett on November 25, 1862 in Washington, D. C. and that her name at the time of her marriage was Mrs. Anna Amodier. A copy of the marriage record2 was included with the declaration for a pension. That document says that they were married on November 27, 1862 in Epiphany Parish, Washington D. C. and her name is given there as Anna Modio. By October 6, 1864, Anna was back in Washington, D. C. living at the Metropolitan Hotel.
Anna’s name given in the declaration for pension and the name in the marriage record have led to speculation that Anna Sisselberger had a previous marriage to a Mr. Modio/Amodier. This speculation seems to be supported by the fact that on December 24, 1867 Minnie Sackett, stepdaughter of General William Sackett, married Ely Samuel Parker3, a Seneca Indian. Due to the death of General Sackett, General U. S. Grant was the best man and gave the bride away.
If Minnie was a stepdaughter of William Sackett, then, who was her father?
A search of the records at <https://www.familysearch.org/search/> for anyone with the surnames, Modio and Amodier, between 1850 and 1860, turns up no records for those names. A search of the records for the surname Modio between 1860 and 1870 turns up four records of individuals, one born 1865 in Louisiana, one born 1869 in Austria, one born 1869 and died in West Virginia in 1909, and one born 1870 in New York. A search for Amodier in the same years turns up no records. Therefore, the reason for the use of the surname Modio and the variation that Anna used in her declaration for a pension remains a mystery. Anna Sackett appears to have been a well educated woman. In her declaration for a pension, she stated that she was acting as her own attorney. She also appears to have been “well connected” in Washington, D. C. because there are documents in her pension file showing that some “well placed individuals” were involved in getting the pension approval expedited.
In
his biography of Ely Parker, William H. Armstrong4,
says:
It also appears that Anna Sackett was not Minnie's real mother. When
Minnie remarried after Parker's death, she listed her parents as
Thomas H. Orton and Sarah A Penton. Mrs. Sackett's maiden name was
Anna Sessilberg, although she had apparently been married prior to
her marriage to William Sackett, for their marriage records list her
variously as Mrs. Anna Amodier and Anna Modio. ...”
Apparently based upon Weygant saying that Col. William Sackett married Anna Sisselberger, Anderson concludes that Anna Sessilberg had a previous marriage when she married William Sackett. Therefore, because Minnie gave the names of her parents as Thomas H. Orton and Sarah A. Penton in the record of her second marriage, she was not really William Sackett’s stepdaughter.
In
2002, PBS did a series on Ely Parker and in the biography of Minnie
Orton Parker they used information from Armstrong’s biography
of Ely Parker but arrived at a different conclusion. Part of the PBS
biography has:
“Not
much is known of Minnie's early years. Her biological parents were
Sarah A. Penton, and a Thomas H. Orton, who at some time took a
second wife, Anna Sessilberg. After Orton's death, Anna married
William Sackett, a Brevet Brigadier General of the Ninth New York
Cavalry. In 1864, Sackett was wounded in a Civil War battle in
Virginia, and Anna journeyed to General Grant's City Point
headquarters, hoping someone there had information about his
whereabouts and well being. Mrs. Sackett's request to enter
Confederate lines was denied. She returned home and later learned her
husband had indeed perished.”
Although they used information from Anderson, PBS used a different approach. They have Minnie’s mother, Sarah A. Penton, as probably dying and Thomas Orton taking as his second wife, Anna Sessilberg. Then Thomas Orton died and Anna married William Sackett. PBS did not deal with the problem of name Anna gave in her pension application and her name in the marriage record.
With the rapid increase of information available on the internet, information has been found which indicates that Sarah A. (Penton) Orton was the one that married Col. William Sackett, not Anna Sessilberg/Sisselberger.
Although there is only one possible census record for the Thomas Orton household in the 1850 census5, there is the problem of the name of the daughter, Georgiana, who was the same age that Minnie would have been in 1850. However, Minnie could have been a nickname based upon a middle name. Having Georgiana as a name in the Northern States during the Civil War would not have been a very pleasing experience. It is interesting to note the presence of Anna Seisselbury age 33 in the household. None of the members of this household have been found in the 1860 census.
Col.
William Sackett’s widow has not been found in the 1870 census
as Anna Sackett, or Sarah A. Sackett. However, there is a 1876
marriage record for the marriage of Sarah Ann Sackett to Amos
Bissell6.
And in the pension file of Anna Sackett there is a document with the
following:
“1879 Jany 24. PA, has voucher been received & payment made to date of
remarriage? Matt”
“1879 Feby 1. Pensions should correspond with P.A. relative to payment of
voucher for arrears. Matt”
This indicates that Anna Sackett had remarried and that she remarried as Sarah Ann Sackett.
Fold3 [formerly Footnote] does not have an image of a document showing when Anna’s pension was terminated, which should contain the date and reason for the termination.
A short biography of Amos Bissell says that he went to Denver in 1864 and is summarized as follows: “To Denver, 1864; banker; post trader and contractor at Fort Sedgwick, with partner, John Hughes; purchasers of Wells, Fargo stage lines in Colorado; real estate investments in Denver.”7 In 1868 Amos Bissell was named as one of the Colorado Territorial Council that was petitioning the U. S. Senate to consider statehood for Colorado.8 In January, 1868 he was listed as being a guest in a hotel in Washington, D. C.9 Due to the fact that Sarah Sackett was in Washington, D. C. when Minnie Orton married Ely Parker in December, 1867, it is possible that Sarah met Amos Bissell when he was there in January – February, 1868.
Amos Bissell was enumerated in the 1870 census as a resident of Denver, Colorado but Amos and Sarah do not appear to have been enumerated in the 1880 census. They were enumerated in Denver, Colorado in the 1900 census10. The 20 years married does not agree with the 1876 marriage record but other records show that this is the same couple. Sarah’s 1840 birth year and age, 60 years, do not match other records, so it is assumed that her age was altered to make her younger than Amos. It is interesting to note that Sarah reported that she had given birth to 5 children and only 2 of them were still living. Too bad we have been unable to find her or her two living children in 1860 or 1870 census records. However, her daughter Minnie and her husband Ely S. Parker were enumerated in the 1880 census in Bridgeport, Connecticut11.
Amos Bissell died December 26, 1902 in Denver, Colorado12. Although one newspaper article says that he was a native of Virginia, the 1870 and 1900 censuses show that he was born in Canada and the 1900 census says that he immigrated to the United States in 1858.
In January, 1906, widow Sarah Bissell was adjudged insane and committed to the Mount Airey Sanitarium in Denver, Colorado. The January 5 newspaper article concerning her committal lists three marriages for her; Capt. Orton of the British navy, General William Sackett, and Amos Bissell. It also gives the names of both of Sarah's children; her son Thomas Orton of Cape Charles, Virginia and her daughter, wife of Tallmadge Van Rensselaer of Perth Amboy, New Jersey13. Minnie (Orton) Parker married as her second husband, Tallmadge Van Rensselaer.
The mention of the son, Thomas Orton, led to a search for him and the results prove to be quite interesting. Thomas H Orton and his wife Adaline had a son, Amos Bissell Orton who was married 11 Jan 1899 in Cape Charles, Virginia14. By the time the census was taken in 1900 the Bissell Orton houseold was enumerated in Denver, Colorado15.
The household of Thomas H. Orton was enumerated in Cape Charles, Virginia in 190016. The birth date given for Thomas presents a problem with identifying the members of the Thomas Orton household in the 1850 census with wife Sarah and daughter Georgiana. The 1850 census was enumerated on 16 September and does not include a son named Thomas who was born in July 1850. However, the birthplace of Thomas H. Orton’s father is given as Delaware which is the birthplace given for Thomas Orton in the 1850 census. The 1910 census for Thomas H. Orton, enumerated 18 April 1910, gives his age as 56. If he was born in July, this would make 1853 his birth year.
It is interesting to note that Thomas and Adaline Orton had a daughter named Georgie, who was listed as Georgia in later census records. Could she have been named after the Georgiana in the 1850 census? Also, the son Harry T. was born Jan 1884 in Colorado.
For the 1910 census, Amos Bissell Orton was back in Cape Charles, Virginia where his household and those of his father and younger brother Harry were enumerated.
1910
Census, 14-Ward, Denver, 7th Precinct, Denver County, Colorado
SD No. 1; ED No. 183; Sheet No. 1B; 18 April, 1910
Series: T624 Roll: 117 Page: 96
Mount Airy Sanitarium
Bissell Sarah A., Patient, F, W, 76, Wd, 12, 2-2, Virginia, Virginia,
Virginia, Patient
[The years married and the place of her birth do not match other records but the accuracy of these details would depend upon who supplied the information.]
Apparently Thomas H. Orgon came to Denver around August 1910 to deal with his mother's estate. He died there of apparent heart failure on November 8, 1910.17
Sarah A. Bissell died Monday, February 6, 1911 at Mount Airy Sanatorium in Denver. In her obituary it is stated that following the death of her husband she suffered a mental decline. In October 1904 her children, Thomas Orton and Minnie Van Rensselaer, had her taken before the county court for examination. At that time she was declared sane.
Her
marriages are listed again with some variations from the listing in
the account of her committal.
“She was first married in
Washington to Captain Richard Orton of the British Navy. After
his death she married William Sackett, brigadier general in the Civil
War. She accompanied her husband on his campaigns and was present at
the battles of Stafford Courthouse, Chancellorsville Yellow Tavern,
Meadow Ridge Camps's Creek and Five Forks.”
“General Sackett lost his life in the battle of Trevillian Station. At the close of the war his widow became the wife of Amos Bissell.”18
Conclusion:
The items above show that Mrs. Sarah A. Bissell’s maiden name was Sarah A. Penton who married a Thomas H. Orton and that she was the mother of Minnie Orton Sackett who married Ely Parker in 1867. On April 3, 1876 in Salem County, New Jersey, she was married, as Sarah Ann Sackett, to Amos Bissell, of Denver, Colorado. The newspaper account of her being committed to Mount Airy Sanatorium and her obituary both state that she was married to General William Sackett who died at Trevillians Station, Virginia. Therefore, it appears evident that Anna Sessilberg/Sissleberger was not the wife of Col. William Sackett.
Considering the mystery of the bride of Colonel William Sackett being listed in the marriage record as Anna Modio, the answer could possibly be that Thomas Orton, the mariner who was said to have been a Captain in the British Navy had not died but had abandoned Sarah and her children. If there was not a divorce, Sarah could not have married Col Sackett as Sarah Orton. So, she used her middle name, Anna, and a made up surname. The absence of individuals with the surname Modio in the census for 1850 and 1860 led to a Google search for “Modio” and one of the hits was the definition of the Latin word Modio, which is translated as “a measure of wheat, a bushel basket.” Curiosity led to a search for the definition of the word “Amodier” that Anna used in her declaration for a pension: “Mrs. Anna Amodier.” One translation of the French word is; “leased out, farmed out.” Could that be the answer to the use of the two names?
Concerning Sarah’s Civil War Activities
The newspaper articles relating to her committal and her obituary indicate that she claimed to have accompanied Col. Sackett in some of the movements of the New York 9th.Cavalry. Her obituary has some of the battles misnamed, like Meadow Bridge and Crump’s Creek. The mention in the committal article of the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House, March 30-31, 1865, and Five Forks, April 1, 1865 in the obituary would have been in the year after General William Sackett was killed. Therefore, one would wonder if these were embellishments on her part. Or, was she was actually there? If she was, why was she there and who was she with?
The description of the weather on the night that Sarah is said to have ridden all night in the rain matches the description of the weather at the time of the battle:
http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/va086.htm
Dinwiddie
Court House
Other Names: None
Location: Dinwiddie County
Campaign: Appomattox Campaign (March-April 1865)
Date(s): March 31, 1865
Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. Philip Sheridan [US]; Maj. Gen. George Pickett
and Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee [CS]
Forces Engaged: 65,277 total (US 45,247; CS 20,030)
Estimated Casualties: 821 total
Description: On March 29, with the Cavalry Corps and the II and V Corps, Sheridan undertook a flank march to turn Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Petersburg defenses. A steady downpour turned the roads to mud, slowing the advance. On March 31, Maj. Gen. W.H. Fitzhugh Lee’s cavalry and Pickett’s infantry division met the Union vanguard north and northwest of Dinwiddie Court House and drove it back, temporarily stalling Sheridan’s movement. With Union infantry approaching from the east, Pickett withdrew before daybreak to entrench at the vital road junction at Five Forks. Lee ordered Pickett to hold this intersection at all hazard.
Result(s): Confederate victory
End Notes:
1 Charles Weygant;The Sacketts of America; Their Ancestors and Descendants 1630-1907, page 339
2 Epiphany Parsih, Washington D. C.; Rev. Carles B. Hall, Rector; recorded 27 Nov 1862.
"I Wm Pitt Shearman Register of Epihany Parish in the City of Washington, D.C. do hereby certify that the marriage of Colonel William Sackett with Anna Modio on the twenty seventh day of November, A.D one thousand eight hundred and sixty two is duly recorded in the Register of Marriages of said Parish, attested by the signature of the officiating clergyman, Rev. Chas B. Hall, D.D.
Witness my hand and the
Common Seal of the Vestry this
Sixth day of August, A.D. 1864
Wm Pitt Shearman
Register"
3 http://www.pbs.org/warrior/noflash/index.html
and: http://www.pbs.org/warrior/content/bio/minnie.html
and: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
The National Republican., December 24, 1867, Image 3
About The national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870
Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC
[Ely Parker - Minnie Sackett marriage announcement]
4 Armstrong, William H.; Warrior in Two Camps: Ely S. Parker, Union General and Seneca Chief ; Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, New York; 1978; Page 210, Note #14
“It also appears that Anna Sackett was not Minnie's real mother. When Minnie remarried after Parker's death, she listed her parents as Thomas H. Orton and Sarah A Penton. Mrs. Sackett's maiden name was Anna Sessilberg, although she had apparently been married prior to her marriage to William Sackett, for their marriage records list her variously as Mrs. Anna Amodier and Anna Modio. The Sacketts' marriage records are in the Church of the Epiphany, Washington, D.C. (Register II, p. 169, and in William Sackett's pension file in NARS. The certificate of Minnie Parker's second marriage is in ESP's pension file in NARS. See also Weygant, The Sacketts of America, pp. 242-43, 339-41.“
5
1850
Census; 2nd Ward, Southwark, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Page 161; 16 Sept 1850
1058/1175
Thomas Orton, 23, M, Mariner, Delaware
Sarah Orton, 19, F, ---, Penna
Georgiana Orton, 2, F, ---, Penna
Ann Seisselbury, 33, F, ---, New Jersey
6 https://www.familysearch.org/search/
New Jersey Marriages, 1678-1985
Groom's Name: Amos Bissell
Bride's Name: Sarah Ann Sackett
Marriage Date: 03 Apr 1876
Marriage Place: Salem County, New Jersey
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M01424-0
System Origin: New Jersey-EASy
Source Film Number: 1001852
7 Biography from Amos Bissell: Denver; by Amos Bissell, Hubert Howe Bancroft; 1886, 4 pages
Subjects: Banks and banking; Coaching (Transportation); Contractor; Real estate agents
8 Index to the Miscellaneous Documents of the Senate of the Unites States for the Second Session Fortieth Congress, 1867-'68; In One Volume. From No. 1 to No. 110 Inclusive; Washington: Government Printing Office; 1868; Pages 129-132
40th Congress, 2d Session; Senate; Mis. Doc. No. 40
Page 129
MEMORIAL OF CITIZENS OF TERRITORY OE COLORADO,
PRAYING THE
Admission of that Territory as a State into the Union, and protesting against the memorial of H. M. Teller against the admission of said Territory as a State into the Union.February 29, 1868.—Ordered to lie on the table and be printed …
Member of the Present Territorial Council.
A. M. CASSIDAY.
J. H. MARTIN.
AMOS BISSELL
L. M. BLACK.
A. J. GILL.
A G. BOONE.
LAFAYETTE HEAD,
9 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
The National Republican., January 28, 1868, Image 4
About The national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870
Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC“Arrivals at Hotels; Ebbett's House; … Amos Bissell, Colorado, ...”
1900 Census; Ward 7, Denver City, Precinct 1, Arapahoe County, Colorado
SD No. 24; ED No. 49; Sheet No. 5A; 6 June, 1900
208 E. Ch. Ave.
110/110
Bissell, Amos, Head, W, M, Mar. 1839, 61, M, 20, Canada Eng, Connecticut, Connghead, (Imm. 1858), Capitalist
Bissell, Sarah, Wife, W, F, Feb. 1840, 60, M, 20, 5-2, Pennsylvania, England, New Jersey, ---
11 http://www.familysearch.org/eng/search/
1880 Census; Bridgeport, Fairfield, Connecticut
Family History Library Film: 1254095
NA Film Number: T9-0095
Page Number: 595B
Chas. G. SANFORD, Self, M, Male, W, 24, CT, Hat Manufacturer, CT, CT
Emily M. SANFORD, Wife, M, Female, W, 22, NY, Keeps House, NY, NY
Frederic W. HILL, Boarder, M, Male, W, 40, CT, , CT, CT
Ella C. HILL, Boarder, M, Female, W, 35, CT, , MA, CT
George B. GRAY, Boarder, S, Male, W, 25, CT, Bar Tender, ENG, ENG
Ely S. PARKER, Boarder, M, Male, NA, 60, NY, Supervision Of Police, NY, NY
Minnie PARKER, Boarder, M, Female, W, 30, PA, Keeps House, DE, PA
Maud T. PARKER, Boarder, S, Female, W, 1, CT, , NY, PA
12 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
The San Francisco Call, Saturday, December 27, 1902, Page 4, Col. 6
Amos Bissell
Denver, Colo, Dec. 26
Amos Bissell a pioneer banker of Denver, died to-day of paralysis after two weeks’ Illness.And:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
The Salt Lake Herald, Saturday, December 27, 1902, Page 2, Col. 4
Amos Bissell
Denver, Colo, Dec. 26Mr. Bissell was a native of Virginia and had resided here since the founding of the city in 1859.
13 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
An article in The San Francisco Call, January 06, 1906, Page 1
NOTED WOMAN TO END DAYS IN MADHOUSE
Widow of Judge Bissell Is Committed to Sanitarium
Special Dispatch to The CallDenver, Jan. 5. – Mrs. Sarah Bissell, widow of Judge Amos Bissell, a Colorado pioneer, has been adjudged insane and committed to the Mount Airey Sanitarium by Judge Lindsey. Her life is interesting. She is worth $100,000, which her husband left her. General Grant gave Mrs. Bissell the name of "The Heroine of Dinweddie Courthouse," after she rode bareback for thirty miles on a rainy night to give the alarm of the approach of the Confederates to the Northern troops, and during the fierce engagement that followed, although she had been in the saddle all night before, she cared for many of the wounded, among whom was Theodore Wilson, the famous correspondent of the New York Herald, who was reporting the campaign for that journal and who afterward said it was due to this gracious, great-hearted woman his life was saved.
She was married three times. Her first husband was Captain Orton of the British navy, her second, General William Sackett of the Union army. She was Miss Sarah A. Benton[sic][Penton] of Salem, N. J., where she was born sixty-five years ago, and in her young days was belle of Washington, Philadelphia and other cities. Mrs. Bissell is a descendant directly of William Penn, and her ancestors at one time owned 200 square miles in the State of Pennsylvania. Her son is Thomas Orton, a wealthy land owner in Cape Charles, Va., and her daughter is the wife of Tallmadge Van Rensselaer, descendant of Stephen Rensselaer, the Dutch aristocrat, who once owned more than a hundred miles of farms along the Hudson river. Tallmadge Van Rensselaer was United States District Attorney for the State of New York and obtained a wide reputation as a lawyer before his death. Mrs. Van Rensselaer now lives at Perth Amboy, N. J.
Virginia Marriages, 1785-1940
Groom's Name: Amos Bissell Orton
Groom's Birth Date: 1877
Groom's Birthplace: Nassaw, Del.[Nassau]
Groom's Age: 22
Bride's Name: Lena Bet. Parsons
Bride's Birth Date: 1878
Bride's Birthplace: Northampton Co., Va.
Bride's Age: 21
Marriage Date: 11 Jan 1899
Marriage Place: Cape Charles, Virginia
Groom's Father's Name: Thos. H.
Groom's Mother's Name: Adeline
Bride's Father's Name: Thos.
Bride's Mother's Name: Arinthia
Groom's Race: White
Groom's Marital Status: Single
Bride's Race: White
Bride's Marital Status: Single
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M00718-8
System Origin: Virginia-EASy
Source Film Number: 2048466
Reference Number: Ln 2And:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/Virginia-Pilot, Saturday, January 14, 1899; Page 8, Col. 2
Cape Charles, Va., Jan. 13, -- Yesterday morning at 10:30 a pretty home wedding was solemnized at the residence of Capt. Thomas Parsons, on Madison avenue, this city, where his accomplished and attracive daughter, Miss Lina, and Mr. Amos Bissell Orton were united in marriage, Rev. George Wesley Jones of Centenary Methodist Episcopal Church, officiating. Miss Alyce D. Orton, sister of the groom, was maid of honor and Mr. E. J. Goffigon best man.
A large party of society people from this city attended the hop at the Chamberlin Hotel last night.
1900 Census; Ward 7, Denver City, Precinct 1, Arapahoe County, Colorado
SD No. 24; ED No. 43; Sheet No. 5B; 6 June, 1900
3539 Humboldt St.
101/111
Orton, Bissell, Head, W, M, July 1876, 25, M, 1, Delaware, Delaware, New Jersey, Conductor - Street car
Orton, Lena P., Wife, W, F, May 1878, 22, M, 1, 1-1, Virginia, Virginia, Virginia, ---
Orton, Sarah, Daughter, W, F, May 1899, 1, S, Colorado, Delaware, Virginia, ---
1900 Census; Cape Charles Town, Capeville District, Northampton County, Virginia
SD No. 1; ED No. 58; Sheet No. 25A[stamped 235]; 30 June, 1900
433/438
Orton, Thomas H., Head, W, M, July 1850, 49. M, 25, Pa, Del, N.J., Hotel Prop'r
Orton, Adaline B., Wife, W, F, Aug. 1857, 42, M, 25, 5-4, N. J., N. J., N. J., ---
Orton, Allice D., Daughter, W, F, Nov. 1879, 20, S, Del., Pa, N. J., ---
Orton, Georgie C., Daughter, W, F, Feby. 1882, 18, S, Del., Pa, N. J., ---
Orton, Harry T., Son, W, M, Jan. 1884, 16, S, Col., Pa, N. J., Clerk (Hotel)
(plus 12 Boarders and 3 Waiters)
17 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
The Times Dispatch, November 09, 1910, Page 9, Image 9
About The times Dispatch. (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914
Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VAHEIR TO A FORTUNE, VIRGINIAN DROPS DEAD
[Special to The Times-Dispatch]Denver, November 8. - T. H. Orton, a
hotel man from St. Charles, Va., and
heir to a fortune in Denver Real es-
tate, dropped dead in his room today
of heart troubleOrton came to Denver three months
ago to look after the large estate of
his mother, Mrs. Sarah A. Bissell, who
was declared mentally unsound and
unable to look after her affairs. She
was sent to the Molkery[sic] Sanatorium
where she is at present.Orton and his sister, Mrs. Nannie[sic]
Van Rensselaer, of Mayland[sic], Mass.,
were the only children and heirs of
Mrs. Bissell, whose husband, Harry
Bissell, was one of the large real es-
tate owners of Denver. Orton was
walking through the hallway near his
room, when he fell and began gasping
for breath. A servant ran to a near-
by drug store and called the prescrip-
tion clerk, but they were unable to
aid him, and he died immediately.
18 http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/denver/obits/b/bissell_sarah_1911.txt; Transcribed and contributed by: Rita Timm; 2001 - 2002
Obituary: BISSELL, Sarah A.,
Rocky Mountain News, Denver, Feb. 8, 1911, p.Mrs. Sarah A. Bissell, widow of former Judge Amos Bissell, and a social leader during the early days of Denver, died Monday at Mount Airy Sanatorium, where she spent the last five years of her life.
Mrs. Bissell came to Denver with her husband in 1867 from Philadelphia. The Bissell residence, at Thirty-sixth and Lafayette Streets, one of the handsomest in the city in early days, was the scene of brilliant social functions. After the death of her husband, on December 26, 1902, Mrs. Bissell suffered a mental decline, and in October, 1904 she was taken before the county court for an examination at the instance of her two children, Thomas Orton and Mrs. Minne Van Rensselaer, who declared that her mental capabilities were such as to render her unable to look after the property left by her husband, valued at $100,000.
She was declared sane, but a year later she was again taken before the county court, tried secretly and committed to the sanatorium. The insanity proceedings caused great interest at the time on account of the prominence of Mrs. Bissell and her family.
Mrs. Bissell was formerly Miss Sarah A. Penton, daughter of a wealthy Pennsylvania family, and was born in 1831. Before the Civil War she was a belle in New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Richmond, VA. She was first married in Washington to Captain Richard Orton of the British Navy. After his death she married William Sackett, brigadier general in the Civil War. She accompanied her husband on his campaigns and was present at the battles of Stafford Courthouse, Chancellorsville Yellow Tavern, Meadow Ridge Camps's Creek and Five Forks.
General Sackett lost his life in the battle of Trevillian Station. At the close of the war his widow became the wife of Amos Bissell. For many years Mrs. Bissell took an active interest in Democratic politics in Denver.