Lucy Margaret (Singleton) Blakeman
Lucy was born July 12, 1915 at Left Creek near Oshoto, WY to Robert & Sally Mae (Dillard) Singleton. She was raised near Left Creek and attended school at Cabin Creek School, graduated from Hulett High School in 1933. She completed her teaching certificate in Hulett and taught school at Upper Cabin Creek School for one year.
Lucy’s father, Robert (Bob) Singleton came to Wyoming in April 1914 with his wife Sally Mae and their small son Jesse who was just three years old (another baby was stillborn and buried in Georgia). They came by train from Gainsville, Georgia where Bob had worked on the Burlington Railroad for several years. He started out as a baggage master, brakeman, freight conductor and later worked up to passenger conductor. They came to Wyoming because of his ill health – he had arthritis and also a bronchial ailment, so his doctor advised him to come to a drier climate. The family lived in Moorcroft the first summer & Bob worked for his cousin Tate Green who owned a butcher shop there. In the fall of 1914 the Singletons moved to Oshoto, where Bob worked for Billy Wesley who was at that time foreman of the Empire Sheep Company. Also in 1914 Bob filed on a homestead of 320 acres on Left Creek. During the winter of 1914 and 1915 he worked part time for Wesley and also built a frame house on the homestead.
In the spring of 1915 they moved to their homestead and began ranching and farming. That summer Sally Mae passed away due to complications from child birth, when their daughter Lucy Margaret was born. Bob & Jesse took her body back to Georgia for burial with the baby they had left behind, near where all of her close relatives lived. Baby Lucy was cared for by several families until Bob remarried in 1918 – he married Cora Parkus who had come to Wyoming in May of 1909 with her mother and sister Maude. He and Cora are buried at Pine Grove Cemetery near Oshoto.
On January 11, 1936 Lucy married William “Gerald” Blakeman in Belle Fourche – they had two sons, Roger & William. Gerald had been born on march 31, 1914 at Sundance, the son of William Henry and Edna Irene (Holmes) Blakeman.. He grew up in the Sundance area and graduated from Sundance High School, after which he worked for serval ranchers.
Favorite story of Blakeman family – Gerald’s grandparents William & Anna Blakeman loaded their meager belongings in an emigrant railroad car and arrived at Moorcroft in the fall of 1901. William had a pass to ride in the emigrant car as it contained a stallion and a vicious looking dog, although he was harmless. Two of the older boys (Bill & George) were stowaways in the car and although the conductor looked occasionally, he didn’t care to take chances to search the car because of the dog and horse. Anna rode in a passenger train, accompanied by eight of the younger children, including a set of twins. The conductor asked, “Are all these your children, or is this a picnic ?” She answered, “These are all my children, and I’ll tell you, it’s no picnic.”
Also in 1936, Gerald and his brother Jerry Merle purchased the Westside Grocery Story & filling station in Sundance – they operated it for 3 years, until 1939. Gerald and Lucy moved to Moskee where Gerald went to work with the Homestake Mining Company in the timber department. They moved on in to Beulah in 1941 where they made their permanent home – Gerald worked for Homestake until his retirement in 1977. Gerald died in 1987. In 1994 Lucy moved to Belle Fourche and lived, and was cared for by Donna and Darrell Ward.
Lucy was born July 12, 1915 at Left Creek near Oshoto, WY to Robert & Sally Mae (Dillard) Singleton. She was raised near Left Creek and attended school at Cabin Creek School, graduated from Hulett High School in 1933. She completed her teaching certificate in Hulett and taught school at Upper Cabin Creek School for one year.
Lucy’s father, Robert (Bob) Singleton came to Wyoming in April 1914 with his wife Sally Mae and their small son Jesse who was just three years old (another baby was stillborn and buried in Georgia). They came by train from Gainsville, Georgia where Bob had worked on the Burlington Railroad for several years. He started out as a baggage master, brakeman, freight conductor and later worked up to passenger conductor. They came to Wyoming because of his ill health – he had arthritis and also a bronchial ailment, so his doctor advised him to come to a drier climate. The family lived in Moorcroft the first summer & Bob worked for his cousin Tate Green who owned a butcher shop there. In the fall of 1914 the Singletons moved to Oshoto, where Bob worked for Billy Wesley who was at that time foreman of the Empire Sheep Company. Also in 1914 Bob filed on a homestead of 320 acres on Left Creek. During the winter of 1914 and 1915 he worked part time for Wesley and also built a frame house on the homestead.
In the spring of 1915 they moved to their homestead and began ranching and farming. That summer Sally Mae passed away due to complications from child birth, when their daughter Lucy Margaret was born. Bob & Jesse took her body back to Georgia for burial with the baby they had left behind, near where all of her close relatives lived. Baby Lucy was cared for by several families until Bob remarried in 1918 – he married Cora Parkus who had come to Wyoming in May of 1909 with her mother and sister Maude. He and Cora are buried at Pine Grove Cemetery near Oshoto.
On January 11, 1936 Lucy married William “Gerald” Blakeman in Belle Fourche – they had two sons, Roger & William. Gerald had been born on march 31, 1914 at Sundance, the son of William Henry and Edna Irene (Holmes) Blakeman.. He grew up in the Sundance area and graduated from Sundance High School, after which he worked for serval ranchers.
Favorite story of Blakeman family – Gerald’s grandparents William & Anna Blakeman loaded their meager belongings in an emigrant railroad car and arrived at Moorcroft in the fall of 1901. William had a pass to ride in the emigrant car as it contained a stallion and a vicious looking dog, although he was harmless. Two of the older boys (Bill & George) were stowaways in the car and although the conductor looked occasionally, he didn’t care to take chances to search the car because of the dog and horse. Anna rode in a passenger train, accompanied by eight of the younger children, including a set of twins. The conductor asked, “Are all these your children, or is this a picnic ?” She answered, “These are all my children, and I’ll tell you, it’s no picnic.”
Also in 1936, Gerald and his brother Jerry Merle purchased the Westside Grocery Story & filling station in Sundance – they operated it for 3 years, until 1939. Gerald and Lucy moved to Moskee where Gerald went to work with the Homestake Mining Company in the timber department. They moved on in to Beulah in 1941 where they made their permanent home – Gerald worked for Homestake until his retirement in 1977. Gerald died in 1987. In 1994 Lucy moved to Belle Fourche and lived, and was cared for by Donna and Darrell Ward.