Leo Nora (Norton) Savage (1876 - 1896)

Born 1876 in Oregon, United States

Wife of Thomas Jefferson Savage — married 25 Jun 1891 in Benton County, Oregon, USA

Died 4 Oct 1896 at about age 20 in Summit, Benton, Oregon, United States

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Biography

Inscription: Leo Nora Savage, aged 20 yrs. daughter of Nahum Norton and wife of Thomas Savage. Their two small sons and an infant died in a fire in Summit on October 4, 1896.

Memorial placed by the King Family Association, 2013. (From Find-A-Grave)

The Corvallis Gazette, Fri., Oct. 9, 1896, 3:5 - THREE WERE BURNED - Horrible Death of Mrs. Thomas Savage and Her Three Little Children. - At Summit Sunday night Mrs. Thomas Savage and her three little children were burned to death and the house in which they lived was entirely consumed by the same angry flames that exterminated the four inmates. As far as can be learned, no man saw the fire and it was not until toward noon the following day that Bert James, one of the neighbors sons, discovered that the Savage residence was in ashes. The neighbors were at once notified and a party of friends soon arrived at the scene, and to their horror found the charred remains of Mrs. Savage and her three children, lying among the smoldering ruins. The story of the mournful event was related to the Gazette representative late Monday night by C.H. James and H. Herman. These gentlemen had driven in from the Summit after a casket in which the remains were to be buried. Their theory of the accident is that Mrs. Savage and her children had retired and that after they had gone to sleep the fire broke out in the kitchen. Being only a two-room box building, the flames quickly enveloped the entire structure and when Mrs. Savage awoke she was immediately overcome by the heat and fell with her baby at the foot of the bed in which her two little boys were sleeping. The two latter were probably unconscious to the end, for their remains were found lying together on a spring mattress upon which doubtless they were sleeping when the fire broke out. As there would have been no difficulty in the inmates effecting their escape if awake, it seems certain that the roaring flames which enveloped their little home, failed to warn the mother of their danger until too late. On Thursday previous to the fatal accident, the husband and father of the hapless family had gone hunting with a party of friends, and although he was expected home Sunday, he did not return until late the following afternoon. He had learned, however, of the tragedy, but was unprepared for the horrible scene that awaited him. The anguish of the stricken husband and father, deprived so horrible and so suddenly, of family and home, was most pitiful. Little consolation could the horror stricken, but deeply sympathizing neighbors offer to the bereaved man. Mrs. Savage was a daughter of Nathan Norton, of Blodgett Valley, and had been married five or six years. Her remains, together with those of her three children, were buried in one casket today in the Kings Valley cemetery.

Daily Eugene Register Guard (Oregon), 6 Oct 1896, Page 1, Column 3: A HOLOCAUST - A Woman and Her Three Children Burned to Death - Special to the Guard. - SUMMIT, Or., Oct 6 - Nora, wife of Thomas Savage, residing two miles [east] of Summit Station, on the OPRR, was burned to death with her three children. Bert Jones called at the house this morning and found it destroyed by fire. He called neighbors, and they found the body of Mrs. Savage near the foot of where the bed had been, limbs burned off and trunk drawd out of shape. An infant in her arms was burned to a crisp. On another bed was found the lady's two boys, one with his arms around the other, evidently having been smothered before burning. A coroner's jury was empowered by the justice of the peace and found that death came by fire; cause unknown.

Oct 8 1896 issue Scio paper - Mrs. Thomas Savage, living two miles east of Summit, Benton county, in a house some two hundred yards from the nearest neighbors was burned to death with her babe in her arms and two little boys in a bed close by. She was seen by Mr. Thrasher, the near neighbor, on the evening of October 4th and on the morning of the 5th, a neighbor boy, Bert Jones, found the house in ashes. Search revealed the charred remains of the mother and three children. The coroner's jury brought in the verdict of death by burning; cause of fire unknown.

Sources

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=112200498