Lola A. Baird Stebbins -- Updated as of April 7, 2013.
Research goal: learn (or confirm) what happened to Lola A. Baird Stebbins
after she left her husband and son. When and where did she die? Where is
she buried?
Here is what I know:
My g-grandmother Lola A. Baird Stebbins, (father James Quiett Baird). Birth Abt
1860 in Ohio. Death Abt 1896-97 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Married Alfred Yates
Stubbins and had a son Chester Baird Stubbins (my grandfather) 8 Oct 1888. About
1896, she left her husband & son for another man. The family story is she died in
childbirth, but I lost track of her after she leaves. Here is the story:
Lola Jean Stubbins , the granddaughter of Lola Baird, wrote the following at the
end of a history of James Quiett Baird which had been written by his daughter,
Perle Baird Marsden. Perle's history mentions three children but does not name
her sister, Lola Baird. This omission prompted the following remarks by Lola
Jean Stubbins:
"The above was written by Perle Baird Marsden [after 1916] and bears some
clarification. Mr. James Quiett Baird, my great grandfather, was not a colonel
and the highest rank he obtained was that of captain according to papers and a
diary in the possession of my sister, Mrs. Mary Stubbins Most.
"The third child mentioned but not named in this article was our grandmother,
Lola Baird who married our grandfather, Alfred Yates Stubbins. In 1884, our
father, Chester Baird Stubbins, was born. However, about 1896, Lola divorced
Alfred and married Potter Palmer (III?), where they both sang in the choir of the
First Presbyterian Church in Chicago. She died in childbirth and is buried in
Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago. Her name was never mentioned after the divorce by
the Baird family. I was named Lola for her and Jean for our great uncle, Eugene
Baird, her brother.
"Lola Jean Stubbins, July 23, 1965.
"The above was told to me by my father, Chester Baird Stubbins, after much
persuasion from me concerning my maternal grandmother, in 1934."
Sheila M. Most, great granddaughter of Lola Baird and Alfred Yates Stubbins,
granddaughter of Chester Baird Stubbins, and daughter of Mary Elizabeth
Stubbins Most.
MAPS
CHRONOLOGY – what we “know” to start with will be in bold.
What we learn upon investigation will be in regular type.
Questions and further research plans in italics. (talking to myself)
24 October 1854 her parents, James Q. Baird and Mary M. Kinnan marry in
Logan Co. Ohio
Birth ca 1860 Ohio; we want to establish more closely the date of birth.
To find out, let’s look at her parents in 1860. – update: probably born December
1859, probably in Logan or Champaign Co. Ohio.
1860 Census Urbana, Champaign Co., Ohio
James Q Byard
30 County Surveyor 1000/600 b. Ohio
Mary M Byard
25 b. Ohio
Lola A Byard
6/12 b. Ohio
So probably she born December 1859, probably in either Champaign or Logan
Co. Ohio
 Census day in 1860 was the first Monday in June; in 1860 that was June 4th.
The census enumerator indicated he actually took the census on June 5th

Are there 1860 birth records for Ohio? No. “County-level registrations of
births and deaths began in 1867 and were kept by the probate court;
however, they are incomplete.” From the FamilySearch Wiki.

No further follow up on this at this point, although land records will tell us
when James Baird moved into Champaign Co. Ohio. – or at least when he
bought land there.
1870 Census
Johnson, Champaign, Ohio, Post Office St. Paris
James Baird 40 Merchant, ret. 3500, 6500 b. Ohio
Mary Baird 35 Keeping House
Lola Baird
10 Attending School b Ohio
Charles Stipp 11 Attending School b. Ohio

Do we know who Charles Stipp was and why he was with the family? Note she
appears to be an only child at this point. At this point, no follow up on this.
From the 1880 census we learned of these two events:
Ca 1871 birth of her brother Eugene; he b. Ohio. In 1871 Lola is about 11 and her
mother 36 or 37.
Ca 1874 birth of her sister, Perle. In 1874. In 1874 Lola is about 14 and her mother
39 or 40.


Since birth records were (incompletely) recorded beginning 1867, let’s see if we
can find a birth record for her brother and sister. We can’t help but be
surprised by the gap. Let’s assume they born Champaign Co. Ohio.
https://familysearch.org/
NO! Perle born 1874 in Indianapolis; and… her father is listed as being there
in the 1874 census, so the family probably moved to Indianapolis in the early
1870’s.
Lola marries Alfred Y. Stubbins. We find the marriage record INDEXED – but
the actual marriage record is not online.
10 Oct. 1876 marriage of Lola A. Baird and Alfred Y. Stebbins in
Indianapolis, Marion Co. Indiana. Note if she was born Dec. 1859, she would
be not quite 17. On Ancestry.com an indexed version of the record indicates
she is 14Lola A Baird
Spouse Name:
Marriage Date:
Marriage County:
Birth Date:
Estimated Birth Year:
Age:
Alfred Y Stubbins
Oct 1876
Marion
abt 1862
1862
14 -- what ???
Follow up:
 Get the actual marriage record
 Find law of marriage in 1876 in Indiana, just out of curiosity. (She is 16, not 14
in any case)
1880 Census
Louisville, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States
Address 241 First Street
A. Y. Stubbins
30 clerks in dry goods store India Eng Eng
Lola A. Stubbins
20 wife keeps house OH OH OH
Living in the same residence, enumerated as a separate head of household
Chas. Scott
28 bk drygoods store Scotland Scotland Scotland
Margaret
21 wife keeps house OH IND KY
Helen
5/6 July dau KY SCOTLAND OH
Note they married in October 1876, so have been married about 3.5 years; no
children yet. If Lola born December, 1859 she would have turned 20 in
December 1879, so her age is correct. Alfred appears to have been born ca
1849 (if he will yet turn 31 in the year) or 1850 (if he has already had 1880
birthday).
At this point it appears that the relationship between the two families above centers
around their place of employment. No follow up at this point on that connection.
However, I am curious about Lola’s parents. In 1870 she was an only child, age 10, yet
we know she had a brother and sister. I want to look at her parents then.
We find them in Indianapolis, Indiana:
James Q. Baird
Mary M. Baird wife
Eugene H. Baird son
Perle K. Baird dau
Charles W. Stipp boarder
51 civil engineerOH KY OH
45 keeping house OH NY Scotland
9 attends school OH OH OH
6 attends school IN OH OH
21 [wri?]tes in pension office IL IL IL
From research on this family group we know that by 1882 James Q. Baird and
family are in Chicago. They remain there until 1903.
1883 From Ancestry.com search: Caron's Directory of The City of Louisville 1883
Stubbins, Alfred Y. Clerk, Close & Wasson, boards 712 1st.
Note: he is the only Stubbins listed in this directory
Note: We know this is our Alfred, because see 1886 Indiana entry below)
1885 Indiana birth of son, Chester Baird Stubbins
The marriage of son Chester gives us this information
Name: Chester B. Stubbins
Age 26 years
Birth Year: 1885
Birthplace: Indiana
Father's Name:
A. Y. Stubbins
Mother's Name:
...lu A. Baird
1886 from a search on Ancestry.com Indianapolis, Indiana, City Directory, 1886
Alfred Y Stubbins 510 Broadway Indianapolis, Indiana Clerk H.P Wasson &
Co.
Note: He is only Stubbins in the directory.
1887 forward we find Alfred Stubbins in Chicago


To do: Get City Directory records to find residence of the A.Y. Stubbins family as
many of the years 1887 forward as possible.
See Chicago Ancestors and Fold3
1887 Chicago
1888 Chicago
-- he moves to 840 W. Monroe
1889 Chicago
[1890] No census extant.
1890 Chicago – note this indicates he a boarder, not an owner. We don’t know for
sure if Lola and Chester are with him; we’re assuming they are.
1891 Chicago
1892 Chicago A.Y. Stebbins com trav 248 Market (at Chicago Ancestors.org)
1892 from Fold.com
1893 Chicago
1894 Chicago
AND! Evidence that she is in Chicago in 1894 ! Chicago Tribune Oct 1894 !
1895 Chicago – he has moved.
1896 –Stubbins—not found in in this or any future directories. [note discrepancy…
other notes say he there 1897, but not in this directory; see below: ]
1897 No Stubbins
ca 1896 Lola is singing in the choir of the First Presbyterian Church in Chicago.
There she meets Peter (Potter?) Palmer (III?) and 1896 Lola leaves? her husband
and child and marries Peter (Potter?) Palmer (III?)
We’ve done some preliminary research on the very prominent and well known
Potter Palmer family of Chicago. It seems unlikely that she had an affair of any sort
with Potter Palmer I or II –there was no Potter Palmer III at that time. I think Peter
is a typo.
Let’s get information on the First Presbyterian Church in Chicago. Can we get a
membership list for the 1890’s ? A list of who was in the choir?
-- Yes! In fact we could. And guess who was not listed – no Stubbins, no Palmer.
The Baird family never again mentions her name. Her son, Chester, tells his
daughter the story only “after much persuasion. (Yet, note he names her after his
mother). My aunt, Lola Jean Stubbins, told me she doubted that Lola Baird and
Potter Palmer ever actually married (and I too have found no evidence of this).
In the 19th century divorce was fault based. Alfred Stubbins would have filed.
Chicago laws at that time were quite liberal, so it is unlikely he would have filed
elsewhere, assuming they were living in Chicago.
No divorce record found in Cook Co. Chicago divorce records: in addition to being
filed, they are often (always?) listed in the newspaper dockets. No divorce record
for Stubbins v Stubbins found in the Chicago newspaper. No mention of scandal.
Might Alfred Stubbins have filed in Colorado? Let’s check there.
Ca 1896 the son, Chester Baird Stubbins would be about 11 years old; old enough to
remember his mother.
By 1898(?) Alfred Stubbins is in Colorado. From research on him we find him in
Eagle Co. and
Before 1900? Lola dies in childbirth(?) “Cook County, Illinois”
Burial:
Said to be buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.
A phone call to Rosehill Cemetery on 15 April 2011 revealed no one buried there under
the name of Lola Baird, Lola Stubbins, or Lola Palmer.
Negative findings are not an absence of findings. What shall we make of
the absence of any records to back up this story?
1900 City Directory Chicago – neither Alfred nor Chester (nor Lola) in the Chicago
City Directory.
1900 census
Alfred Stubbins is in Colorado, with son Chester. From subsequent census records
we learn that he remains in Colorado and Chester returns to the Midwest.
In the 1910 census he is listed as naturalized; year of naturalization 1905. Shall we
see if his naturalization record gives us any information about his wife?? It seems
unlikely, but we will want to get it anyways for research on him.