Royal Experiences for the Deere Family

  • By Gretchen Frick Small
  • •
  • 23 Feb, 2023
  • •
Americans’ fascination with the British royal family is not a recent phenomenon. With the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022, we have been flooded with royal news. One historian places this interest back to 1776.

Arianne Chernock, an associate professor in the history department at Boston University, said Americans’ interest in the royal family has been apparent since our nation was formed. “It has been alive pretty much since 1776,” she said. “Pretty much as soon as we severed ties, we were back to being fascinated – captivated really – by the royal family.” Chernock continued that this makes sense with the relationship maintained by the United States and Great Britain. This bond deepened politically, even more after WWII.

Today, we often see American celebrities hobnobbing with the royals. In earlier times it wasn’t just the celebrities, but wealthy Americans. In looking through our archives, it is apparent that the Deere family was fascinated by the British royals. John Deere’s parents emigrated from England to America circa 1800. They supported themselves as tailors in Vermont. Could they imagine that one day their descendants would meet Queens and Kings from their homeland.

We hope you enjoy the many archival pieces we found.

1928
The first evidence of the Deere’s fascination is from 1928. Charles Wiman and his wife Pattie, (grandson of Charles Deere and great grandson of John Deere) traveled to London for Pattie’s presentation at Court. In reading about Court presentations, one account states these ceremonies happened a few times a year. In 1928, the presentation would have been to King George V and Queen Mary, the grandparents of Queen Elizabeth II.

Luckily, Pattie wrote down her memories of this occasion. According to her notes, she attended the presentation at Buckingham Palace with a Miss Hurley, from Chicago. The pair’s car arrived at the entrance line at 6:15p and entered the Palace gates about 8:45p. Once they left their car, Pattie and Miss Hurley were seated in a room with rows of chairs. At about 9:15p, their row was led to the throne room.

Once Pattie entered the throne room, she presented her card at the door. Her name was read and her gown’s train was arranged, before proceeding to make her bow to the King. She then stepped further along to make her bow to the Queen. No words were spoken, and the evening ended with a visit to the supper room about 11:00p. After midnight, Pattie gave her name for her car to be called. She ended her memories with “Never again do I expect to see anything so beautiful.”

Notice that the invitation states that ladies are required to wear Court Dress with feathers and trains.
Mrs. Charles Deere Wiman, in the gown worn for the presentation. (WBF Archives 1988.333.1)
1935
In 1935, the Silver Jubilee of King George V was celebrated. We know that some of the Deere family traveled to the London for the event. Very little documentation survives from this trip, except for the Royal Silver Jubilee photograph booklet.
King George V and Queen Mary
1953
The June 2, 1953, coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, was the first to be televised. This was probably the last trip Katherine Deere Butterworth made abroad. She passed away in December of 1953.

Mrs. Butterworth traveled on the S.S. United States ship with her personal secretary Ruth Moll, and friend Mrs. Joshua Hale.

S.S. United State was commissioned the year before Mrs. Butterworth’s trip.

The ship left New York on May 22, 1953. Interestingly, the list of first class passengers includes the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. We don’t know who snapped this photograph, maybe Ruth Moll?
Duke and Duchess of Windsor (WBF Archives 1993.41.1)
While the travelers were in London, they attended a comedy at the New Theatre on May 29, 1953. The notes written on the playbill, tell us that included in their group was Charles and Pattie Wiman, a Dr. Neff, and Mr. & Mrs. Val Fischer.
The main reason for this trip was the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Mrs. Butterworth’s group watched the Coronation Procession from a viewing stand at Hamilton Place.
What a spectacular sight this must have been. The lovely “Approved Souvenir Programme” provides every detail of the procession and coronation. Of special interest is  the official route map. The approximate location of the Hamilton Place viewing stand is circled.
Included in the WBF Archives are two souvenir postcards. The single view of Queen Elizabeth is one of the most striking portraits we have seen of her.
Our next “History Bites at the Deere Homes” blog will feature Mrs. Charles Deere Wiman’s experiences with the royal family in 1959 and 1966.

Royal Experiences for the Deere Family: Part II

By Gretchen Frick Small • 27 Jul, 2023
The experiences that Katherine Deere Butterworth and Charles and Pattie Wiman had with the British Royal family in the 1920s, 30s.

Alexander F. Harmer

By Gretchen Frick Small • 29 Apr, 2022
If you have not watched any of our YouTube videos at our channel Deere Family Homes, we encourage you to check out the April 2022 video. The video features the story of one painting hanging in the Deere-Wiman House. The painting’s artist is Alexander Harmer.

We are lucky to have four paintings in our collection that were created by Harmer. It made sense for us to learn more about Harmer and see if we could determine why we have so many paintings from one artist. I love all four pieces and wanted to know more about the artist and determine if there was a connection to the family. Three of the paintings hang in the Deere-Wiman House and one at Butterworth Center. So, it was not just one family member that took an interest in his work.

We know that William and Anna Wiman moved to Santa Barbara in the 1890s. Then about 1906-07, William and his sons moved back to Moline following Anna’s death. The Santa Barbara house was still owned by the family, and by 1914, Katherine and William Butterworth began to use the house. In addition to the house in Santa Barbara, the Butterworths also owned a residence in the San Marcos Pass area. Mrs. Butterworth continued to spend part of the winter in Santa Barbara until her death in 1953. We also know that Charles Deere Wiman and his family had a home in the area, as early as the 1920s.

Did any of the family know Alexander Harmer? We wish we knew. It is possible since Harmer’s life in Santa Barbara does overlap with the Butterworth and Wiman families. Or maybe the family did not know Harmer but was drawn to his art and purchased pieces through art dealers.

Alexander Francis Harmer was born in 1856, in Newark, New Jersey. One source I read said that he sold his first work at the age of 11 for $2. Then at the age of 16, he lied about his age and joined the United States Army. He was stationed in California, which I think is the time period his artistic interests changed. He turned towards painting and illustrating the Apache Nation. The year would have been 1872, and the US Army would have had a large presence in the West with the enforcement of federal Indian policy (which consisted of allotment of land and assimilation.)

After just one year, Harmer asked for a discharge and left the military. He worked as a photographer’s assistant until he was able to enroll in art school. He studied art under Thomas Eakins and Thomas Anshutz at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. In 1881, he re-enlisted in the Army and headed to his assignment at Fort Apache, Arizona. Harmer probably saw the Army as a cheap way of traveling West to continue his interest in the American West and the Apache Indians. During this enlistment, he was able to serve in an Army division assigned to pursue Geronimo. His studies of Indian life created an invaluable record. Harmer then returned to the academy in Pennsylvania where he turned his sketches of the Apache Nation into illustrations for Harper’s Weekly.

In 1891, Harmer returned to California, and in 1893, he married Felicidad Abadie. The Abadie family was one of the pioneering California families. The couple settled in Santa Barbara, which led to Harmer being remembered as “Southern California’s first great painter of the 19th Century." At this time, his work revolved around a series of paintings of the Old California missions under Mexican rule. They resided on De La Guerra Plaza, which included the Adabie family home. From 1908 through the 1920s, Harmer established the first art colony on the West coast. Studios were added to the Spanish-Colonial adobe home of the Harmers, where many up and coming artists worked.
Alexander Harmer died on January 10, 1925, supposedly while admiring the sunset from his backyard. This was just six months before the Santa Barbara earthquake, which left the Harmers' adobes in ruins.

All four paintings are signed Alex. F. Harmer, but only two are dated. Below are photographs of the four paintings in the collection.

 Inside the Butterworth Garage

By Gretchen Small • 25 Feb, 2022
Butterworth Garage, circa 1909, now known as the Butterworth Education Center. Let’s go inside the building beginning with the addition constructed in 2009

The History of the Butterworth Garage

By Gretchen Small • 27 Oct, 2021
The History of the Butterworth Garage’s

Deere-Wiman House 1917 Swimming Pool

By Gretchen Frick Small • 20 Aug, 2021
Click here to view a new video on our YouTube Channel featuring the Swimming Pool built in 1917 on the Deere-Wiman House grounds. https://youtu.be/NgV6XUEkrLs

The Deere Family and The Hotel Colorado

By Gretchen Small • 28 May, 2021
A trip to a hot spring was very popular during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The healing waters were a popular destination for families, the wealthy, and the famous.

Ruth Vendala Marie Moll, Part II

By Gretchen Small • 26 Apr, 2021
Ruth Moll's life at Hillcrest, both with Katherine and William Butterworth and as the first Director of Butterworth Center.

Ruth Vendla Marie Moll

By Gretchen Small • 24 Mar, 2021
Ruth Moll's wonderful stories about life at Hillcrest

Mollie and John Capris

By Gretchen Frick Small • 22 Feb, 2021
John Deere brought a family here named Capus. He built a house for them near his home. They joined the First Methodist Church.

William Le Baron Jenney

By Gretchen Frick Small • 26 Jan, 2021
Deere-Wiman House architecture
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