Hypatia
When Joseph
Lodowick Sutherland (1834-1901) arrived in the United States, the Civil War was
already in full swing. He enlisted for the Union almost immediately, serving in
Company M of the 1st Vermont Cavalry Regiment. Not surprisingly the
war was eventful; while fighting at the battle of Gettysburg he was wounded and
taken prisoner. After some time he was released on parole and returned to
Washington, working in the war office. There his auburn hair and grey eyes must
have caught the attention of Frances McNeal, whom he married in May of 1865. A
few months later he was mustered out. Sometime around 1873 they relocated to
Illinois, eventually settling in Chicago. In Edinburgh Joseph had been a
clothier’s assistant and then a law clerk; likewise, in the U.S. he tried his
hand at a variety of occupations—soldier, shirt manufacturer, news dealer—but
ended up as the register of the Water Department of Chicago. We know that at
his death he had recently relocated to a comfortable home and affluent
neighborhood, suggesting the family was respectable and financially secure.
A Fun (and possibly random) Note on Methodology
Independent
of probate records, how do I know Joseph Lodowick Sutherland was doing well at
the time of his death? Namely, because his obituary mentions his address, 2255
South Park Avenue, Chicago. Just two years before the address had appeared in
the news as the home of Dr. H. A. Cross, a dentist. Cross “caused the arrest of
Benjamin F. Foster and his wife, Emma Foster, whom he accused of having duped
him and sadly shaken his faith in Spiritualism.” Apparently in a séance held at
his home “the spirits appeared, one of whom represented himself to be Theon, an
ancient Greek god, the father of Hypatia. To Theon he handed $550, and Theon
informed him that in return for the gift, he should never want for money.”
Cross responded positively to this message giving “the generous Theon a small
diamond ring, and three gold lockets.” After which Cross gave Theon jewelry
crafted of diamonds and gold. From Cross’s wealth and possessions it is easy to
deduce he did not live in poverty, and his home would have undoubtedly
reflected his economic status.
While I
never cease to be surprised at the variety of known figures who embraced
spiritualism in the late nineteenth century, I have the feeling Thomas Sutherland
probably agreed with the judge, who dismissed the suit as “out of his
jurisdiction and [thus] should be brought against the spirits.”
