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Carole Lombard

Twentieth-Century Star

The History Press

THE HOOSIERS

Throughout her life, Carole Lombard would be reminded by her mother, Elizabeth Knight Peters, that she was the product of excellent breeding. The family was upstanding, she said, and the young woman must never forget that. Stories would be passed down about the men being hardworking entrepreneurs; high achievers in everything they did both personally and professionally. Elizabeth (aka Bessie) wasn't just being overly proud of her relatives, she had good reason to share her tales, particularly on the part of her grandfather, James Cheney.

Cheney was known as the 'wealthiest man in Fort Wayne', with a fortune estimated at $2.5 million by the time of his death. That said, he was a very unassuming man who lived his life in such a quiet way that some of his friends had no idea what he had actually achieved in his lifetime. They knew he was rich, but for the most part he was known only as 'Judge' Cheney, the smartly dressed man who pottered around his garden, admiring the finely pruned hedges and nicely clipped lawn. He waved to passers-by as he raked leaves from the gravelled paths, enjoyed a joke, read the newspaper and always listened with a sensitive ear and words of encouragement.

Despite his unassuming nature, however, James Cheney was an extremely powerful man. Born to a good but relatively poor family, he read obsessively, began working by the age of 11 and continued until his death, over seventy years later. During his career he worked as a dry goods salesman, a builder's supplier, a canal builder, tavern owner, land speculator, farmer, miller, Wall Street financier, stockholder and banker. As well as that, he also had an interest in the Western Union Telegraph Company and the Wabash Railroad, owned shares in several companies including the City National Bank of New York and Fort Wayne Gaslight Company, and became a prominent figure in plans to lay a cable across the Atlantic.

Cheney took great interest in politics, voted Democrat, loaned money to needy causes and frequently fought for justice. While never a member of any church, he donated generously to the First Presbyterian Church because his wife, Nancy, was a member and he wanted to support her interests as well as his own. A dedicated Mason, Cheney even helped out when plans to construct a temple hit blocks. He ensured the project not only got off the ground but took on a new life, too. When asked why he had decided to help, Cheney simply shrugged and said, 'Well I've been a Mason for years but I never did anything much for Masonry, and I thought I had a chance now and would take it'. Such was the simplicity with which he undertook his projects. He may have been a multi- millionaire, but above all he was an honest, quiet and loyal man.

Carole Lombard's grandmother, Alice, was the daughter of James and Nancy, and when she grew up she married Charles Knight. He was successful in a very similar way to James: at one time working as a manager at the Fort Wayne Gas Company and then the Fort Wayne Electric Company. He was also a prominent Mason, and for those reasons alone, he had a lot in common with his father-in-law. In fact, so well did the in-laws get along, that Cheney lived with Alice and Charles for the latter part of his life.

Carole's grandfather on the other side of the family was John C. Peters, also a prominent businessman in Fort Wayne. He had started off as a cabinetmaker before going on to have an interest in various local enterprises and became president of the Horton Manufacturing Company (manufacturer of the Horton washing and ironing machines) and the Peters Hotel Company. His experience of carpentry was put to good use on several occasions. He oversaw the building of the Wayne Hotel in 1887 and also built two houses, one of which was said to be No. 704 Rockhill Street, the house where Carole Lombard was later born.

John C. Peters was described as thin and medium height, with white hair and a Vandyke beard. He and his wife, Mary, had a large family, including son Fred, the man who would go on to become Carole's father. As he grew into a young man, Fred was thrilled to be given a job at the family firm, J.C. Peters and Company. Unfortunately, the experience almost cost the young man his life and would have disastrous results for his future happiness.

On the morning of 2 July 1898, Fred travelled to the shop on East Columbia Street, just as he did every day. He went up to the upper floor to take care of some chores and, once completed, decided to head back downstairs by taking the store's elevator. Tragically, as he stepped in the carriage began to move unexpectedly and within seconds Fred found himself caught between the floor and the lift itself, causing him to be crushed about the head, shoulders, arms, chest, back and right thigh. The accident was horrendous and while Fred was freed quite quickly from the elevator, by that time he was barely conscious and in a terrible state.

Local doctors were called to the store and examined the young man. They ordered him to be moved to his home immediately, where they could examine him in private, away from the eyes of shop staff and customers. Fred was in great pain and distress, but after checking him over thoroughly, the doctors decided that while there were a great many bruises and lacerations, remarkably there were no broken bones and there would be no need for him to be taken to hospital. He was very lucky, they told Fred's parents, but predicted that it would take several days before they would know the full extent of his injuries. It was impossible to rule out the possibility of internal injuries, though after confining him to bed doctors assured his parents that there was no reason why Fred could not make a permanent recovery. Mary and John were considerably relieved.

For the next six days Fred's family fussed around and made him as comfortable as they possibly could. The local press sent reporters to the door, and on the 8 July reported that he remained confined to bed and was 'still suffering much'. However, his mood was lightened somewhat after receiving many visitors. One friend, John Ross McCulloch, had been in hospital having his appendix removed when the accident happened. When he was well enough to leave, John refused to be taken home before he could visit – and cheer up – his friend.

Visits like these helped to spur Fred on to recovery, and he eventually returned to work. Then, on 1 July 1899, almost exactly one year to the day after the accident, the young man was rewarded with a promotion to what the newspapers described as 'a very responsible position'. It was indeed – J.C. Peters & Company had been steadily growing over the years, with much of the success coming from the hard work of Fred Peters. His father John decided to reward him by handing over the day-to-day management of the hardware firm 'as a reward of merit and close attention to business'. The Fort Wayne Sentinel wrote, 'The promotion of Mr. Peters will be a source of much gratification to his hundreds of friends, many of whom will undoubtedly take advantage of the opportunity to call at the store and extend sincere congratulations.'

The announcement of the promotion gave great hope to Fred, but it was to last just six months, after which John C. Peters decided to sell the company to Henry Pfeiffer and Son so that he could devote more time to his manufacturing interests. By the time the new owners took charge on 2 January 1900 Fred had decided to leave and rumours went round town that he was about to take over the running of the Wayne Hotel. He did not, however, and instead went to work once again with his father, this time at the Horton Manufacturing Company. By 5 June 1901 he had taken over the prestigious job of secretary and treasurer.

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As she grew up, Elizabeth Knight became terribly interested in playing and watching tennis matches. She was also something of a social butterfly, often attending parties and other gatherings with family and friends. Fred Peters was also a partygoer and enjoyed dances and picnics not only in town, but further afield too. He had known Elizabeth through his circle of friends for many years, but as the two grew into adulthood Fred began to see her in a different light. The two started dating in earnest, though their happiness threatened to come crashing down when it was discovered that Elizabeth was pregnant. It remains unrecorded as to what their families had to say about the matter (though one can imagine that it was not positive) and no time was wasted in trying desperately to hide the unfortunate situation. In late March it was announced in the local newspaper that the two were to be married, 'Mr. and Mrs. C. Knight have issued invitations to the wedding of their daughter, Miss Elizabeth Jayne, to Fred C. Peters. The wedding will occur April 3rd at 8 pm at the home of the bride on Spy Run Avenue.'

Despite it being something of a shotgun affair, the bride's home was a hive of activity during the week of the wedding. Alice Knight fluttered around making sure everything was just right for the upcoming ceremony, bridesmaids practised their bridal march and many friends came and went with good wishes and gifts for the happy couple. Parties and teas were held at various places in the lead up to the wedding, and the big day itself was something of a major event in the town. On that day, the parlour, dining room and living rooms were all lavishly decorated in green and white mignonette, Easter lilies and white tulips. Wild smilax, ferns and daffodils were used in the hall and stairway and in the dining room the tables were arranged in three sides of a square and decorated with sweet peas and maidenhair ferns. The room was romantically lit with candelabras bearing white candles with pink shades.

Elizabeth walked down the aisle in a beautiful gown of lace over white satin and trimmed with duchess lace and tulle, her hair styled beneath a veil fastened with an ostrich tip to match that of the six bridesmaids. After the ceremony, a lavish supper was held, and then the younger members of the family took themselves down to the Wayne Club, where they partied until Fred and his new wife made their excuses and left to prepare for their honeymoon.

The couple were away for two weeks before returning first to the Peters' family home, and then to their new and permanent address of No. 704 Rockhill Street. Just over five months after their wedding, in September 1902, Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, Frederic (Fritz) Peters Jnr. Considering the couple were still young at the time, this new set of responsibilities could have been terribly difficult and hard going. However, for the most part, their social lives remained unaffected.

In February 1903 Fred was struck with a terrible bout of tonsillitis, but as soon as he recovered the couple continued their regular mix of events and parties. So affluent was their lifestyle that they even made the pages of the Fort Wayne Journal and Columbia City Post in September 1903, after travelling with friends to a party in a brand new car. 'Their machine attracted considerable attention,' said the Post, 'It being one of the latest Wintons and complete in every sense.'

It wasn't all glitz and glamour, however, as just a few months later on 13 December 1903 Elizabeth's grandfather James Cheney passed away after a battle with cancer. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette described the passing:

The millionaire, who was more widely known in Wall Street circles than in his home, passed away at 11 o'clock yesterday morning, after an illness of only three days. It could scarcely be called an illness, either, for there was no bodily ailment, but only a steady decline of the physical powers. The years had had their way with the mortal frame, the life ebbed away, and James Cheney, the friend and confidant of Jay Gould and Cyrus Field, the modest man who had been a chief factor in some of the greatest movements of modern times, passed from earth. Thus ended one of the strangest and one of the most notable careers in the commercial and social history of the west.

The family was devastated, especially as he had been a constant fixture in Elizabeth's parents' home during the last years of his life. It wasn't the only negative thing to come their way, as not long after they had a break-in at their home on Rockhill Street, when a man by the name of Thomas Vachon entered the property and stole a great deal of food from their larder. The man was caught, though the matter was eventually dropped when the prosecuting witness could not give any intelligent testimony. Strangely the home would be targeted again several years later, when burglars gained entry through a cellar window and made off with a large amount of food and drink, including fruit, eggs, bread, coffee and wine. This time the burglars came prepared, and not only made use of a basket but also a wagon that acted as something of a getaway car.

Still, despite any disappointments that came their way during those first years of marriage, the social interests of Fred and Elizabeth carried on regardless. Fred became a regular fixture at the local golf club, where he not only played in various tournaments, but won many of them too. The accident that almost crippled him some years before had left Fred with blinding headaches at times, but it certainly did not stop him from taking part in his beloved sports activities and tournaments.

On 12 April 1905 the couple welcomed another son: John Stuart Peters (known by his middle name). Not long after, Elizabeth was spotted at several golf club parties and then visited friends and relatives in Chicago, Michigan and Ohio. She also became very interested in playing bridge, and her appearances at parties made the social diary of newspapers during the next year. Her interest in the card game knew no bounds and sometimes Elizabeth would even arrange charity games herself, with entry fees and proceeds from refreshments all going to good causes.

This skill for organising undoubtedly came from her mother, Alice, who consistently made sure that visiting relatives and friends had parties to go to and events to attend. However, Elizabeth's skills went much further than social events, and over time she became involved with many different committees, but particularly the Young Women's Society of the First Presbyterian Church. In February 1907 she became very vocal about her concerns for the nearby Hope Hospital and the various ways they needed help. Along with other members of the church, she organised a charity day which raised money for the hospital, and then afterwards kept a strict eye on what needed to be done in future.

In June 1907, Elizabeth was devastated to learn that her father, Charles, had been taken gravely ill while visiting his mining interests in Kentucky. Leaving the children with Fred she rushed to his side and, together with her brother Willard, managed to nurse the man back to health. In early July, Elizabeth and Willard returned to Fort Wayne with their father, who was described as 'improving rapidly'.

Life got back to normal and continued with Elizabeth's regular parties, weddings and theatre trips, while Fred went on hunting trips with his brother, William. His brother also featured in his golfing activities, and Fred beat him in the finals of the Benson Golf Club. 'Fred Peters played a hard, steady and consistent game throughout,' said the Fort Wayne Daily News. 'He was unusually skilful at critical times and won the match on the merit of his work. He was effective in approaching and putting and was driving with accuracy and skill from the first hole to the last.' Fred's interest in golf did not end with just playing it, and before long he was involved with the pastimes committee at the local golf club too.

In early 1908, Elizabeth discovered she was pregnant again, though she continued with her social life in earnest. There seemed to be no stopping her, but on 6 October she was forced to slow down just a little when her daughter, Jane Alice Peters – the future Carole Lombard – was born at No. 704 Rockhill Street. 'Mr. and Mrs. Fred Peters are rejoicing over the birth of a little daughter on Tuesday evening,' said the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette on 8 October. The couple fell madly in love with the new child and she quickly became an important and beloved member of the family. Carole, however, didn't ever see herself as particularly beautiful. 'As a child, I not only was a blonde, but worse – a tow-head,' she said. 'I had a round face, wore my hair in a Dutch bob, and was fat.'

Jane fitted straight into her family's social life, and her early childhood was a mix of family weddings, sports and community activities. At the very centre of it all was her mother, Elizabeth, who continued to organise events, win tennis matches and host meetings not only for the Young Women's Society, but for the National Congress of Mothers and Parent Teachers Association too. Many of the meetings were held at the Peters' house, where Elizabeth busied herself with refreshments and entertainment for guests. Jane would entertain the grown-ups by walking around on her tiptoes; a trick that convinced her mother that a dance career was in her future. Fred, meanwhile, won golf tournament after golf tournament while at the same time travelling around the country to oversee various business matters.

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Excerpted from Carole Lombard by Michelle Morgan. Copyright © 2016 Michelle Morgan. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
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