HA: Prologue

THE SHORTMAN FAMILY

Abner Shortman (1830-1921)

• Born in rural New York.

• His father, Cornelius Shortman (1800-1891), was a veteran of the War of 1812.  Cornelius made the military his career, eventually reaching the rank of colonel.  He was retired by the time of the Civil War.

• Abner’s great-grandfather fought in the American Revolution.

• Abner is a Civil War Veteran (of the Union).

o Served as a Scout.

o Member of the Grand Army of the Republic (a Union veterans’ group)

• Moved to the Washington Territory in the late 1860s, on the settlement that later became incorporated as Hillwood.

• First marriage in 1855 to Sarah Cooper (1830-1882).  Had 10 children, only five of whom lived past infancy or childhood.  Sarah died in 1882 from cholera.  Those children who lived to adulthood include:

o Abner Shortman Jr. (1857-1882)

 Dies only two days after his mother, also from cholera.  Another child of Abner’s, a 6 year old named Lucy, also dies from the disease.  All were victims of a cholera outbreak in Hillwood.

 Married, but died without issue.

o Cornelius Shortman 2nd (1859-1889)

 Died in a lumber mill accident.  Never married.

o Margaret Shortman (1865-1956)

 Never marries.  Was well-loved by everyone in the Shortman family for the sacrifices she made.  Only one of Abner’s children from his first marriage to live to 91.

o Julia Shortman (1869-1901)

 Died in childbirth.  No surviving children.

o Richard Shortman (1873-1898)

 KIA in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

 Had one daughter, Ruth Shortman (later Oglesby) (1896-1987)

• Second marriage in 1883 to Elizabeth Cartwright (1859-1939).  Had 3 children, two of whom lived to 91.  Those children were:

o Miles Shortman 1st (1885-1976)

o Elise Shortman (1887-1978)

o Amanda Shortman (1889-1905)

• After the Civil War, Abner held odd jobs, including farming, railroad construction, lumber work, commercial fishing, building construction, telegraph and telephone line construction, cobbler, miner, and coachman.  Prior to the Civil War, he was primarily a farmer.

• Always tried to be close with his children, despite always being busy with work.

• Some of his income came from a veteran’s pension, which he sometimes used whenever his family was in dire financial straits.

• A hard worker with a very strong work ethic.

• Died on March 15, 1921.  His son Miles would always joke that his father was luckiest "SOB" ever because he died on Tax Day, making him the only person in Hillwood that day who didn't pay taxes.

Miles Shortman 1st (1885-1976)

• Born in the settlement of Hillwood, Washington Territory.

• Grew up in a large family, which included his elder half-siblings and his younger full siblings.

• Out of all his siblings, he was the closest to his younger sister Elise.  He was also close to his older half-sister Margaret.

• Dropped out of school in the 4th grade so he could help support his family.  In his younger years, he got to work alongside his father on some occasions.  This allowed him to become closer with his father than most of his siblings.

• Occupations held between 1894-1914:  newsboy, railroad construction, lumber work, building construction, telegraph and telephone line construction, department store employee, streetcar operator, road construction, and automobile mechanic.

• Was an extremely skilled card player, even at a young age.  In 1898, he won a card game between several departing soldiers, one of whom was his elder half-brother Richard.  The bet that was placed that Miles won was the deed to a building later to be known as the Sunset Arms boarding house.  Prior to the bet, the soldiers (including Richard) were the tenants and collective owners of the boarding house.  Miles told the men that he didn’t intend his win to be permanent, and that once they returned, he would give the deed to the building back.  Unfortunately, Miles was permanently left with the deed to the building when the soldier tenants did not return (including his brother Richard).  All of them were killed while charging San Juan Hill in Cuba.  The Shortman family, who had lived on a farm, decide to move in to the building.  Miles and his father managed the boarding houses financial affairs jointly, with Miles completely taking over upon his father’s death in 1921.

• Married his childhood sweetheart, Laura Deveraux, in 1909.  She was born in 1890.  Miles’ family scrounges up whatever available disposable income they have to afford Miles and Laura a honeymoon in Paris.

• Unusually for the time, Laura also held a job – as an early switchboard operator.  Because of their busy work lives, Miles and Laura found it difficult to make time to start a family during the years 1909-1914.

• Upon the outbreak of WWI in 1914, Miles and Laura – in an effort to form a closer bond in their marriage – volunteer for the International Red Cross and work on the Western Front.  Laura was a nurse and Miles was an ambulance driver.  They tend to wounded British, French, Belgian, and captured German soldiers.  Laura always traveled with Miles, and Miles always assisted Laura with dressing wounds when no one else was available.  They served from 1914 until late 1916, when they decide to return to Hillwood and finally start a family.

• In early 1917, Laura becomes pregnant with their two children - fraternal twins:   Marie (Mitzi) and Phillip.  However, not too long after Laura becomes pregnant, the United States enters WWI on the side of the Allies.  Feeling duty-bound and full of patriotism, Miles volunteers again as an ambulance driver for the American Red Cross (since he felt he was very good and efficient at his job the first time; he also had a medical problem that prevented him from enlisting as a soldier).  Laura, understanding Miles’ sense of patriotism, accepts his desire to go to the Western Front again.  She stays home to take care of the twins, who are born later in the year.

• During the first time Miles served on the Western Front, he developed an obvious distaste for war and its horrors.  The only reason he returned to Europe was his sense of patriotism to America when it entered the war.  However, during his second time around, he becomes even more horrified and disgusted on how brutal the war became in terms of its greater capacity to kill more easily and expediently.  In mid-1918, he is wounded by shrapnel from an artillery shell while dressing wounds in the trenches, and is given the opportunity to return home because of his wounds.  He comes home disillusioned and sickened by war.  This also made an impact on his views of armed conflict, and for the rest of his life he would be generally anti-war in attitude.

• He comes home on August 30, 1918.  He now plans to fully devote his time to his new family.  However, this opportunity was fleeting.  In the summer of 1919, a Spanish Flu outbreak occurred in Hillwood.  Much of the Shortman family became ill.  Laura was the most ill, and on July 24, 1919, she died, the only one of the household who did.  This devastated Miles, and for nearly 4 months, he secluded himself in his room, only leaving when he needed/wanted to.  During this time, his parents took responsibility for Mitzi and Phil.  

• After his emotional crisis upon the loss of his wife, Miles returns to normal family life and becomes a very responsible and loving father to his children.  Feeling that his motherless children needed a mother-figure, he asked his sister Elise to help raise them.  She gladly accepts and soon moves into the boarding house (at the time, she was living in another boarding house and worked as a maid).  When asked how she should respond to Mitzi and Phil if they ask about who she is and what happened to their original mother, Miles responded by saying to tell the truth:  that she was their aunt, and that she had made the decision to help raise them.  For the rest her life, Elise would be viewed as a parent-figure by both Mitzi and Phil.  

• During the 1920s, he worked as the manager of a car mechanic garage in Hillwood.  However, he was hard-pressed upon the Great Depression, finding work primarily in construction.  It was during this period that Hillwood expanded significantly as a city and Miles, as a construction foreman, was looked up to by construction workers during the Depression as a labor leader. To his sadness but understanding, expecting him to be the first in his family to graduate from grade school, Phil drops out to help his family.  

• During the 1930s, he favored isolationism in terms of foreign politics to avoid another world conflict (due to the horrors of war he experienced in WWI), although he was very much anti-Nazi.  When war broke out for the US in 1941, he voiced his support, although in a lukewarm fashion.  Like any parent, he was worried when Phil decided to enlist for the Army and serve in Europe.
 
• Miles retired from active work in 1950.  By the time he retired, he was the floor manager of an automobile plant.  For the rest of his life, he would manage the affairs (along with Phil) of the Sunset Arms, with Phil taking over completely when Miles’ heath began to slowly deteriorate in 1974.  Miles died on August 2, 1976.

Mitzi Shortman Patterson (1917- )

• Born in Hillwood, Washington, USA.

• Was the first in her family to graduate from school (6th grade), causing a further point of antipathy with her brother Phil, who dropped out of school during the Depression.

• Would always visit the Sunset Arms throughout her life to see her nephews – Miles and Phil Jr., her father, and her other relatives.  However, she would always avoid Phil.

• Had two children with Henry Patterson (1916-1987)

o Mark Patterson (1947-1966)

 Drafted in 1965 and served in Vietnam as a Marine.  KIA in 1966.

 Was close with his cousin Miles (Arnold’s father).

o Melissa Patterson (1949- )

 The rebel of her family.  Very political.  Was part of the hippie counterculture and the anti-war movement, motivated by her brother’s death.

• Married in 1946.

• Husband Hank died on January 24, 1987 of cancer.

• Since she married, she and her family reside in San Francisco.

• Worked at a department store for most of her life.

Phillip Shortman (1917- )

• Born in Hillwood, Washington, USA.

• Married Gertrude (“Gertie” or “Pookie”) in 1947.

• He and his wife (similar to his parents) initially led somewhat busy lives (Gertie’s work as a police officer kept her very busy), and don’t officially start their family until 1955 with the birth of their son and only child, Miles.

• Children:

o Miles Shortman 2nd (1955- )

 Arnold’s father.

• Was in the US Army Reserve until 1954, making it to the rank of sergeant.

Miles Shortman 2nd (1955- )

• Born in Hillwood, Washington, USA.

• Arnold’s father.

• Grew up in a loving family.  Includes his parents, Phil and Gertie; his grandfather and namesake Miles; his great-aunt Elise; his aunts Ruth Oglesby and Mitzi Patterson; and his cousins Mark and Melissa.

• Was very close with his paternal grandfather Miles.  As Miles Sr. was retired, he always devoted his free time to his grandchildren (particularly to Miles, since he lived with him), seeing a lot of potential for him.  The elder Miles always took his grandson to various places in Hillwood, including the Zoological Garden, the Kiska or Avon movie theaters, the Skate Time Rollerskating Rink, Quigley Stadium, Lamoreaux's Bookstore, the Community Pool, Civic Auditorium, the City Library, the City Lake, and the City Aquarium.  Young Miles’ favorites were the Zoological Garden – which gave him an appreciation for and fascination of nature; the movie theaters – which exposed him to a variety of complex plots, characters, settings, and ideas; and Lamoreaux’s Bookstore and the City Library, where he found and bought/checked out books on a variety of subjects, including anthropology in general, and Pre-Columbian societies in North and South America in particular.

• Out of all his cousins, he was the closest to Mark Patterson, son of Mitzi.  When Miles was little, Mark would always look after him, play with him, and treat him as sort of kid brother whenever he visited Sunset Arms.  Miles was devastated when Mark was killed in Vietnam in 1966.  Mark’s death gave Miles a lifelong aversion for war and conflict.

• Developed very eclectic music tastes during the 1960s.  He loves the British Invasion bands, Motown, psychedelic rock, American pop-rock, and some jazz and blues.  In the 1970s, he also became a fan of hard rock, metal, and funk.

• Childhood friends include Martin Johanssen, Kyo Hyerdahl, Bob Pataki, Jerry Berman, Nate Horowitz, Marilyn (Jerry’s future wife), Miriam (later Pataki), Ray (Sid’s father), Suzie (later Kokoshka), and Ernie Potts.

• Much like his son Arnold, Miles was known to be the most “mature” one in his circle of friends.

• Known to be a bit clumsy and occasionally unlucky.

• Despite being the object of several crushes by various female classmates, Miles was always a loner in terms of the romantic relations with the opposite sex.  He never fully pursued a relationship with anyone because he felt he couldn’t relate to other girls on an intimate level because of his various intellectual interests.  Later on, he didn’t really develop a love life until meeting Stella because his line of work always made him busy and travel a lot.

• Hillwood High Class of 1973.

• Enrolled at the University of Oregon – 1973-77.  During that time, he excelled in his studies, and earned a Bachelors and a Masters in this period – his BA in Social Anthropology and his MA in Cultural Anthropology.  He attended the University of California-Los Angeles for graduate school – 1977-79, obtaining a PhD in Pre-Columbian Anthropology.

• While in college, he meets a foreign student from San Lorenzo named Eduardo, who is also studying anthropology.  The two develop a strong friendship.

• First member of his family to attend and graduate from college.

• Expeditions during the period 1979-1984:  Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Chile, and San Lorenzo.

• Met his future wife Stella while on an expedition to San Lorenzo.

• Married Stella in 1987.

• His son, Arnold, is born in 1988.  Around this time, he decides to settle down in Hillwood with Stella, living with his parents at the Sunset Arms.  During the period of 1988-90, he and Stella lecture at Hillwood’s Community College.

• Disappears with Stella while on their expedition to San Lorenzo in 1990.  After missing for 3 years, they are presumed dead, and obituaries for both Miles and Stella appear in the newspaper.