Montclaire House -- Meet the Owners

Who lives at Montclaire House?

It took quite a while before I had an inkling of the family who lived in this house. Usually, we build knowing all sorts of details about the “little people”. This was building in the dark.

Finally, a thought came by way of a friend—“a retired, elder-statesman couple whose children are grown and off somewhere”.  As I was going through Ellen Scofield’ s (Ellensworld) catalog for an elder statesman couple, I fell in love with her N.A.Chief and New Miss Pitty Pat porcelain doll kits which I then purchased, put together, and dressed. I knew immediately that they were my couple, but how did they fit in?

But how do they fit into Montclaire House?

Then I remembered how much I loved the late Tony Hillerman’s mystery novels concerning the Navajo in and around the Four Corners area. Thus the husband became Joe Leaphorn (Navajo Tribal Policeman in the book)—except that this Joe Leaphorn is the Director of the Museum of the American Indian 

Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian

at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC and resides in Georgetown with his wife Louisa Montclaire Leaphorn, director of the Ethnographic Collections.

Well, they are not a “retired” elder-statesman couple but otherwise a good fit for the house. From experience, I know that keeping a museum running smoothly (and surviving the process) certainly requires the same elder-statesman-like abilities that running governments require. Some of Louisa’s family were statesmen, and they did live in this house, and the furnishings in the “public” rooms have “always” been there (and have scars to show). Joe’s family have been elder statesmen also—helping to maintain the well-being of the Navajo “res” internally and versus US bureaucracy when necessary, and keeping the Navajo culture alive.

One thing nice about houses that are passed down through generations is that one can furnish “with impunity”. Things don’t all have to match; they just have to have been loved. I did keep the foyer and the living and dining rooms  “as they always have been” as befitting this couple who do a lot of entertaining in the interests of getting resources for the museum and smoothing ruffled feathers.

 

Louisa and Joe’s children are grown and have left the nest (thank heavens).

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Louisa Patricia Montclaire and Joseph Henry Leaphorn: Biographical Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Louisa--

 Montclaire House has been in the Montclaire family since it was built by Benjamin Montclaire

when he became Woodrow Wilson’s (1912-1920) Under Secretary of State. It eventually passed on to Louisa’s father Gilbert.  Gilbert, his wife Evangeline,

and their daughter Louisa are prominent Wyoming natives who became Washington-based when Gilbert was elected US Senator and then later when he became Secretary of the Interior. They have always considered Wyoming “home” though.

Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, state of many awesome landscapes.

Louisa preferred the “west” and went to the University of Wyoming and majored in Geology with a minor in Anthropology. She loved studying dinosaurs but at some point she realized that studying indigenous cultures was more interesting—you could talk to the present-day practitioners! Ever try talking to a dinosaur? She stayed at Wyoming for her doctorate, but changed direction and concentrated on anthropology and archaeology. After graduation, she talked to people at the Smithsonian (her favorite museums) to see what help she could be and was delighted when they offered her a grant for ethnographic studies of southwestern cultures!

Joe—

Joe’s parents are Anna

and Henry

.

He was raised on the reservation where his parents still live. His early education was “modern”, taught in English by Navajo and non-Navajo. Since his parents speak both Navajo and English, he does too. He thinks of himself as a realist like his father the “legendary lieutenant” of the Navajo Tribal Police (his father rolls his eyes when he hears that phrase, but the family just laughs). He has learned the culture (mostly from his mother), respects it, and works to preserve it, but he also lives in, what he says is the “real world”: a combination of Navajo and non-Navajo ideologies.

The Navajo Nation

From early on he was fascinated by the Anasazi culture and its disappearance. He dreamed of going to college to become an archaeologist specializing in Southwestern cultures. He did very well in school and received a scholarship from the University of Arizona. There he received a BA in anthropology and then a PhD.  He was living his dream! His parents were thrilled for him, but his mother worried a little that he might somehow drift away.  But this wasn’t so—he still came back to help out anybody at anytime. Of course, that blue-eyed, non-Indian ethnographer from the Smithsonian (Louisa somebody?) who was so enthusiastic about the Navajo, helped seal his fate.

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They meet—

With her grant from the Smithsonian, Louisa went to the University of Arizona looking for native people who would like to be part of her ethnographic studies to be exhibited at the Smithsonian. This led to a meeting with archaeologist Joe Leaphorn whose mother Anna was a modern “traditionalist” heavily involved in Navajo culture and whose father was Henry Leaphorn, the “legendary lieutenant” of the Navajo Tribal Police. Henry considered himself a realist who while not as culturally knowledgeable as his wife, realized that Navajo tradition permeated everything and had to be considered.

Joe’s extended family, capably “directed” by his grandmother Emma Chee

,

had access to oral and written histories; and his parents could offer insights into the “past vs. present “ conundrum. This was quite a find for Louisa who then decided to concentrate on the Navajo. And as these things sometimes go, before long Joe and Louisa found time to concentrate on each other. He fell into her big, blue eyes and was knocked over by her enthusiasm for her project; she thought he had the most wonderful smile and easy laughter and was knocked over by his enthusiasm for his project!

When Louisa’s parents retired, they gave Montclaire House to her. This thrilled Louisa since by then she and Joe were married, and both were working for the Smithsonian--dividing their time between Washington and the Four Corners area. Louisa’s parents moved back to their Wyoming ranch.

Joe’s parents are retired also and still live on the reservation,

and although they visit Washington, they really do enjoy visiting Wyoming!

Before long, all of Joe’s and Louisa’s dedication was rewarded and they became well-respected members of the Smithsonian and earning them elder-statesman status!

 

Somewhere in their hectic lifestyle, they raised two children: Henry

and Bernadette (sorry, camera-shy).

Westerly- The Beach Cottage of Sarah Spencer & Franklin Wells, Maryland coast

********************************************************* Sarah Victoria Spencer & Franklin Eric Wells: Biographical Information
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Sarah is the daughter of Abigail...... and......Samuel Spencer of Williamsburg, Virginia (see Abigail’s Teashop & Bakery). She has a younger sister Robin...... a physicist at the John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

Sarah was in her sophomore year at the University of Chicago and was still wondering what to do with her life. As she became more and more interested astronomy, she started to wonder if she could be an astronaut and fly amongst the stars. Before she knew it, she applied to the Air Force Academy. After intensive pre-processing, she was accepted. She finally found her milieu—she loved flying. She is now a pilot in the Air Force and is currently stationed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. She has logged combat hours and has been part of the Air Force One Flight crew. Sarah has recently been promoted to Captain.
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Franklin is the son of Helen... ... and Arthur...... Wells of Silver Spring, Maryland. He has an older sister Dorothea......(see 2004 OddJob Lane) and an older brother George...... (see Original Rowbottom Manse).

Franklin attended the University of Pennsylvania and then Johns Hopkins specializing in infectious diseases and pulmonary surgery. After working for the Center for Disease Control, he joined Doctors without Borders. While treating military personnel, Franklin decided he could best serve by being with the troops in the field. He is now a Major in the Air Force and is presently stationed at Andrews Air Force Base.

For reasons that are still classified, Franklin was asked to join the crew of Air Force One......on one of its lengthier flights. Sarah Spencer was also on the crew. The trip went well and on the way back there was ample time for everyone to get to know one another. Also on the flight was Angus MacPherson......(see MacPherson Farm) as CIA liaison. This gave everyone something to think about and nothing to talk about.

Sarah and Franklin kept up their friendship between separations for military business. Their friendship flourished into romance and in 2000, they married at the Air Force Chapel in Colorado Springs....

In 2001, they decided that while living at Andrews was fine, they wanted a vacation home and bought and renovated a “get-away” cottage on the Maryland shore. Their family and friends loved this idea and the cottage quickly became very popular. Thus the “get-away” became the “get-together”! Shortly, they truly understood how important this all was as they both became involved in the Afghan War.

2004 Odd Job Lane- The Queen Anne Townhouse of Dorothea & Edmond Rumford, Alexandria, Virginia

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Dorothea Therese Wells & Edmond (Ned) Paul Rumford: Biographical Information
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Dorothea is the daughter of Helen (Duffy) & Arthur Wells. Arthur is the owner and publisher of the Daily Chronical, a position he took over when his father retired. The newspaper has been in the family since Arthur's grandfather left politics, bought the paper, and moved his family from Boston to Potomac, Maryland. Duffy is a professor of Political Science at the University of Maryland. Her family has always lived in Maryland and her parents are retired professors. It seems that Duffy also followed a family tradition! Arthur and Duffy meet as students at UM, and even Duffy worked at the newspaper while going to grad school.

Dorothea has two older brothers: Franklin (Johns Hopkins U.), is a surgeon and a Major in the Air Force, and George (UVA) is a partner with Derek Rowbottom in their architecture & landscape firm, Potomac Landscapes. Dorothea and her brothers grew up in the womderful older home in Silver Spring, Maryland...... where their parents still reside.

Dorothea decided to check out her Bostonian roots and to study Literature at Havard. She chose to live in Boston after graduation and to work at the same newspaper as her great-grandfather had so many years ago. She really thought she would stay in Boston forever until she came home one summer and met Ned Runford at a Derek Rowbottom party. As they say, the rest is history. She and Ned married and settled in Alexandria. One day, she realized that she would like to write children's books. Much to her delight, she now writes children's books-- books that are often illustrated by her good friend Rebecca Rowbottom .
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Edmond, usually called Ned, is the son of Arlene and Douglas Rumford. His father is a founding attorney of Spencer, Mason, & Rumford, a firm specializing in Estate Planning with offices in Williamsburg and Fairfax, Virginia; and Washington DC. His mother is Head of the Science Department at Fairfax High School. Douglas and Arlene met when they were both undergrads at American Univerity in DC.

Ned's younger brother John is a graduate of the Curtis Institute and a clarinetist with the Washington DC Symphony Orchestra; his younger sister Nina has a degree from Georgetown U. Law and is an attorney, also. Ned and his siblings grew up in a c.1850 classic revival home  in Fairfax, Virginia where his mother grew up and his parents still reside.

Ned followed in his father's footsteps, obtained a law degree from Stanford, and then joined the firm. He handles the multi-faceted legal work for Potomic Landscapes and for Rebecca's endeavor's. Between both of these, Ned is quite busy. He pretends to grumble, but he enjoys every minute and does a bit of traveling as a result of the business needs.

As Virginians, the Rumfords like to tease the Wells family about having "Yankees" roots!

Abigail's Teashop & Bakery, Williamsburg, Virginia

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Abigail Spencer and Anna Rowbottom: Biographical Information
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The teashop is owned by Abigail Spencer and Anna Rowbottom. The staff, Chef Louis , Sous Chef Arthur [pic needed], Polly and Gerald O’Malley – waitress and waiter, Peggy Jean Jensen who runs the bakery , and host Charlie O’Malley with daughter Jane as hostess, help keep things running smoothly.

Abigail Spencer and Anna Rowbottom are long-time friends. Early in their married lives, they convinced their husbands that it would be nice to own a small “colonial” teashop and bakery just outside of the Williamsburg Historic District, and hopefully, not too far from their homes. Samuel Spencer and Reginald Rowbottom didn’t think it was a bad idea -- but they weren’t sure it was a good idea either.

Anna and Abigail did a lot of research, soul-searching, and financial calculations. They presented their findings to their families, and everyone started to get excited about this venture. It was also decided to offer catering for small events. After many more machinations, they got a loan from the bank and bought property. Fortunately, Reginald owned an architectural firm that would design the building and the grounds, and oversee the construction; while Spencer had a law firm that would kept the project out of trouble!

The teashop and bakery is a small, nicely situated, and nicely appointed building. It is quite popular, including its outdoor dining area, and a petting zoo is nearby [pic]. Through the years, Anna and Abigail have put in a lot of work getting and keeping the teashop running smoothly. Fortunately, they have managed to keep a loyal staff -- some of whom are now junior partners -- who are eager to take on more and more responsibility. This allows Anna, Abigail, and their families to relax and have time to themselves without worry.