Pritchett and Memmler Research Notes
Mrs. Frances "Fannie" Pritchett, of Cartersville, later of Marietta and of Atlanta (can't recollect maiden name at moment; first husband was William Pritchett, of Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia. Fanny later married a Dr. Memmler, an odd little fellow of foreign birth, who came down from up north. He was described as a dwarf or a hunchback, and was known as a quack doctor and a flim-flam artist. He described his cures as "miracles," and claimed to cure the incurable. Opium was his strong suit--he finally committed suicide by taking it. He was called an adulterer, but was acquitted of that charge. He was charged with wife beating, and was not acquitted. He took his case to the Supreme Court of Georgia, and when that failed, begged a gubernatorial pardon. The governor declined to get involved; Memmler moved his family from Maritta back to Cartersville in the dead of night, then killed himself. Someone had his grave watched every night for a week--perhaps to make sure his alleged suicide and burial were not part of a scam to help him escape back to the north.
Memmler Notes
(A few selected notes extracted by D.K. Pritchett, clipped as is)
[Subject]: F. C. Memmler vs. W. W. Roberts in "The City Court: Judge Neal Turning out Cases in a Hurry. An Interesting Case," The Courant-American (Cartersville), Thursday, 16 June 1887, page 3.
Summary: Cases of the June term are discussed. The "Interesting Case" is "Mrs. F. C. Memmler vs. W. W. Roberts, sheriff," brought by Mrs. Memmler in order to try to recover a $370 fine paid by her late husband in an earlier court case for the crime of wife-beating, for which the husband was arraigned. He had signed a note for the fine to avoid the alternative of "hard labor in the chaingang for the space of twelve months." The husband had appealed his case all the way to the [state] supreme court and lost, then applied to the governor for a pardon. "On the 20th of January, 1886, while the petition for pardon was being considered by the governor, the defendant, rather than be imprisoned, paid to the sheriff the full amount of the fine ($370), taking from him a receipt stipulating that the money was being paid by his wife; and, further, that in the event of a pardon, the said amount was to be returned to Mrs. Memmler. On the evening of the 20th the fact of the governor's refusal to interfere was telegraphed to defendant's counsel. That night the defendant died very suddenly. The money thus paid to Mr. Roberts as sheriff is the amount for which this suit was brought to recover. The plaintiff bases her right to recover upon the ground that the wife cannot be made responsible for the husband's debts." Various points of the law, for and against recovery, are discussed. The plaintiff won, but the case was expected to be appealed all the way up to the [state] supreme court.
[Source Citation]: Memmler vs. Roberts in "The City Court: Judge Neal Turning out Cases in a Hurry. An Interesting Case," The Courant-American (Cartersville, Bartow, Georgia) 1887-1887, Thursday, 16 June 1887, page 3 (PDF); (rel., digital image 3 ; accessed 29 November 2020 by D.K. Pritchett). Related to The Interesting Case of Memmler versus Roberts.
Tribute to a child, written by Mrs. Fanny Memmler: "Tribute to the Memory of Lutie Vandivere from the Baptist Sunday School" (and related, "In Memoriam"),
The Courant-American (Cartersville), Friday, 01 June 1888, page 4
[Summary]: Little Lutie Vandivere was a member of the East End Academy and of the Baptist Sunday School in Cartersville. She died as a child of not quite seven, according to the articles. Members and teachers of the Sunday School published a long, sorrowful tribute to her memory. It included this poem:
"Not in cruelty, not in wrath
The Reaper came that day:
'Twas an angel visited the green earth
And took the flower away."
The memorial was signed by Mrs. F. C. Memmler, Mrs. Jno. M. Purse, and Mrs. P. K. Godfrey. It appeared on page four of The Courant-American in Cartersville on June 1, 1888. Just under it, there was a related article on the child's death: "In Memoriam."
Extract of Details from the two articles:
Name of Deceased: Lutie Vandivere
Age at Death: [almost] seven years
Date of Death: Friday, 25 May 1888, 7:00 a. m.
Place of Death: [inferred as Cartersville, Bartow, Georgia]
Date of Burial: "Saturday" [est. 26 May 1888]
Place of Burial: [not stated; local, Cartersville inferred]
Birth Year Estimate: [about 1881]
Age Indicators (Quoted): "Seven happy summers" and "having not yet reached her seventh year"
Father and Mother of Deceased: Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Vandivere
Membership: Mrs. Purse's class, Baptist Sunday School
Religious Affiliation: Protestant, Christian, Baptist
Student (likely): East End Academy (inferred as likely, because the children of that school are specifically mentioned as having attended the funeral of the deceased)
Obituary Signed: "A Friend"
[Remarks: The memorial articles, sadly, are long on sentiment and short on biographical or genealogical details.]
Title of First Article: "Tribute to the Memory of Lutie Vandivere from the Baptist Sunday School"
Title of Second Article: "In Memoriam"
Publication: The Courant-American/ (weekly)
Date of Publication: Friday, 01 June 1888
Place of Publication: Cartersville, Bartow, Georgia
Page: 4
Archive of Available Issues: 1887-1888
Database: Georgia Historic Newspapers
Library: Digital Library of Georgia (GALILEO)
[Citation]: "Tribute to the Memory of Lutie Vandivere from the Baptist Sunday School" (and related article, "In Memoriam"),
The Courant-American (Cartersville, Bartow, Georgia) 1887-1888, Friday, 01 June 1888, page 4 (digital image 4). Georgia Historic Newspapers, Digital Library of Georgia (GALILEO). https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn88054139/1888-06-01/ed-1/seq-4/print/image_566x817_from_652,394_to_7539,10325/ (accessed 29 November 2020 by D.K. Pritchett).
........
Summary of readings, various sources: Mrs. Memmler hosted little socials and was invited to same; took in boarders of some prominence; sued for overpayment of taxes and return of a fine (won); wrote history articles and memorial tributes for the paper; was runner up in a spelling bee (only lost due to a conflict of the accepted source dictionary); appeared to be a member of certain Baptist Church committees and a member or instructor of the Sunday School; was apparently a teacher at the Bartow County Teacher's Institute (West School Building); and [info illegible, my error].
Mrs. F. C. Memmler read a paper at a meeting of Bartow County Teachers' Institute (West School Building).
Memmler in "The Teachers: Proceedings of the Bartow County Teacherss' Institute: At West School Building," The Courant-American (Cartersville, Bartow, Georgia) 1889-1901, 12 July 1894, page 7 (digital image 7).
Mrs. Memmler not reelected as a schoolteacher.
The Courant-American (Cartersville, Bartow, Georgia) 1889-1901, 14 June 1894, page 1 (digital image 1).
(I have not proofread these lately!)
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