He was known as Beverly Grayson Chew to family and in military and court records.
His death notice called him Joseph B. Chew.
As Capt. Beverly Grayson Chew, he reported being wounded during World War I military service in France, but he survived.
Beverly and his first wife of many names became colorful, characters in widely reported and followed NY and D.C. area set of larceny trials the 1920s. Beverly lost his rank as part of his court martial conviction. During his trial, his woundedness, or the nature of it, was debated.
His wife was separately convicted in D.C. but did not receive a prison term.
His first wife's many names makes her identity very confusing. One obituary called her Daisy Marjorie Chew and another called her Margaret Blanche Chew, but she was born Daisy B. Brannan to Edward and Mary D. Sutton Brannan in Richmond VA. During her husband's trial, she was identified as Jean Sothern, but that was an identity taken from a silent screen acress of that day. (The real Jean Sothern, born Grace R. Bomberger, spent years trying to untangle her press clippings from that of Chew's wife, but never successfully. Brannen/Chew's obituary in the Baltimore Sun still called her a former motion picture actress, and her obituary in the Times Dispatch of Richmond VA even called her "known in motion pictures as Jean Sothern." But Chew's wife was buried in Richmond VA with her father and grandfather while the real Jean was buried in Parkesburg, Chester County, PA. A modern feature article about this much-confused identity, from the real actress's view: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/jean-sothern-her-strange-case-of-mistaken-identity/ ).
Numerous newspaper accounts do refer to her as married to Chew (variably in 1916 or 1917), including a quote by one person claiming to have been in the wedding party, but no location or legal record of the event has yet been found. One April 1918 report in Washington, D.C., society pages reported her as "Mrs. Beverly Chew of Leavenworth KS" in a visit to her relatives in D.C. That would place their marriage sometime before or during Beverly's initial soldier training at that KS location, before he went to France. The obit of his brother, Lt. George Chew, describes Beverly being wounded in France at the Battle of the Marne -- which would have had to be the second one, in July/August 1918. Chew's war record in France was also discussed during his court martial.
Chew's "wife" also appears to have been married at least twice before joining Chew. One of her early husbands was Lewis/Louis Lombard Williams (# 121099280), buried in D.C. Chew's "wife"'s mother, Mollie Brannan, in a 1909 Richmond VA newspaper had announced the recent marriage of her daughter "Marguerite" to a Lewis Lombard Williams, who was later buried without wife in Congressional Cemetery in D.C. Confusingly, Grace Church in Jersey, NJ., reported that marriage event for those names as being in November 1908 while Mollie's quote in her local Richmond newspaper account said the wedding was March 1909 in Trinity church in New York City.
A "Daisy B. Brannan" birth record does exist for the same Edward and Mollie Sutton Brannan couple in Richmond VA but a "Marguerite Blanche" birth record for the same family has not yet been discovered. It seems they are the same person rather than sisters.
After the NY and D.C. court convictions (see clippings in attached pictures), both Chew and his first wife were re-arrested on additional fraud counts. Hers was earliest: Accused of misappropriating a certificate of deposit belonging to a fellow prisoner with her husband. His second occurred years later, after his first prison parole. It is not clear what dispositions occurred in her cases or his second case. But known facts include that Chew served his initially seven-year sentence in the prison at Leavenworth KS while his wife moved to Chicago, Illinois. Chew was then paroled in 1923, after only two years, when his wife was dying of cancer. She did die in Chicago in 1924. Her death record there called her Marguerite Blanche Chew. She is buried as Daisy B. Brannan Chew.
In 1925, paroled widower Beverly was back living in the D.C. area of his origin, working as an advertising solicitor for an uncle, when he, too, was re-arrested on a new fraud charge -- this time, accused of falsifying prisoner fingerprint records dating back to when he was at his former Leavenworth prison two years before. (News accounts of this case in pictures at left.). The final disposition of that second case is not yet clear, but he also does not seem to appear in 1930 or 1940 censuses.
In 1942, his World War II draft card shows him using the additional first name Joseph and also living in Great Falls, Montana, citing his then-future wife, Elizabeth Dunbar, as his designated contact (see card in photos attached). It is unclear when or why he got to Montana, or from where.
In 1946, he married there as "Joseph" Beverly Grayson Chew to Elizabeth Dunbar.
(Both his Beverly and Grayson first and middle names recur frequently across his birth family and extended relations in D.C., N.Y. and Southern states. In fact, his NY court trial alluded to confusion of him as Beverly Grayson Chew with NY banker Beverly Chew, a very distant relation via Louisiana, that the NY Chew family did not even realize at the time was a true connection. The first name Joseph, however, does not get used in the same family lines.)
A search for his complete birth record is still under way to confirm he added "Joseph" later, but it seems that was the case. One partial birth record confirms his parents and birth date but unhelpfully omits his name. His military, court and prison records all use only Beverly Grayson Chew, until the World War II record that reflects the identity he picked for just Montana life. One D.C. obituary for him calls him Beverly, without the added Joseph, while his Montana obituary includes the Joseph name.
He is buried as "J.B.G. Chew" with second wife Elizabeth Dunbar. A local report about him said he was called "Cap" there. Presumably, that is a reference to his former rank.
It does not so far appear that this couple had children. They were ages 52 and 40 when they married.
(Brannan family member Findagraver BRGeorge, #46792998, helpfully provided records supports.)
His death notice called him Joseph B. Chew.
As Capt. Beverly Grayson Chew, he reported being wounded during World War I military service in France, but he survived.
Beverly and his first wife of many names became colorful, characters in widely reported and followed NY and D.C. area set of larceny trials the 1920s. Beverly lost his rank as part of his court martial conviction. During his trial, his woundedness, or the nature of it, was debated.
His wife was separately convicted in D.C. but did not receive a prison term.
His first wife's many names makes her identity very confusing. One obituary called her Daisy Marjorie Chew and another called her Margaret Blanche Chew, but she was born Daisy B. Brannan to Edward and Mary D. Sutton Brannan in Richmond VA. During her husband's trial, she was identified as Jean Sothern, but that was an identity taken from a silent screen acress of that day. (The real Jean Sothern, born Grace R. Bomberger, spent years trying to untangle her press clippings from that of Chew's wife, but never successfully. Brannen/Chew's obituary in the Baltimore Sun still called her a former motion picture actress, and her obituary in the Times Dispatch of Richmond VA even called her "known in motion pictures as Jean Sothern." But Chew's wife was buried in Richmond VA with her father and grandfather while the real Jean was buried in Parkesburg, Chester County, PA. A modern feature article about this much-confused identity, from the real actress's view: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/jean-sothern-her-strange-case-of-mistaken-identity/ ).
Numerous newspaper accounts do refer to her as married to Chew (variably in 1916 or 1917), including a quote by one person claiming to have been in the wedding party, but no location or legal record of the event has yet been found. One April 1918 report in Washington, D.C., society pages reported her as "Mrs. Beverly Chew of Leavenworth KS" in a visit to her relatives in D.C. That would place their marriage sometime before or during Beverly's initial soldier training at that KS location, before he went to France. The obit of his brother, Lt. George Chew, describes Beverly being wounded in France at the Battle of the Marne -- which would have had to be the second one, in July/August 1918. Chew's war record in France was also discussed during his court martial.
Chew's "wife" also appears to have been married at least twice before joining Chew. One of her early husbands was Lewis/Louis Lombard Williams (# 121099280), buried in D.C. Chew's "wife"'s mother, Mollie Brannan, in a 1909 Richmond VA newspaper had announced the recent marriage of her daughter "Marguerite" to a Lewis Lombard Williams, who was later buried without wife in Congressional Cemetery in D.C. Confusingly, Grace Church in Jersey, NJ., reported that marriage event for those names as being in November 1908 while Mollie's quote in her local Richmond newspaper account said the wedding was March 1909 in Trinity church in New York City.
A "Daisy B. Brannan" birth record does exist for the same Edward and Mollie Sutton Brannan couple in Richmond VA but a "Marguerite Blanche" birth record for the same family has not yet been discovered. It seems they are the same person rather than sisters.
After the NY and D.C. court convictions (see clippings in attached pictures), both Chew and his first wife were re-arrested on additional fraud counts. Hers was earliest: Accused of misappropriating a certificate of deposit belonging to a fellow prisoner with her husband. His second occurred years later, after his first prison parole. It is not clear what dispositions occurred in her cases or his second case. But known facts include that Chew served his initially seven-year sentence in the prison at Leavenworth KS while his wife moved to Chicago, Illinois. Chew was then paroled in 1923, after only two years, when his wife was dying of cancer. She did die in Chicago in 1924. Her death record there called her Marguerite Blanche Chew. She is buried as Daisy B. Brannan Chew.
In 1925, paroled widower Beverly was back living in the D.C. area of his origin, working as an advertising solicitor for an uncle, when he, too, was re-arrested on a new fraud charge -- this time, accused of falsifying prisoner fingerprint records dating back to when he was at his former Leavenworth prison two years before. (News accounts of this case in pictures at left.). The final disposition of that second case is not yet clear, but he also does not seem to appear in 1930 or 1940 censuses.
In 1942, his World War II draft card shows him using the additional first name Joseph and also living in Great Falls, Montana, citing his then-future wife, Elizabeth Dunbar, as his designated contact (see card in photos attached). It is unclear when or why he got to Montana, or from where.
In 1946, he married there as "Joseph" Beverly Grayson Chew to Elizabeth Dunbar.
(Both his Beverly and Grayson first and middle names recur frequently across his birth family and extended relations in D.C., N.Y. and Southern states. In fact, his NY court trial alluded to confusion of him as Beverly Grayson Chew with NY banker Beverly Chew, a very distant relation via Louisiana, that the NY Chew family did not even realize at the time was a true connection. The first name Joseph, however, does not get used in the same family lines.)
A search for his complete birth record is still under way to confirm he added "Joseph" later, but it seems that was the case. One partial birth record confirms his parents and birth date but unhelpfully omits his name. His military, court and prison records all use only Beverly Grayson Chew, until the World War II record that reflects the identity he picked for just Montana life. One D.C. obituary for him calls him Beverly, without the added Joseph, while his Montana obituary includes the Joseph name.
He is buried as "J.B.G. Chew" with second wife Elizabeth Dunbar. A local report about him said he was called "Cap" there. Presumably, that is a reference to his former rank.
It does not so far appear that this couple had children. They were ages 52 and 40 when they married.
(Brannan family member Findagraver BRGeorge, #46792998, helpfully provided records supports.)
He was known as Beverly Grayson Chew to family and in military and court records.
His death notice called him Joseph B. Chew.
As Capt. Beverly Grayson Chew, he reported being wounded during World War I military service in France, but he survived.
Beverly and his first wife of many names became colorful, characters in widely reported and followed NY and D.C. area set of larceny trials the 1920s. Beverly lost his rank as part of his court martial conviction. During his trial, his woundedness, or the nature of it, was debated.
His wife was separately convicted in D.C. but did not receive a prison term.
His first wife's many names makes her identity very confusing. One obituary called her Daisy Marjorie Chew and another called her Margaret Blanche Chew, but she was born Daisy B. Brannan to Edward and Mary D. Sutton Brannan in Richmond VA. During her husband's trial, she was identified as Jean Sothern, but that was an identity taken from a silent screen acress of that day. (The real Jean Sothern, born Grace R. Bomberger, spent years trying to untangle her press clippings from that of Chew's wife, but never successfully. Brannen/Chew's obituary in the Baltimore Sun still called her a former motion picture actress, and her obituary in the Times Dispatch of Richmond VA even called her "known in motion pictures as Jean Sothern." But Chew's wife was buried in Richmond VA with her father and grandfather while the real Jean was buried in Parkesburg, Chester County, PA. A modern feature article about this much-confused identity, from the real actress's view: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/jean-sothern-her-strange-case-of-mistaken-identity/ ).
Numerous newspaper accounts do refer to her as married to Chew (variably in 1916 or 1917), including a quote by one person claiming to have been in the wedding party, but no location or legal record of the event has yet been found. One April 1918 report in Washington, D.C., society pages reported her as "Mrs. Beverly Chew of Leavenworth KS" in a visit to her relatives in D.C. That would place their marriage sometime before or during Beverly's initial soldier training at that KS location, before he went to France. The obit of his brother, Lt. George Chew, describes Beverly being wounded in France at the Battle of the Marne -- which would have had to be the second one, in July/August 1918. Chew's war record in France was also discussed during his court martial.
Chew's "wife" also appears to have been married at least twice before joining Chew. One of her early husbands was Lewis/Louis Lombard Williams (# 121099280), buried in D.C. Chew's "wife"'s mother, Mollie Brannan, in a 1909 Richmond VA newspaper had announced the recent marriage of her daughter "Marguerite" to a Lewis Lombard Williams, who was later buried without wife in Congressional Cemetery in D.C. Confusingly, Grace Church in Jersey, NJ., reported that marriage event for those names as being in November 1908 while Mollie's quote in her local Richmond newspaper account said the wedding was March 1909 in Trinity church in New York City.
A "Daisy B. Brannan" birth record does exist for the same Edward and Mollie Sutton Brannan couple in Richmond VA but a "Marguerite Blanche" birth record for the same family has not yet been discovered. It seems they are the same person rather than sisters.
After the NY and D.C. court convictions (see clippings in attached pictures), both Chew and his first wife were re-arrested on additional fraud counts. Hers was earliest: Accused of misappropriating a certificate of deposit belonging to a fellow prisoner with her husband. His second occurred years later, after his first prison parole. It is not clear what dispositions occurred in her cases or his second case. But known facts include that Chew served his initially seven-year sentence in the prison at Leavenworth KS while his wife moved to Chicago, Illinois. Chew was then paroled in 1923, after only two years, when his wife was dying of cancer. She did die in Chicago in 1924. Her death record there called her Marguerite Blanche Chew. She is buried as Daisy B. Brannan Chew.
In 1925, paroled widower Beverly was back living in the D.C. area of his origin, working as an advertising solicitor for an uncle, when he, too, was re-arrested on a new fraud charge -- this time, accused of falsifying prisoner fingerprint records dating back to when he was at his former Leavenworth prison two years before. (News accounts of this case in pictures at left.). The final disposition of that second case is not yet clear, but he also does not seem to appear in 1930 or 1940 censuses.
In 1942, his World War II draft card shows him using the additional first name Joseph and also living in Great Falls, Montana, citing his then-future wife, Elizabeth Dunbar, as his designated contact (see card in photos attached). It is unclear when or why he got to Montana, or from where.
In 1946, he married there as "Joseph" Beverly Grayson Chew to Elizabeth Dunbar.
(Both his Beverly and Grayson first and middle names recur frequently across his birth family and extended relations in D.C., N.Y. and Southern states. In fact, his NY court trial alluded to confusion of him as Beverly Grayson Chew with NY banker Beverly Chew, a very distant relation via Louisiana, that the NY Chew family did not even realize at the time was a true connection. The first name Joseph, however, does not get used in the same family lines.)
A search for his complete birth record is still under way to confirm he added "Joseph" later, but it seems that was the case. One partial birth record confirms his parents and birth date but unhelpfully omits his name. His military, court and prison records all use only Beverly Grayson Chew, until the World War II record that reflects the identity he picked for just Montana life. One D.C. obituary for him calls him Beverly, without the added Joseph, while his Montana obituary includes the Joseph name.
He is buried as "J.B.G. Chew" with second wife Elizabeth Dunbar. A local report about him said he was called "Cap" there. Presumably, that is a reference to his former rank.
It does not so far appear that this couple had children. They were ages 52 and 40 when they married.
(Brannan family member Findagraver BRGeorge, #46792998, helpfully provided records supports.)
His death notice called him Joseph B. Chew.
As Capt. Beverly Grayson Chew, he reported being wounded during World War I military service in France, but he survived.
Beverly and his first wife of many names became colorful, characters in widely reported and followed NY and D.C. area set of larceny trials the 1920s. Beverly lost his rank as part of his court martial conviction. During his trial, his woundedness, or the nature of it, was debated.
His wife was separately convicted in D.C. but did not receive a prison term.
His first wife's many names makes her identity very confusing. One obituary called her Daisy Marjorie Chew and another called her Margaret Blanche Chew, but she was born Daisy B. Brannan to Edward and Mary D. Sutton Brannan in Richmond VA. During her husband's trial, she was identified as Jean Sothern, but that was an identity taken from a silent screen acress of that day. (The real Jean Sothern, born Grace R. Bomberger, spent years trying to untangle her press clippings from that of Chew's wife, but never successfully. Brannen/Chew's obituary in the Baltimore Sun still called her a former motion picture actress, and her obituary in the Times Dispatch of Richmond VA even called her "known in motion pictures as Jean Sothern." But Chew's wife was buried in Richmond VA with her father and grandfather while the real Jean was buried in Parkesburg, Chester County, PA. A modern feature article about this much-confused identity, from the real actress's view: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/jean-sothern-her-strange-case-of-mistaken-identity/ ).
Numerous newspaper accounts do refer to her as married to Chew (variably in 1916 or 1917), including a quote by one person claiming to have been in the wedding party, but no location or legal record of the event has yet been found. One April 1918 report in Washington, D.C., society pages reported her as "Mrs. Beverly Chew of Leavenworth KS" in a visit to her relatives in D.C. That would place their marriage sometime before or during Beverly's initial soldier training at that KS location, before he went to France. The obit of his brother, Lt. George Chew, describes Beverly being wounded in France at the Battle of the Marne -- which would have had to be the second one, in July/August 1918. Chew's war record in France was also discussed during his court martial.
Chew's "wife" also appears to have been married at least twice before joining Chew. One of her early husbands was Lewis/Louis Lombard Williams (# 121099280), buried in D.C. Chew's "wife"'s mother, Mollie Brannan, in a 1909 Richmond VA newspaper had announced the recent marriage of her daughter "Marguerite" to a Lewis Lombard Williams, who was later buried without wife in Congressional Cemetery in D.C. Confusingly, Grace Church in Jersey, NJ., reported that marriage event for those names as being in November 1908 while Mollie's quote in her local Richmond newspaper account said the wedding was March 1909 in Trinity church in New York City.
A "Daisy B. Brannan" birth record does exist for the same Edward and Mollie Sutton Brannan couple in Richmond VA but a "Marguerite Blanche" birth record for the same family has not yet been discovered. It seems they are the same person rather than sisters.
After the NY and D.C. court convictions (see clippings in attached pictures), both Chew and his first wife were re-arrested on additional fraud counts. Hers was earliest: Accused of misappropriating a certificate of deposit belonging to a fellow prisoner with her husband. His second occurred years later, after his first prison parole. It is not clear what dispositions occurred in her cases or his second case. But known facts include that Chew served his initially seven-year sentence in the prison at Leavenworth KS while his wife moved to Chicago, Illinois. Chew was then paroled in 1923, after only two years, when his wife was dying of cancer. She did die in Chicago in 1924. Her death record there called her Marguerite Blanche Chew. She is buried as Daisy B. Brannan Chew.
In 1925, paroled widower Beverly was back living in the D.C. area of his origin, working as an advertising solicitor for an uncle, when he, too, was re-arrested on a new fraud charge -- this time, accused of falsifying prisoner fingerprint records dating back to when he was at his former Leavenworth prison two years before. (News accounts of this case in pictures at left.). The final disposition of that second case is not yet clear, but he also does not seem to appear in 1930 or 1940 censuses.
In 1942, his World War II draft card shows him using the additional first name Joseph and also living in Great Falls, Montana, citing his then-future wife, Elizabeth Dunbar, as his designated contact (see card in photos attached). It is unclear when or why he got to Montana, or from where.
In 1946, he married there as "Joseph" Beverly Grayson Chew to Elizabeth Dunbar.
(Both his Beverly and Grayson first and middle names recur frequently across his birth family and extended relations in D.C., N.Y. and Southern states. In fact, his NY court trial alluded to confusion of him as Beverly Grayson Chew with NY banker Beverly Chew, a very distant relation via Louisiana, that the NY Chew family did not even realize at the time was a true connection. The first name Joseph, however, does not get used in the same family lines.)
A search for his complete birth record is still under way to confirm he added "Joseph" later, but it seems that was the case. One partial birth record confirms his parents and birth date but unhelpfully omits his name. His military, court and prison records all use only Beverly Grayson Chew, until the World War II record that reflects the identity he picked for just Montana life. One D.C. obituary for him calls him Beverly, without the added Joseph, while his Montana obituary includes the Joseph name.
He is buried as "J.B.G. Chew" with second wife Elizabeth Dunbar. A local report about him said he was called "Cap" there. Presumably, that is a reference to his former rank.
It does not so far appear that this couple had children. They were ages 52 and 40 when they married.
(Brannan family member Findagraver BRGeorge, #46792998, helpfully provided records supports.)
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