Sisterly love

The picture sometimes only tells part of the story. In this case, we see two sisters in an affectionate pose. The older sister, Ruth, is my grandmother; the younger, standing next to her is Mayone, five years younger. Missing is Irene, born just one year before Ruth. There are no photos of the three sisters together, as Irene died when Mayone was a toddler. At the ripe old age of six, Ruth became the older sister, and her sense of responsibility to her remaining sister was an integral part of her character. 

Family lore states that when the third daughter arrived, there were out of names, so they named her after her birthday: May one. From a researcher's perspective, the unique name makes her easy to find--until she married and became Mrs. Thomas Moonlight Murphy. Thomas (not the Civil War hero of the same name, but directly descended from him) was a lawyer for the National Surety Company, and he took his new bride to Buenos Aires with him when sent to establish an Argentine branch. They returned to the states two years later as a family of three. By all accounts, the family was fairly wealthy--there was always a live-in servant listed in censuses for the household. 

Both sisters attended the University of Nebraska, and joined the same sorority (Alpha Phi). While Mayone married right out of college, Ruth remained at home, working as a bookkeeper, and helping run the family's hotel--the Merriam Hotel in Omaha. It seemed clear to all that Ruth, in late 30s, was destined to be an old maid. 

But she didn't: a long story, for another day, left her in San Francisco, a widowed single mother running the Biltmore Hotel. Money was tight until the war came, and the residential hotel turned into a gold mine: Ruth socked the money away, buying a little bit of stock every month, building a healthy nest egg. 

But while many save money for "someday," Ruth started giving it away in her final decades. One letter, saved with a copy of the deposited check, hints that Mayone's final years were anything but luxurious. Ruth was staying with Mayone after eye surgery:

Dear Mayone,

    Since your next birthday is coming up on May 1st, I want to make a gift to you now while I am in your home of $2,700.00. I am making this as a birthday gift now in hopes that you will be able to enjoy it for some of the things you need and might not otherwise have. Perhaps you would like to use part of this fund to redeem your rings which you pledged some time ago for a loan.

Affectionately,

Your sister Ruth

Sisters Mayone and Ruth