Today, Barbara Brackman's blog Civil War Quilts reveals the fascinating story of Susan Deering Lohry's Grant Quilt and her family travails. Barbara's blog "digresses" into information about Susan's daughter Anna Lohry who married George W. Gallaner and who also ran an early newspaper in California. Barbara followed Anna's story quite a distance but opted not to follow it further because her blog is focused on quilts.
Since my blog is a bit more loosey, goosey than that, I decided to take up the chase for Anna's story, and what a story it is. Murder. Betrayal. Endurance.
Anna Ashebrook Lohry married George Washington Gallanar in Uniontown, El Dorado County, California on 18 July 1876.
The Gallanar's published The Pacific Grove Review in Monterey County, California about 1890 or a little earlier. By 1892, Anna (Lohry) Gallanar owned and operated it on her own.
A history of central California counties written in 1893 by Henry D. Barrows notes that Anna Gallanar was in charge of The Pacific Grove Review. It would seem that George was out of the picture by then.
By early 1894, while Anna was running the newspaper, her sister-in-law Hannah (Kuhn) Lohry, wife of Edward Marshall Lohry, was running the post office at Broderick, Yolo County, California.
However, by the end of 1894, Edward M Lohry had been abandoned by Hannah. This notice signaled that he would not be covering her debts.
In early 1895, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a large article about the newspaperwomen of California. In this profile of Anna, we learn that she was a petite woman in poor health. At this point, George W. Gallaner is not a part of her life, and Anna relies on employees to help with the newspaper.
In mid-1896, sister-in-law Hanna E. (Kuhn) Lohry, also known as Johana files for divorce from Edward M Lohry. Note that she is no longer a postmistress in Yolo County. She has also turned the tables on Edward by accusing him of desertion.
One of the newspaper articles from George W. Gallanar's murder trial in 1903 reveals a slightly different story. Hannah (Kuhn) Lohry and taken up with her brother-in-law George W. Gallanar. It's hard to know when their affair began, but the article implies that it was while George and Anna (Lohry) Gallanar were still married. George and Hanna must have married shortly after Hannah's divorce from Edward was finalized, probably in late 1896 or 1897.
By mid-1897, Anna's bad health was catching up to her, and she was in danger of going blind.
Evidently, though, this blindness was temporary.
Later in the year, sister Bobbie Lohry was helping keep The Pacific Grove Review up and running.
In 1900, Anna Gallanar sold The Pacific Grove Review to Wallace Clarence Brown. Her son Frederick Gallanar had also been involved in running the paper.
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