Ouray County, Colorado
Surname List

For an Effective Query, please use the following guidelines: In the subject line write Ouray County In the body of the e-mail is where all other information should be written, such as: Who were the people you are looking for, their full names, their maiden names (if known). When did they live and die, when did they come here, etc. (It is better to give estimated dates than nothing, but please state it as being an estimate) Where did they live or where was the general area. What is the information you are requesting. Finally, give contact information (i.e. e-mail or snail mail address).

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Attention:  It saddens me to have to write this note.  Be warned, there are people answering these queries who have no personal interest.  They are trying to drum up business for themselves and will charge for services rendered.  When contacted by someone offering info on your surnames make sure there are no charges attached unless you specifically request it.  These pages are provided for the usefulness and help they can provide other people and are not for profit or other monetary gains.  It is unfortunate there are people who will abuse such services.

5-27-03 Dora Sorensen lived in Ouray during the 1920's and 1930's.  She came over on a ship that had cracked into two pieces, and had rescued the son or daughter of someone who had died as the other half sank.  Her husband died soon after marriage, and it took her three years to be awarded the properties.  His name was Pete.  She was said to have invested in other property there and no one knows if she remarried or when she left Ouray, if she did.  Some say she may have opened a bordello.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Dawn Mckay 5-27-03 I am looking for Wendell Edward ABELL who lived and worked in Ouray as a School principal or Superintendent during the 1920's to approximately 1931.  His wife was an art teacher, her name was June.  They had a daughter who was about 5 years old when they left Ouray for New Mexico.  No more information do I have.  Please contact   Dawn Mckay 2-15-03 I am looking for information on Samuel Hamilton VALENTINE, b. 1826 in OH, m. Phebe BRADFORD 1847 in Mechanicsburg, OH and died in Ouray, CO Februaary 5, 1895.  I would like to know where in Ouray Co. he is buried and any other information about him.  He is listed in the 1880 US Census for Ouray Co. CO.  I have that Phebe died in Central City, CO in 1884.  Would love to share information.  Contact me at   Nan Roberts 9-11-02 Surname: BLACKETER (spelling variations-BLACKSTER, BLACKSTAR, BLACKTER)   I'm looking for any information about Grant (GRANVILLE) BLACKETER, resident of Ouray City in 1900, 1920 and 1930 censuses.  He was born about 1855 in Harrison Co MO.  DOD unknown.  Listed as single in noted censuses.  He worked as a saloon porter and miner.  Any help or direction greatly appreciated.  Please contact   Anne Pritchard 9-9-02 I am looking for the maiden name of Mary Matilda ________ who was the wife of Ira MUNN and stepmother to his sons, William and Charles.  Mary died in Ouray in 1920 and is buried with Ira, William and Charles in the Cedar Hill Cemetery.  I have a great deal of info on Ira but no maiden name for this second wife.  Any help or direction greatly appreciated.  Please contact   Marilynn Munn Strand 8-18-02 I am seeking information on George Dakin MARTIN who married Annie Thompson WOOTEN.  They were in Colona CO around the 1880's.  Their children were: Annie Marie MARTIN m Harold BAILEY, Lucy Helene MARTIN m George JEYNES, Thomas Henry MARTIN, John Wooten MARTIN, George William MARTIN m Ida Reyner (they were my great-grandparents), Fredrick Albert MARTIN m Betha Eleanor MILLER, Mary Amelie MARTIN m Uri HOTCHKISS and Sarah Georgiana MARTIN m William HOTCHKISS.&bnsp; Most of the family information say they were buried on Cow Creek in Ouray Co. I have found a Martin cemetery, would this be the same place?  Please contact   Sara Woodrow 8-10-02 Americus Vespucci MARTIN (AV) lived in Ridgway some time between 1900 and 1920 with his wife, Lulie Ellen DYER MARTIN and some of their children.  I believe that one son, Seth, passed away here, but cannot find any info.  Does anyone have any information on any of these people?  Births of children, deaths, or other?  I would really appreciate any lookups or help.  Please contact   NOKUMMEL@aol.com 5-31-02 I am searching for information on my maternal great grandfather James F. MAGEE, Supt of City Schools, Ouray, Colorado.  I have a professional letter of reference dated July 1890 from Olen OSTENSON, County Superintendant of Schools, Ex County judge and Pastor Episcopal Church.  Any suggestions?  Please contact   Jean Hassen 6-13-01 My father, Verne Elden SMITH (b.1/22/1913) and brother, Clifford N. SMITH (b. 8/11/1910) left Ouray (Colona ?) in their late teens and traveled to the Seattle, WN area.  Verne traveled north to Ketchikan, AK and Wrangell, AK where I was born and raised with 4 sibilings.  Clifford traveled to California whom had a wife, Gloria, who has not been heard from since.  Verne died in Ft. Lauderdale in 1976 and Clifford died in LA County, CA in 1967.  Their father, Melvin Peter SMITH (b.7/15/1886) and mother, Winifred (BERRY) SMITH lived in Colona and Ouray.  Very little is known about them, or Melvin's brother, Ralph Nelson SMITH (b.2/1/4/1884) who married Rose and also lived in Ouray.  Winifred (BERRY) SMITH, our grandmother, extended family lived in the Montrose area.  I am seeking biographical information regarding Clifford/Gloria and family, Melvin/Winifred and Ralph/Rose.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Jonathan Smith 3-26-01 Looking for any information on Isaac (Ike) B. REED.  Found copy of his certificate of marriage to Miss Emma SAYER at City Hall in Ouray Court house.  Were married on 23 December 1896 in Ouray.  Trying to connect him with Bonum REED.  He was shown in the 1900 census.  His wife was listed as Emma W with a son Sidney R. REED who is my father.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Al Reed 3-14-01 I am trying to find relatives of W. Stewart BARNES who in 1978 was living in Aurora.  His parents were Catharine Stewart BARNES and Benjamin C. BARNES, Jr. and they are buried in Laurelwood Cemetery in Rock Hill, South Carolina.  The cemetery committee is trying to find some relatives of these people.  I can be contacted at   Leila Long 2-6-01 Looking for information about Sam/Enoch SHEPHERD/SHEPHARD (1893-1979???) married in 1920 in Gunnison to Mabel/Mable/Mabil KOCH (1899-1976).  They had 2 daughters, Marie (married a WEBER) and Evelyn (married a CASE).  Information to date has been solely from obituaries.  Death of Mabel's father, Conrad KOCH, in 1940 stated that the SHEPHERDs lived in Ridgway.  Death date (1979) for Sam/Enoch is only a probable one--based on SSDI information.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Ann 1-29-2001 I am seeking information about my grandfather, Ray G. DAY.  He was born May 18, 1885 in Ouray County.  Family rumor is that he might have been adopted by the DAY family.  I know very little about him, other than that his mother's first name was Ella.  In about 1906 he married Ivy PRICE, in Montrose.  Before my father was born in July, 1907, he left her and went to Alaska.  He worked as a printer.  He died in 1965 in San Diego, California.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Terry Glowacki 9-19-00 Walter W. DOWNTAIN is listed on the 1880 Federal Census as living in Ouray County, Co.  Walter is a ggg uncle and Walter had a brother, Oscar D. Downtain who was a sheriff in San Juan County, CO.  Walter also was a marshal or sheriff during the mining strikes of 1901.  Does anyone have information on Walter W. DOWNTAIN.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Harley K. Haynes Jr. 8-15-00 Looking for information on the McCARRIER family in Ouray County, particularly Eugene L. and his wife Maggie Bell PAULDING.  Eugene and a couple of his brothers were in Ouray just prior to the 1885 Colorado State Census.  Eugene came to Colorado in 1876/77 as a 16/17 year old from W. Virginia and lived in Del Norte, Creede and Saguache, were he shows in the US 1880 Census.  He is buried in Durango.  Brother Edwin H. is buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery (Ouray).  They owned a feed and supply business in Ouray and several mines.  Eugene and Maggie Bell had 3 children born in Ouray: Clarence in 1900, Edna in 1902 and Margaret in 1904.  They left Ouray just prior to 1910 and moved to the Delta Area.  Maggie taught school in Portland, Ouray, and Eureka for several years before 1900.  They owned a home in Ouray.  We have a picture of it with the children.  Margaret was buried in Gunnison on 8/5/00, she was 96.  Clarence is buried at Grandview Cemetery near Colona.  Edna was the mother of my wife.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Don Menzies 8-12-00 I am looking for information on Patrick CANNON.  He purchased land in 1902 in Ouray County.  The Patrick CANNON I am looking for was born in Mississippi about 1854.  His father was Peter CANNON born in Ireland.  His mother was Francis born in Georgia.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Rosa Waltman 7-8-00 My g.g.grandparents were named WRIGHT.  They owned a mine, Wright's lake, and a home which is a national historic site in Ouray.  I am trying to find info on their birth-dates and places for research.  My great-grandmother was Sarah WRIGHT-MOORE-ALLEN-GARDNER.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  Please contact   Dee Covert 6-26-00 I am looking for any information about Carl Gustaf SODERSTROM.  He was born in Cripple Creek, CO in 1908 and died in Ouray in 1963.  He was buried in Colorado Springs, CO.  I know he was a miner in Cripple Creek at least until 1936, but have no idea what happened later.  Any information at all will be appreciated.  The name is sometimes distorted to SOHLERSTRON or SOHLERSTON.  Please contact   Anette Rosberg  or: Midgardsgatan 3, S-216 19 Malmo, Sweden 2-19-00 I am looking for information on James CALL who lived in Ouray Co. and took advantage of the hot springs as he had a bad problem with his arthristis after the Civil War.  He was there in late 1800, I would say 1890.   I appreciate any help anyone can give me, please contact   Norma Hauser 2-13-00 I am searching for information of the HAGERTY family.  Dennis Bernard HAGERTY b. 1846 Inniskilen, Ireland d. 1924 Salt Lake City, UT.  He married Elizabeth Verta JOHNSON and they had three daughters, Emma b.Feb. 26, 1884, Alice b. Jan. 30, 1893, Jessie Ellen b. Nov. 26, 1894 in Ouray, CO.(Jessie Ellen was my g-grandmother).  I'm not sure if all three daughters were born in Ouray.  While living there, they owned a silver mine and also the Beaumont Hotel (Which is now being renovated in all its glory after years of being abandoned and used as storage).  They lost almost everything when the market crashed sometime around WWI and moved to Salt Lake City where they purchased another hotel.  Eventually, they sold this hotel and it was torn down to build what is now the "Great Salt Palace".  Emma HAGERTY married a man named Avery BUCKINGHAM and she died April 25, 1968.  Alice HAGERTY married Percy JOPLIN and she died in 1982.  Jessie Ellen HAGERTY married Emil Leonard HOMAN and they had three children, Belva Ellen, Leonard, and Jessie Anne.  She died August 28, 1928 when the family home caught fire.  I appreciate any help anyone can give me, please contact Sara Marshall  or: 392 East Foster Rd., Santa Maria, CA 93455 9-17-99 I'm looking for information on the ORVIS family of Ouray.  I believe all of these people lived in Ouray County: Lewis Burton ORVIS, son of Lewis Frederick ORVIS Jr. and Lena Jewell CAMPBELL (1st wife); son of Lewis Frederick ORVIS Sr. and Sarah Eloisa RANDALL; son of Silas ORVIS and Elizabeth GREGORY.  I appreciate any help anyone can give me, please contact   Gayle Orvis Costello 7-12-99 I'm looking for information on the ADAMSON family from Ouray.  Oliver ADAMSON married Josephine SHERBINO in 1904 at Ouray, CO.  They had at least two children, Elbert Marvin born 21 Dec 1910 and Hellen.&nbsop; From stories Oliver ran the pool hall in Ridgway, Ouray Co, CO and was quit a colorful person.  I appreciate any help anyone can give me, please contact   Gary Adamson 5-20-99 I am looking for Dick DYKES.  I am his cousin and am also looking for his father Mevel Haskell "Hank" DYKES.  Mevel "Hank" was born in Rodgersville, TN on June 26 1883.  He was married to Anna ANDRÉ.  Dick was reported to be in Ouray county in 1948?  I do not know his birthday.  His name may have been Donald Richard.  I would like any record of any DYKES in this county.  Thank you, I appreciate any help anyone can give me, please contact   Faye Purcell    or: Rt. 1 Box 348-1,  Bangs, Texas  76823 4-3-99 Looking for information on the REED family.  My ggrandfather was called Ike Bert REED.  He married Emma MONTROSE probably in 1897/8.  She was born in Colorado.  He was born in Ohio.  According to the 1900 census my father, Sidney Ray REED was born in 1897/8 although he had always stated he was born in 1894.  All info I have obtained shows he was born in Ouray, Ouray Co, Colorado.  Any information is greatly appreciated, please contact   R285FR@aol.com 3-29-99 I am looking for any persons, with the name of BAZZANELLA, that lived in the Ouray Co, Colorado area.  They came over in the late 1800's to early 1900's.  Some names were, Augusto BAZZANELLA, Clement or Clemente BAZZANELLA, Charles BAZZANELLA, Walter BAZZANELLA.  Charles, my Father, was born January 26th 1926, to Clement BAZZANELLA, later changed to BASS.  I would like to find related persons to these names, where they lived and what they did.  I have derived from draft records that a couple of the BAZZANELLA's were drafted around the time of WW1.  Any information on this family is greatly appreciated, please contact   David Bass    or: 362 Barbara Lane,  Daly City, CA  94015 3-27-99 I traced my great-grandfather last year to Ouray, Ouray Co, Colorado and am trying to find any additional information available about him or his two daughters.  His name was John WEDIN (also spelled VEDIN, WEDEN or WENDEN).  He was an ore miner from Sweden and arrived in Ouray about 1886.  With him were his two daughters, Henny Mathilda WEDIN and and Ida WEDIN.  They lived in Ouray until 1901 when he died.  He is buried in Ouray.  His daughters moved to Silverton, San Juan Co, Colorado  Henny married Celeste FATTOR who was the proprietor of Fattors Saloon in Silverton.  Henny was also known as "Big Tilly".  Any information would be very interesting for me, please contact   Mats Wedin 12-29-98 Seeking information on the HOBSON family in Ouray.  My great-grandfather Thomas William HOBSON died in Ouray April 4, 1909.  Would appreciate any info on the HOBSON family that lived in Ouray around late 1890's to 1900's.  I believe, Charles Castle HOBSON, born 1864 in Missouri, was Water Commissioner and Sheriff of Ouray.  Any information greatly appreciated, please contact   Kay Gordon Wolniak 11-23-98 I am looking for information on John CARNEY and Jane Hooey CARNEY (my great grandparents) who lived in Ouray from 1880 through 1900.  His daughter, Kate (Catherine) married Carl Emil ALBRECHT (my grandparents) in 1898 in Ouray and they lived there until 1905.  John's brother Francis P. CARNEY lived in Ouray also (he was Lt. Governor from 1898-1900).  John's family had six children and Francis's had eight.  I have some information from cemeteries and other records, marriage certificates and the like.  Am looking for any information on CARNEY's, ALBRECHT's, or HOOEY's in Ouray from 1860-1920.  Any information greatly appreciated, please contact   Joe Donahue 10-12-98 I would like any family history of Chief Ouray.  I believe his father came from Pennsylvania.  Some of the PA family spell the name OWREY.  My great great grandmother was Ruth Ann OWREY (1833-1910).  Any information greatly appreciated, please contact   Rich Millermon 9-22-98 I am looking for the death record of my ggg grandmother.  Her name was Martha Jane (KEETON) MARLOW, wife of Wilson Williamson MARLOW.  Born 5/7/1827 in Missouri and died 10/9/1907 in Colona, Quray County, Colorado (Billy Creek).  The dates are approximate.  I know next to nothing about her and I am hoping that the record will verify the birth and death dates as well as who her family was.  Any information greatly appreciated, please contact   Vicki Walberg 7-28-98 I am looking for the family of Dr. F.O. PETERSON who worked in the Spangler Hospital in 1937.  Anyone with info please contact   Joyce Garrett 7-10-98 Andrew HAFER of PA was married to Nancy BARNHART, b Union Co.  They were married in Buffalo, NY according to Beers 1898 Commemorative Biographical Review of Central PA.  I am interested in details of this HAFER family including birth/death records of Andrew. The family lived in Ouray Co. in 1898 and later.  Andrew was an older brother of one of my ancestors, Harrison HAFER (b1841) and a son of Jacob and Rebecca (Gilbert) HAFER.  Any information greatly appreciated, please contact   Estella Johnson 6-18-98 Seeking information on Fred SPUDIG and his wife, Iona.  They lived in Ridgway in probably the 1920's and 1930's.  Fred worked for the railroad and had a farm.  Family information is that they died in the late 1930's.  They had no children of their own, but my father, George LETTEAU and his siblings lived with them for a time.  Fred was their uncle.  I would particularly like to find their obituaries and the dates of their deaths.  I do most of my genealogy work on the computer because I am currently living in Korea.  However, please contact me at this email address after June 25.  Any information on this person greatly appreciated, please contact   Francelle Grisham    or: 70 Chughole Lane,  Peralta, New Mexico  87042 5-15-98 Seeking information on Daniel MURRAY.  He was found in the 1880 census as being born in 1861 in Nova Scotia Province, Canada and immigrated in 1864.  He was also stated as being a mining superintendent in a mine in Ouray County.  Any information on this person greatly appreciated, please contact   Jack Murray 4-2-98 My relative Levi SCHEID moved to Ouray sometime after the 1870 census.  He came from Lock Haven, Clinton Co, Pennsylvania either to join his uncle Valentine B. SCHEID and his wife Lena FOX SCHEID, or arrived with them.  Family history is fuzzy on this point and other things about him.  Levi was a hotel keeper in Lock Haven - became a miner in Ouray (so the story goes).  We do know he died in Delta, Delta Co, Colorado on 30 March 1932.  We do not know if he married and had children.  His uncle Valentine with his wife and their six children moved to Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co, Utah where he died in 1907.  Any information on this family greatly appreciated, please contact   Nancy Joseph   or: PO Box 111,  Elephant Butte, NM  87935 3-6-98 Seeking information on Josephine FITZPATRICK and the four men she married.  Josie married James L. DEAN 5 April 1873; (unknown) NABOURS before 1887, birth of a son Chester NABOURS 22 September 1887; William DEAN abt. 1891, who died before son Albert Jay DEAN was born; Albert Deforce OLCOTT 1891, (married before Albert Jay DEAN was born in Ouray County).  Albert OLCOTT and Josie also had a daughter, Jeanette May OLCOTT 4 June 1894.  Josie died in Clear Creek County 27 November 1896.  Any information greatly appreciated, please contact   Dee Yeager

I am happy to say one query has been removed due to the fact the person making the query found their information.  As I understand, this query page may not be directly responsible for this success.  None the less I am happy they were able to extend a branch of their family tree a little further.

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