Naef Brother's married Parker Sisters

The story goes that the J.A. Naef place was originally the Pleasant Schillings homestead. The property was bought by Naef in 1901. I do not know where Schillings was living when he was arrested in 1904 and 1906. Documents show the Schillings Homestead on Section 34 and 35, Township 5 in a 1914 printing and J.A. Naef as a registered voter living on Section 26 in The Mail, November 1912 voter’s list. It is a possibility that Schillings originally had all 3 sections. 

Of interest is research revealing court notices of D.T. Bowen versus J.A. Naef, set for Monday, March 20, 1916 in the Mail, March 10, 1916. Then I found a comment in the case of D.T. Bowen vs. John A. Naef where the jury found for the defendant (Naef) for a sum of approximately $6,000 in The Mail, March 24, 1916. Next I found under cases passed for the term was D.T. Bowen vs. J.A. Naef in the Mail, December 15, 1916. On the March 1918 court calendar “D.T. Bowen versus J.A. Naef, demurrer to complaint” was filed. Then in May 1918 I found where the D.T. Bowen vs. J.A. Naef damages were set for trial June 17, 1918. Unfortunately that was the last court notices printed in the Mail, until March of the next year. It is unknown what would be a case for that large a sum of money. D.T. Bowen at that time owned the original Kaiser homestead in Section 18, T.5. 

The three Naef brothers: John, H.R. (Roy) and Joseph (Jake) Naef, married sisters, Mary Ellen, Jennie and Minnie, the daughter’s of Thomas and Fannie Parker, of Anaconda. I found this reference in the obituary of Jennie Naef on January 20, 1911. She died at French Gulch and was survived by her husband, son and daughter. Sadly none of them are named in her obituary. 

J.A. (John) (1873-1929), married Mary Ellen Parker in Anaconda and shortly after their marriage came to Granite County. They had seven children. John, (age fifty-six) was working at a mine in Butte when found dead in his hotel room on May 29, 1929. It was believed he died in his sleep. Trying to earn a living wage on a homestead was impossible causing many to work away from home. Survivors were: wife Mary Ellen, children: Miss Ruth and Mrs. Florence Pickett of Philipsburg; Mrs. Grace Peterson and Howard of San Francisco; Asa, Lawrence and John of Philipsburg. 

Mary Ellen (1875-1932) was born to Thomas and Fannie Parker in Cedar Fort, Utah. After John died, Mary married T.J. (Tom) O’Connor in 1931, who was a rancher in section 10. Tom traded his place to George Stephen’s for the Stephens Hotel and they moved into town where Mary died a year later. Survivors were: husband Tom; her seven children; mother Fannie Parker and sister Minnie Naef of Anaconda. 

Of the Naef children: Lawrence “Bud’ Naef (1910-1939) married Ruth Owsley in 1934. On May 14, 1939 he was working at the Contact Mine east of Philipsburg when a jackhammer being hoisted to the surface fell off the cage. Bud who was working 100 feet below was hit with the falling hammer and died instantly. 

Howard (1898-1994) married Ruby Carnegie in the early 1920’s and moved to California. They had a daughter Helen. Howard was in the U.S. Army in WWII from September 9, 1942 to February 12, 1945 and they divorced in 1945. He returned to Granite County in 1950 and married Lola (Van Blarcum) Page, Metcalf in 1951 for a short time. Howard moved into the Norman Bohrnsen bunkhouse and then fixed up the Ike Sander’s house across the road. He lived there until he was moved to the Granite County Nursing Home in March of 1994. Survivors were: daughter Helen McIntyre and sister Grace Peterson (ninety-eight) of California; four grandchildren: and two great grandchildren. 

Florence, married Emmett Picket, who worked at the Haverty Garage, March 10, 1926. Grace married Andrew Peterson and their son (name unknown) died in the early 2000’s in a motor vehicle accident. 

Ruth married Fred Adams and after she died Eleanora the widow of Asa married Fred in 1980. 

John lived in California, with his wife Joy. 

Asa (1901-1957) married Eleanora Steber (1912-2005) December 3, 1933. Asa was six months old when the family settled on the ranch on Ross’ Fork. He lived with his young family on the Featherman Place on Middle Fork then became an employee of the Moorlight Mining Company which became Taylor-Knapp. After thirty-seven years for the company, ill health forced retirement five months before his death. Son Ronald (1934-2000) was a Navy veteran of the Korean War; daughter Marie Dean and son John (Judy Fessler) visit Philipsburg often.