Mary “Maude” Towson
Mary
was born January or July 11th 1872, the fourth child of Charles Towson and
Frances Tarr. At the time of her birth, her parent’s first children, twin boys,
had already died. The household also contained older brother Charles, born December
1869.
1880-1889
First
recorded in the US Federal Census as Mary. At the time, she was listed as 8
years old and attending school, alongside her 12 year old brother Charles and 4
year old brother Edward. Younger siblings Sarah Ellen, 3, and Harry, 3 months,
were not yet old enough to attend school and were at home. Sadly, neither Sarah
Ellen nor Harry would ever make it to school age, with Harry dying before his
first birthday and Sarah Ellen following in 1881.
Baltimore
City Directories show that the Towson family remained in Baltimore through
1885, living in the Locust Point community near Fort McHenry on Beason and
Cooksie streets. Sometime after 1885 and by 1889, the Towson family moved to
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
In
1889, the little girl named Mary would have been almost a full grown adult at
seventeen years old. In Polk’s Greater Harrisburg City Directory for 1889, a
Maude Towsen was listed as a trimmer working at 334 Market, and living at 1038
South Cameron (also the address listed to Charles, screwsman, and Charles W.
Towsen, laborer). For unknown reasons, at the time the family moved to
Harrisburg, they began to spell their surname with an E instead of the typical
O.
1890-1899
26 Jul 1892– Miss Maud Towsen was the guest of her aunt, Mrs. Lare
in Lancaster. (Lare is thought to be a misspelling of Tarr.)
16 April 1894– in Wassaic, New York, “popular clothier” Isaac Winestine married Miss Bessie Golvonsky, daughter of Isaac Gelvonsky, of No. 229 Locust Street, Lancaster, Pa. A Miss Maud Towsen, of Harrisburg, was part of the wedding party. A Mr. David Hersh was one of the guests.
In
mid-1897, Maude was involved in a scandal that made headlines in Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Maryland, New York, and Washington, D.C. On April 27th
1897 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Maude Towson married a furrier from New York
by the name of Gustave Herzig.
The
problem with this is that Herzig was already married, with a wife and three
children living in New York City. Maude’s story was that she knew nothing of
this, and that he seduced her. Herzig’s story was that Maude knew he was
married with children, and that Maude had drugged him. The clergyman who
married them reported that Herzig seemed in full control of his faculties at
the time of the marriage.
The
two separated, with Maude returning to her family in Harrisburg. Herzig
eventually showed up and was beaten by Maude’s father and possibly her
brothers. Herzig was arrested, and eventually transferred to the custody of the
Jersey City police on charges of bigamy, while Charles Towson was taken into
custody for assault. I have attached the most comprehensive report of the
incident, which is also the most flattering to Maude. At various times, Herzig
claimed that the whole incident was a conspiracy between Maude and a man by the
name of Hirsch.
One
report has Maude declaring her intent to move to Lancaster after the incident
ended.
1900-1909
A
widowed 28-year-old woman named Maud Hirsch appears in the 1900 Federal Census
in the household of Mary Giffin at 701 Eleventh Street, Philadelphia. Maud is
listed as a boarder, born in January 1872, widowed, born in Maryland to parents
born in Maryland, a saleslady who had been married 5 years and who had no
children.
Is
this our Maude? Did she marry her supposed co-conspirator? If so, when, and when
did he die? Did she merely adopt another name to escape the infamy of her
previous marriage?
1910-1919
2
October 1911– Maude’s mother Frances died in Sparrows Point. On the 5th of that
month the Baltimore Sun reported that Mrs. Maud Hirsch, of New York, is the
guest of her father, Mr. Charles Towson.
22
June 1916– in Philadelphia, at the age of 43, she would marry John Herman Sell
as “Marzella F. Townsend.” (A pension record of her father also records her
name as “Mozilla.”)
The
circumstances relating to this marriage are interesting. The Philadelphia
Inquirer would publish a short piece about the marriage, titled “Divorced, to
Wed Again.” Emily Koons was his wife of twenty years.
However,
several months before their marriage, the Baltimore Sun reported “Mrs. J. Zell,
of Harrisburg… is the guest of her brother, Thomas Towson” and that John H.
Sell, of New York City, was visiting Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Towson.
On John Sell’s draft papers (dated September 12th 1918), the address of John and Maud Sell is listed as 671 Beach Street in Revere, Massachusetts. He is listed as working for the Southern Surety Company, headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, but his occupation is illegible.
In the 1919 Des Moines city directory, John H. Sell, bonds, res 20 Bernice Apartments.
1920-1929
In
the 1920 United States Census, the Sells were listed as boarders at 208 West
Markham Street in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In 1921, John Sell is listed as a field rep of the Southern Surety Company on the 7th floor Register & Tribune Building, which was most likely an office building.
On September 17th, 1921, John Herman Sell died in the Lutheran Hospital of Des Moines. The informant was “Mrs. J. H. Sell” of 504 1/2 Sixth Avenue.
John
Herman Sell dies September 17th 1921, in Des Moines, Iowa. The
funeral service takes place at a church in Des Moines before his body is
shipped to Philadelphia to be buried in the North Cedar Hill Cemetery.
After
that, Mary “Maude” “Mozilla” “Marzella” Towson
Herzig Hirsch Sell is never found again.
–––––
Maude is probably my biggest genealogical mystery. Sure, I'd like to find out who gave us the Towson family name, but Maude– well, Maude's story is unique. Maude's story brings people in. It fascinates people who ordinarily don't care about history. And they want to know where it leads. But the problem is, I don't know.
She just disappears in 1921 in Des Moines, Iowa. It's almost fitting, but I'm not satisfied.
I want to find Maude. Will you help me?
–––––
Assorted
tidbits about Maude:
- Maude habitually lied about her age.
- I have been unable to confirm a marriage to a Hirsch in Lancaster, but I believe it to be likely (or likely that she at least took the name Hirsch to cover up her fiasco of a marriage to Herzig).
- Various family sources speak of Maude as having been incredibly beautiful, tall with red hair. Some say she was a model. I can find nothing to confirm this, but she was known to mingle with the folks in the fashion industry.
- No living Towsons have any information (or prior knowledge, before I talked to them) about what happened to Maude.
- I have a death certificate for John Herman Sell but I do not have an obituary.