Understanding Judy Garland's Family - The Baughs

    In my last blog on  the series of events leading up to my book, From Tennessee to Oz, I spoke about the birth of the CD recording “Made In America – Vaudeville Songs” and the resulting show.

    After performing the show for three years on and off, the girls were growing up (kids grow up so quickly – we can imagine how Ethel saw that with her girls), and it was time to move on. Meanwhile, I moved part-time to Pennsylvania. At this point, several people urged me to write a book, telling me that the information I had should be preserved.  On principle, I did not want to write a book and adamantly refused, but that Christmas, after making a small book on my findings for one of Judy’s family members, I realized it would be doable. I pictured it as a simple book with pictures that I’d have completed in a year. Little did I know where the road would lead me.



Curry Wolfe, one one of our many
adventures. Here she is standing by
an old farm in the area of Old Millersburg
and Christiana where the Baughs also
lived, especially during the Civil War.



One thing I was certain of—I needed a better understanding of Frank Gumm’s family history. One day, while searching online, I came upon someone who said they were related to Clemmie Baugh Gumm. The lady’s name was Curry Wolfe and she had done ten years of research on this line of her family. Her great grandfather, John M.M. Baugh was Clemmie’s brother. Over the next years, as I came to know Curry and work on research with her, these ancient people, who were little more than names and dates on a piece of paper, became real to me. As a child, I knew two of my great grandparents. If Curry’s great grandfather was Clemmie’s brother – that was close! But when Curry first began to explain her family to me, I was a bit overwhelmed. There were a lot of children in that family!

For those of you who have the books (and those who don’t), it might be useful for me to introduce Clemmie Baugh Gum’s family in a simplified way.



Mary Ann Marable's grandparents, the Rev. Henry
Hartwell Marable's log cabin in Rutherford County.
Her parent's home no longer exists.



Clemmie’s father, John Aldridge Baugh, was born in Virginia. When he was a child, the entire family traveled as pioneers, in covered wagons to Tennessee. They remained there only a short time, and then moved across the border to the edge of Alabama, where they earned their living as farmers.

Why John Baugh came to Murfreesboro in 1828 is not completely clear. There is some indication that he may have come to teach school. Because he had a number of family members living in Rutherford County, it also seems highly likely that he came to visit relatives. One of those relatives was his grandmother’s sister, Lucy Marable. Lucy and Benjamin Marable had a beautiful daughter named, Mary Ann, with whom John fell in love. Mary Ann was equally smitten with John, and one week after her seventeenth birthday, John and Mary Ann were wed. When John returned to Alabama, he returned with seventeen year-old bride and her servant, Mirandy Marable, who would later be known as Miranday Baugh. There is more fascinating information in my book, but those are the basics.



Glorious Tennessee skies and land in the Blackman Community, not far
 from the land which Mary Ann Marable's father, Benjamin owned.
(c) Michelle Russell



While living in Alabama, the Baughs had a daughter, whom they named Caledonia (1831), and a son, Joseph Lawrence (1833.) Joseph was a big shorter and fairer than some of the other children.

Although it’s not known why, in 1835, the couple moved back to Rutherford County with their two children, and settled on Mary Ann’s parents’ farm. A short time later, she gave birth to a third child, John Mason Marable Baugh, who was named for both of his grandparents.

In an old letter I discovered at the Tennessee Historical Society, Joseph states that during this time he lived in his grandparents’ home. This fact makes one wonder whether Mary Ann was unwell or suffering from post partum depression and unable to care properly for her children.

Living on the Marable farm, which sat on some of the richest land in the area, John Baugh was able to save money and grow his wealth. In the next few years he would buy hundreds of acres of land and, also, slaves. During the marriage, the family moved quite a few times. It seems that often when a new territory opened up in the area (turnpike roads were being built during this time), John buy would buy acreage and move the growing family.

Curve in the road where the stage coaches stopped for
travelers to get a drink of cool spring water.
(c) M. Russell



During the next ten years, Mary Ann Baugh would give birth every two years. The year after John M.M. Baugh’s birth (1836), Mary Ann gave birth to a little girl they named Lucy Elizabeth, though she would always be known as “Bettie.” Bettie was a dark-haired child with dark eyes. (NOTE: Clemmie has sometimes been referred to as Elizabeth. This is obviously inaccurate; she was always Clemmie.) Two years after Lucy’s birth, Martha was born. She was always known as "Mattie."

In 1840, when Mattie was two, the Baugh’s oldest child, nine year-old Caledonia died. There were many diseases in those days; children died so frequently that some of the wealthy families had the servants take care of their children until they were ten or older, so as not to be too attached to them if they died.

 In 1843, Mary Ann gave birth to a son she named after her father, Benjamin Marable. Fredonia arrived in 1845 and Mary in 1847. The Baughs now had six children at home.



Old farm and Tennessee farmhouse in Big Springs
(c) Michelle Russell



Two years after Mary, a little girl named Eliza arrived. By now, the Baughs were living on a big farm in the Big Springs area, a cross roads town for the stage coach, protected by hills, with a spring where travelers loved to stop for a drink of fresh water. Here, in 1851, Mary Ann gave birth to her tenth child, Charles Richard Baugh. As stated before, Mary Ann likely thought this would be her last child. He had been giving birth now for twenty years! However, six years later, as I stated in my previous blog, she gave birth to a little girl with a birth defect, Clemmie.

Of course, my book gives many more details on history, what the living was like and the events in the family. Throughout my book, I also refer to the ages of the children frequently, in an effort to give some sense of the household and how many little ones were running around at any given time.

As for personalities in the family, Joe seemed to be the best businessman. After his marriage in 1854 to a British lady named Anna Butterworth (before Clemmie was even born), he moved south to Winchester. His daughter, Emma, became a fine musician and one of his sons, Ashton, was said to be a fine singer.

Bettie married Mr. Robert White and lost many children early. Being the eldest sister she seems to have been the most serious of all the children, with a sense of compassion toward her mother and her sister, Clemmie.

Mattie married young and died young, so not much is known of her personality. Her husband, Robert Howland, was in the Confederate Army when she died, as was the local doctor.

Mattie’s Sister Mary, who would later be called “Mollie,” married Mattie’s widow, Robert Howland, and had four sons with him.

Young Benjamin seems to have been his mother’s favorite son. Perhaps that was because he was named for her father and also because he went to war so young. He entered the service at the age of 18, was present for some of the worst battles anyone has ever seen, including the Battle of Shiloh, which I describe in detail in Part 1. What he saw and took part in destroyed him. He ended up in an insane asylum and was dead by the age of thirty-eight.

Eliza was rather a spirited girl. Before Clemmie came along, she had been the youngest girl. She seems a bit resentful of her sister, finding her spoiled and selfish. Perhaps the two were somewhat similar in character.

Not so much is known about Charlie. He was young when the war began and could not do what his brothers did, become a soldier. Between Clemmie’s disability and young Rollie (son of Mattie and Robert Howland) entering the family, it is possible that Charlie got lost, or did not care to partake so much in family events. He married young and was on his own. When John Baugh died in 1870, it seems Mary Ann was overwhelmed, having to take over her husband’s work and missing him. Less record of Mary Ann's inter-action exists Charlie than between her and her other children. There is one indication, however, that at some point he did something to displease her. There is a quote of her saying,

“I would not help him if he were as naked as the day he was born!”

You can see that Mary Ann had a temper and it is said that once she made up her mind, there was no changing it. She could be gentle and kind, a wonderful conversationalist, but you did not want to make her angry!

So this is a bit about the characteristics of the Baugh family, which may give you some insight into Clemmie and Frank Gumm.

It should be noted, that Frank Gumm knew all of the above people quite well. They influenced his life, and possibly that of his daughter.

Next blog: A Return Trip to Tennessee – the Second. And the adventure goes on!