The Women in His Life

     Miranda Morris Stewart influenced her son in positive ways. She valued education, a

trait her husband did not share. In dedication of his autobiography Stewart wrote, “If I had

always kept in view the rules of conduct which she prescribed I would have made few

mistakes.” Stewart went on to say “Whatever of good I may have accomplished was

inspired by my dear mother at an early period of my existence.” Three daughters and an

outspoken, well-educated wife influenced him to believe in women’s rights before it

became popular. Love and loyalty to family members were high priorities throughout his

entire life.

     To understand Annie Stewart's complex personality, one needs to examine her genteel

Mississippi upbringing. The new baby Foote was born on June 8, 1826. Her father, Henry

S. Foote, farmed cotton on the plantation, practiced law and owned a local newspaper.

The entire population, including the slaves, celebrated as Annie Foote joined her two

Virginia and Arabella Foote. The girls grew up wanting for nothing. Annie showed 

spunk and independence, qualities admired by her father, Henry Stuart Foote. Henry

made sure his daughters received first-rate educations. The children studied classical

languages, dancing, etiquette, and learned to sew and produce fine handwork. Foote

 supervised the education, frequently testing them. Annie Foote rebelled when it came to

 the sewing projects, but tackled the academics with gusto.  Annie’s spirit endeared her to

 her father. Foote's clear favorite, Annie Foote spent more time with her father than she

 did with her sisters. When Foote became a United States Senator and the family moved to

 Washington D. C., Annie Foote adapted well. She attended the Visitation Convent

and spent most of her teenage years in Washington D.C.

      When Foote’s term as Senator ended he and the family returned to Mississippi.

Foote continued his political career by running for the governorship. He beat out

Jefferson Davis. Davis pulled political maneuvers tha eliminated Foote's chances for

 re-election to the Senate. Foote moved his family to Raymond, Mississippi, leaving them

there while he made a trip to California to seek his next fortune.

   Men often traveled west first to prepare the way for spouses and children.  Foote built a

 home on five acres near Oakland, California.  He constructed a house exactly the

same as the one in Clinton, Mississippi. When he finished, he sent for his family to join

him. The Foote entourage took the southern route across Panama to California. The group

included mother Elizabeth, her children Virginia, Arabella, Annie, Jane, Henry, Romily

and William as well as the family servants. With natives paddling, they crossed the

 Isthmus of Panama in small boats. The Foote family braved the jungle elements, and 

arrived in California in November of 1854. Foote and young William Morris Stewart

became law partners; consequently, he received invitations to Foote social events.

 Annie Foote and William Stewart became a couple in no time. Foote approved of his

 daughter's match with his young law partner. Less than a year later on May 31, 1855 the

young couple married.

      Always in search of a fortune, Stewart could not resist the call of mining and a town

needing lawyers. He gave up his practice in San Francisco, and the newlyweds moved to

Nevada City, California. Stewart knew it would be a hardship on his wife to leave her

life for a mining camp lacking comforts and high society. As his father-in-law

mentor father-in-law had done, he replicated her Mississippi home in Nevada City as a

wedding gift. He imported the materials from the South to make it more authentic. The

clever Stewart built the house on Piety Hill, because he knew of the fire dangers of

downtown locations. The Piety Hill home became the new place to be seen with Annie

Stewart at the center of local society. Records are sketchy because of a fire in Nevada

City, but the Stewarts had a baby girl named Elizabeth (Bessie) on or about August

18,1856.

   No sooner did Annie get used to her new home than Bill Stewart yearned to move.

Downieville peaked his interest after a year and a half. Like his father-in-law he went first,

established his law office and home before moving Annie and little Bessie. During this

time he made frequent trips to Downieville, Nevada City and San Francisco. He often

brought books to Annie. Bessie and Annie finally moved to Downieville in the spring of

1858. Similar to the trip over the Isthmus of Panama, moving proved to be a hardship.

Transporting Annie's possessions and furniture was not easy.  During the time in

Downieville Annie had parties, entertained, established a school and became a teacher.

The eight hundred dollars she made teaching was the only paid job she ever held.

 Another child, Anna, was born in 1859. By 1860 the Stewarts moved again – this

time to Virginia City, Nevada. The Comstock era of silver mining began with a rough 

camp with few luxuries. Annie Stewart accepted the challenges. When Stewart's wife

talked, people noticed. Her outspoken words favoring the South caused problems.

When Stewart campaigned for statehood, he wanted his wife out of the way for a while.

 He gave her forty thousand dollars and told her to go shopping in San Francisco. With her

 pockets laden with cash, Annie Stewart left on the earliest stage she could. The only thing

she liked more than talking and entertaining was shopping. This penchant for shopping

was was a big reason William Stewart found himself in financial difficulty over the years.

 Despite the many fortunes he accrued, Annie Stewart shopped faster than her husband

could make money.

     Annie Stewart enrolled the girls in expensive private schools in Europe. Bessie and

Anna spent two years each in France, Germany and Italy getting a proper, classical

education. Annie had another reason for traveling to Europe. Her father, a southern

sympathizer, had been exiled to Europe from the United States after the Civil War

because of war crimes. Throughout their long years together, Stewart tried to please his

 wife at any cost.
        When Annie Stewart returned to the states she busied herself decorating, socializing at

 the Dupont Circle home in Washington D. C. She also traveled;  Mary Isabelle, known as

Maybelle, was born September 30, 1872 in Alameda, California during an extended visit

to California. Stewart opted not to run for the Senate in 1875, and the family returned to

the West so he could regenerate his fortunes through law and mining. The Stewarts

divided their time between the eastern and western regions of the country.  On December

 30, 1879 a fire caused major damage at the Dupont Circle home. Servants saved

 six-year-old Maybelle as both her parents were not home the night of the fire. After the

fire Anne took more trips abroad to replaced damaged items.

      Bessie, Annie and Maybelle Stewart had the same impulsive tendencies as their

father. When unfortunate things happened, Stewart was there to fix the problems. Anna

had a messy divorce with Andrew Fox. Stewart did not like how Anna and Andrew Fox

took care of their four children after the divorce. Stewart kidnapped the children and kept

them at an undisclosed location in the East for several months. One of the children died

during this period. Fox had custody of the children and cited Stewart for contempt.

Nothing became of this other than Stewart received temporary custody of the children.

      In 1902 William Morris Stewart  was in his last term as a U.S. Senator. He left

for Europe in September to work on the Pious Fund Case at The Hague. Originally, Annie

planned to accompany her husband on the trip. She thought she would be helpful with her

knowledge of foreign languages. She did not feel well and decided to visit friends and

relatives in California while Stewart worked in Europe. This proved to be a bad choice.

On September 12th Annie took an automobile ride with her nephew Charles Foote and

his brother-in-law H. Benedict Taylor. Taylor owned the Winton auto involved in a

deadly crash. Taylor drove the automobile into a telegraph pole while trying to avoid a

grocery wagon. The accident happened at Bay Street and Santa Clara in Alameda,

California at 4:30PM. Witnesses had different takes on what happened. Speeding,

carelessness and perhaps alcohol might have been to blame. Neither young man suffered

debilitating injuries even though they all flew out of the automobile upon the impact of

hitting the pole. Passersby took Annie to a house until the ambulance came to take her to

the Alameda Sanatorium. She died at 6:00 of massive internal injuries. Annie was 64  

years old. Taylor only had the automobile for a couple weeks. It had been manufactured

in Cleveland, Ohio. A jury cleared Taylor of blame in the accident. Taylor stated he only

had a speed of fifteen miles per hour. Stewart declared this was the greatest tragedy of his

life when he received the news. Stewart cabled to have a service, but hold the body until

his arrival home. The family held a service at the Foote home with Rev. Robert Ritchie, an

Episcopal priest presiding. A few close friends and family members attended the service.

The casket stayed at the Mountain View Cemetery until Stewart arrived a couple weeks

later.

     Losing the love of his life devastated Stewart. However, he did marry again on

October 26, 1903 to a widow named May Agnes Cone. Despite the age difference of over

thirty years, the couple lived a happy life until Stewart’s death in 1909. May Agnes and

her nine year old daughter Vera followed Stewart to a remote town in Nevada where

Stewart attempted to find just one more silver mine.