In my quest to find my long lost cousins, I read a lot of obituaries. And by “a lot”, I mean beaucoup. Every once in a while I’ll come across one with an interesting tidbit that makes it a tad bit more memorable.

Such is the case of the obituary of Harriette Hillyer, my 4th cousin, 1x removed, who died in 2005. Born in Hiawatha, Kansas in 1919, she hails from my father’s Winter branch of the family tree. A mother of four, she and her husband, Henry Theodore Hastings, owned and operated the Perma-Blitz Pest Control Company. That’s an appropriate name for sure but not why I’ll remember Harriette.

In 1951, David Hicks Overmeyer, an artist and Kansas native, was commissioned to paint eight murals for the rotunda of the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka. He selected Harriette to be one of his models. Her likeness was immortalized as the “woman in the covered wagon” per her obituary. When I read this, I expected I would find the face of a pioneer woman who was determined, yet weary. Or, at least hot and thirsty given my own experience with Kansas. I was not expecting sultry. The mural, entitled Westward Ho, hangs in the northwest corner of the first floor.

Click here to see the mural.

In any event, should I ever have the occasion to visit Topeka again, I’ll be sure to pay homage to my Winter cousin whose pioneer lady-likeness graces the Capitol.

Kenfolk: Tranthams
Relation: 4th cousin, 1x removed
Common ancestors: Harriette’s grandmother was Eliza (Winter) Femmer, 2nd cousin to my great grandmother, Minnie (Biesemeyer) Dusenberg. Both Eliza and Minnie are descendants of Anton and Catharina (Bracht) Winter, my 4th great grandparents

References:
https://www.kshs.org/p/kansas-state-capitol-online-tour-westward-ho/16590
http://www.washburn.edu/about/community/mulvane-art-museum/exhibitions/archived/david-hicks-overmyer.html
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/cjonline/obituary.aspx?n=harriette-hastings&pid=14931656