 I was born Grace Belle in the great state of Michigan in the county of Allegan on February 13th, 1842. I was raised in comfort on the largest farm in the county.
When I was 18 years old I married a dashing 2nd Lt. Robert McNee, a calvary officer in the U.S. Army.Two years later the war of rebellion ensued and my husband was away for the next four years. Following the North's victory, my husband was sent west to the new Fort Whipple in the Arizona territory. In 1867, I followed the Captain to the fort and lived a fine life there.
My husband was off fighting the Hualapai Indians west of the fort for much of the time until the treaty of 1870. In 1871, the Captain with company F, 12th Infantry, was sent to establish a camp at Beale Springs some 100 miles from the safety of Fort Whipple.
In order for me to join the Captain at this desert camp, he purchased a small home in the nearby mining town of Cyanide Springs. The town was but 20 miles from the camp and my husband would visit often.
In April 1874, my husband was killed by the Hualapai Indians as they were being moved to a new reservation near a place called La Paz on the Colorado River. Since my husband's death, I have earned a living as a seamstress and taking in laundry. Life is hard in Cyanide Springs, but I have no where else to go.
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