Helen (Wiser) Stewart
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Helen Jane (Wiser) Stewart (1854 - 1926)

Helen Jane Stewart formerly Wiser
Born in Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, United Statesmap
Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Wife of — married 9 Apr 1873 (to 13 Jul 1884) in San Joaquin, California, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , , and
Died at age 71 in Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Dreama Brower private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 19 Feb 2024
This page has been accessed 30 times.

Contents

Biography

Notables Project
Helen (Wiser) Stewart is Notable.

Helen J Stewart, "The First Lady of Las Vegas", was a prominant rancher and business woman during the formation of Las Vegas. She was the first postmaster, helped found the Christ Episcopal Church, and was the first woman elected to the Clark County School District's Board of Trustees. She served on the first jury with women in Clark County. She donated land in 1922 for the Las Vegas Grammar School, the first public school attended by Native American students from the Southern Paiute Indian Colony. She was among the first women to be inducted into the Nevada Women’s History Project Roll of Honor.

Helen Jane Wiser was born on 16 April 1854[1] at Springfield, Illinois. She was the daughter of Hiram Wiser and Della M Gray.[1]. Her family moved westward, settling first in Iowa where Hiram prospected for two years. By 1860, the family can be found in Brown County, Kansas Territory where Hiram was a farmer and owned land valued at $1,000 and personal property valued at $600. By 1870, the family had moved to California where they can be found in the census at two locations. In Alpine County, Hiram, a farmer, owned real estate valued at $6,000 and personal property valued at $4,000. In Sacramento County his real estate was valued at $2,000 and personal property was valued at $3,000.

Helen attended public school in Sacramento and at least one year at Hesperian College in Woodland, Yolo County, California.

On 9 April 1873, at San Joaquin, California, Helen Jane Wiser (age 19) married Archibald Stewart (age 40), a resident of Nye County, Nevada. They were married by Rev. W H Mason and A C Polofsem? and Alenza Rhodes were witnesses.[2] They moved to Pony Springs, a deserted area north of Pioche, Lincoln County, Nevada. Their first child, William James, was born here.

By 1876, they had moved to Pioche which was the largest mining town in southeastern Nevada in the 1870's. Archibald ran a butcher shop and dealt in cattle. This is where Helen first made friends with Paiute women. Hiram Richard and Flora Eliza "Tiza" were born in Pioche.

In 1879, Archibald loaned $5,000 in gold to Octavius D Gass and held Gass' Las Vegas ranch as collateral. By 1881, he foreclosed on the loan and in April 1882, Stewart moved the couple and their three children moved to the Las Vegas Valley ranch. Their daughter Evaline La Vega was born here.

On 13 July 1884, Archibald was shot and killed while at a nearby ranch owned by Conrad Kiel. A trial was later held charging Conrad Kiel and Schyler Henry with the murder of Archibald; however, they were not indicted because there were no impartial eyewitnesses. A third man, Hank Parish, who Helen believed instigated the murder, escaped and was not brought to trial for the murder.

After the death of her husband and pregnant with her fifth child, Helen took on the responsibilty of running the ranch. Helen travelled to the home of her parents in Galt, California for the birth of her son, Archibald Jr., on 25 January 1885. During this time, her father took on responsibility for operating her ranch. Returning to the ranch, Helen became a proficient business woman and began buying nearby land. By 1890, she had become the largest landowner in Lincoln County, Nevada.

In 1893, Helen Stewart was appointed the first postmaster of Los Vegas, Nevada (spelled "Los Vegas" until 1903).[3]

Helen employed a tutor, James Ross Megarrigle, to tutor her three young children while her two oldest children worked the ranch and declined to be tutored. After the tutor died, she sent the younger children to California to continue their educations. Unfortunately, her youngest child, Archibald Jr., was killed when he fell from a horse. He was buried on the ranch at the family cemetery plot known as "Four Acres."

In 1902, Stewart sold 1,834 acres of her ranch, including the water rights, to the San Pedros, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad. This land was established as the city of Las Vegas in 1905.

After selling the ranch land, Helen and family went to Los Angeles, leaving her son Will to oversee construciton of a new house in Las Vegas. While they were in California, her son Hiram died leaving a wife and two children. He was also buried at "Four Acres."

On 21 July 1903, she married Frank Roger Stewart at Ventura, Ventura County, California.[citation needed] Frank (no relation to Archibald Stewart) who had worked at the Las Vegas Ranch since 1886. Helen required Frank to sign a prenuptial agreement and she never used his name and instead was referred to as Helen J Stewart.

The family moved into their new home in Las Vegas and Helen became an important part of social, political, and business circles. She helped found the Christ Episcopal Church and was a charter member of the Mesquite Club.

In 1916, Helen Stewart became the first woman elected to the Clark County School District's Board of Trustees. She served as a juror during the first trial with women jurors in Clark County and was the first woman juror on a murder trial in the county.

She donated land in 1922 for the Las Vegas Grammar School, which was built the following year. It was the first public school attended by Native American students from the Southern Paiute Indian Colony. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Helen had a collection of over 550 Paiute baskets that was considered the finest in the state. She was in the process of turning the basket collection over to the State of Nevada when she died; however, her heirs sold the basket collection out of the state to the Hardy House railroad chain.[4]

Helen J Stewart died of cancer in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada on 6 March 1926[1] She is interred at the Bunkers Eden Memorial Park, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Children

Helen and Archibald Stewart had five children:

  1. William James Stewart (1874 Pony Springs, Pioche area, Nevada),
  2. Hiram Richard Stewart (1876 Pioche, Nevada)
  3. Flora Eliza Jane "Tiza" Stewart (1879 Pioche, Nevada)
  4. Evaline La Vega Stewart (1882 Las Vegas area, Nevada)
  5. Archibald Stewart, Jr., (25 January 1885, Galt, California)

No children were born of the marriage of Helen and Frank R Stewart.

Honors

As an authority on southern Nevada history, Helen J Stewart wrote a portion of Sam Davis’ book "The History of Nevada". She organized a branch of the Nevada Historical Society in Las Vegas with the help of her friend, Dr. Jeanne Wier. Helen was active in several women’s clubs and encouraged them to record their stories and their history. In 1997 Helen J Stewart was among the first to be inducted into the Nevada Women’s History Project Roll of Honor.

A bronze statue of Helen Jane Wiser Stewart, known as "The First Lady of Las Vegas", is located at the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort, Las Vegas, Nevada.[5] Stewart Avenue in Downtown Las Vegas is dedicated in her honor.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Death: Death Certificate, Helen J Stewart, March 6, 1926, Las Vegas, Clark, Nevada; (https://www.wikitree.com/photo/jpg/Wiser-453).
  2. ↑ 1st Marriage: California, County Marriages, 1850-1953", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K825-CY4 : Thu Oct 19 16:22:04 UTC 2023), Entry for Archibald Stewart and Hellen Jane Wiser, 9 Apr 1873.
  3. ↑ "Helen Stewart" reviewjournal.com. February 7, 1999.
  4. ↑ "Helen J Stewart", Nevada Women's History Project, (https://nevadawomen.org/research-center/biographies-alphabetical/helen-j-stewart/); accessed 20 February 2024.
  5. ↑ "7 women who changed Nevada history", Las Vegas Review-Journal, by Taylor Lane, published March 2, 2023 (https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/7-women-who-changed-nevada-history-2737625/)

See also:





Is Helen your ancestor? Please don't go away!
 star icon Login to collaborate or comment, or
 star icon contact private message the profile manager, or
 star icon ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA
No known carriers of Helen's DNA have taken a DNA test. Have you taken a test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.
Images: 2
Death Certificate of Helen J Stewart
Death Certificate of Helen J Stewart
Helen J Stewart
Helen J Stewart


Comments

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.

Featured Eurovision connections: Helen is 33 degrees from Agnetha Fältskog, 27 degrees from Anni-Frid Synni Reuß, 28 degrees from Corry Brokken, 22 degrees from Céline Dion, 28 degrees from Françoise Dorin, 28 degrees from France Gall, 32 degrees from Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, 29 degrees from Lill-Babs Svensson, 22 degrees from Olivia Newton-John, 36 degrees from Henriette Nanette Paërl, 34 degrees from Annie Schmidt and 24 degrees from Moira Kennedy on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.

W  >  Wiser  |  S  >  Stewart  >  Helen Jane (Wiser) Stewart

Categories: Bunkers Eden Vale Cemetery, Las Vegas, Nevada | Western US Pioneers | Historians | Ranchers | Lincoln County, Nevada | Las Vegas, Nevada | Notables