There seems to be an interesting, though controversial and indirect, connection between the Hearst and Johns family. Read below to learn more!
George Hearst was born September 3, 1820 in Sullivan, Missouri and raised in a log cabin on one of three small farms owned by his father. When his father died in 1844, Hearst took over the care of his mother, brother and sister. In addition, he did some mining and ran a general store.
As a young man George was seeing a young lady named Susannah Anderson who gave birth to their child on April 20, 1846. They named her Margaret Ellen. The two never married and Susannah either had or began to have some mental health issues. From the book Mann Creek Memoirs: "I do remember mother saying that George Hearst wanted grandma (Susannah Anderson) to marry him. It was after the baby was born; while she was still confined to her bed that George came to see the baby. Whoever was taking care of her baby told Susannah that he asked to see it and she consented for the baby to be taken out to the front room where he waited. She wouldn't see him herself. I never heard where they were living at the time. I can't tell you if she was mentally ill before she became pregnant or not. I have always had the impression that getting in a fix like that was what caused it. Mother told me that her grandmother, Susannah, would go to the creek and walk up and down beside it looking in the water like she was looking for someone in it."
Also in 1946, George's father William died, leaving the family with 800 acres of farmland, a country store, and cattle, but deeply in debt. The family struggled. George worked hard to try to support his mother and brother and sister. His brother was physically handicapped and unable to help. His sister was a young teen.
During this time George was reading every book he could on geology and mineralogy. The local native Indians called him "The Boy That the Earth Talked to" because of his knowledge of the earth. Only a mile from his home was the Virginia Mine where he studied their methods and then realized he could be much more efficient than they. After leasing his own mines, he had success with both lead and copper and between 1846 and 1849 made more money than he ever dreamed of. Certainly enough to pay off his father's debts and give his mother and sister (his brother had died) comfortable there in Sullivan, Missouri.
It was about this time that George first heard of the gold rush beginning in California. He wanted to get there as fast as he could to get in on it, but before committing to it he continued to read as much as he could on the subject so that he could be more certain it was true. Finally, in 1850, as a member of a party of 16, he left for California. After arriving in 1850, he and his companions first tried placer mining in the vicinity of Sutter's Mill on the American River. After spending a cold winter and not having much luck, they moved to Grass Valley after hearing about a new lode. Using his mining education and experience in Missouri, Hearst switched to prospecting and dealing in quartz mines. After almost ten years, Hearst was making a decent living as a prospector and running a general store like he had done back in Missouri. He also raised livestock and did some farming in Nevada County. Back in Missouri, Susannah's parents were raising little Margaret Ellen and Susannah's mental health was declining.
In the summer of 1859, Hearst heard about an incredible seam of silver coming out of a mine in Nevada (then the Utah Territory). It was being called the Comstock Lode and was the first major discovery of silver in the United States. Hearst hurried over to the Washoe District of the western Utah Territory where he arranged to buy a one-sixth interest in the Ophir Mine there, near present day Virginia City. That winter, Hearst and his partners managed to mine 38 tons of high-grade silver ore, pack it across the Sierras on muleback, and had it smelted in San Francisco. Their profit was $91,000, which is the equivalent of nearly $4,000,000 in today's dollars. Hearst invested in the Ontario Silver Mine in Park City, Utah, and made another $10,000,000 over the next ten years. Hearst also invested in mines in New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, and Peru.
In 1860 George's sister Patsy died and his mother's health was failing. Heart returned to Missouri. It is not known if he visited Susannah or his daughter or not, but at this point George was one of the wealthiest people in the world and would have done everything he could to keep his illegitimate daughter out of the news and public's eye. While he was in Missouri he did visit with neighbors whose daughter was eight when he had left for California but was now 17 years old and caught his eye. She was now teaching school over in St. James. The two families had always been very close. In fact Phoebe Elizabeth had been named after George's mother Elizabeth Collins Hearst. (George Hearst: California Pioneer) The two began courting and on June 15, 1862, they were married in Steelville. Hearst and his new bride, Phoebe Elizabeth Apperson, moved to San Francisco soon after.
On April 29, 1863, George and Phoebe had their only child together: William Randolph Hearst.
From 1865 to 1866 George served as one of 12 members of the California State Assembly.
In 1865, in addition to keeping a home in San Francisco, Hearst purchased the 40,000 acre Rancho Piedra Blanco ranch near San Simeon. He later purchased additional adjoining ranches so that by the time his son inherited the property, there were over 250,000 acres. How big is that? 390 square miles!
In 1880, George Hearst received ownership of the San Francisco Examiner newspaper as payment for a gambling debt. He had no interest in the newspaper business.
In 1882 George Hearst ran for the Governor of California but lost. However, he was elected into the California Senate in 1887 and served until his death in 1891.
In 1887, William returned from Harvard at the age of 23 and convinced his father to let him take over the San Francisco Examiner. It would become the start of his own fortune and dynasty in newspaper ownership and publishing. He would eventually own 30 newspapers, 15 magazines, 8 radio stations, and several movie studios.
Phoebe died at the age of 76 on April 13, 1919, giving the enormous ranch and over $10,000,000 to William Randolph Hearst. Nothing was mentioned of or given to George's illegitimate daughter Margaret Ellen or her mother Susannah Anderson.
Almost immediately after his mother's death, William began construction of one of the most amazing houses in the world. Construction lasted 40 years and cost $30,000,000. The Hearst Castle, as it would be known, was not only lavishly built and adorned, but had 165 rooms, 127 acres of gardens, 60 bathrooms, 58 bedrooms, 41 fireplaces, and about 85,000 square feet of living space!
The story of Margaret Ellen's birth to George Hearst is a secret and mystery. Not many know about it and it is not in the history books, documents, or biographies. But a diary of Mahala Saling Arnett, the sister of John Saling, who married Margaret Ellen, had the following written in it:
"When the Andersons started west in 1867, their train consisted of sixty wagons headed for the gold fields of California. Other relatives on the train were James and Mahala Saling Arnett and their thirteen children, Pete Saling, wife and their three children, Pete Lennis and wife Susan Saling and their four children, Absalom Saling, Willis Saling, John Driskell and wife Betsy Ann Arnett, William Dale and wife Martha Arnett and two children. When the wagon train got as far as Umatilla, Oregon, the Anderson and John Saling families broke off from the train. After spending the first winter at Umatilla, Oregon, they settled in Idaho."
The following was taken from a letter written by Flossie Newman Attebery, dated August 10, 1961:
"Flossie was a granddaughter of Margaret Ellen Anderson Hearst and John Saling (this is a direct quote) Yes, I remember that mother said William Randolf Hearst was a son of George Hearst who was the mother's grandfather and mother's mother (Margaret Ellen) was George Hearst's illegitimate child and Susannah Anderson was her mother. I also knew that grandma and grandpa Saling were cousins on the Hearst side."
Susannah Anderson was born 1827 in Somerset, Pennsylvania to Samuel Anderson and Elizabeth Sutley. On the 1850 census of Canal, PA, Susannah is listed as 23 years old. On the 1860 census, Susannah is listed as being 33, "insane", and living in Nebraska. On the 1870 census Susannah is a resident at an insane asylum in East Portland, listed as 40 years old (should be 43), and born in Ohio (should be Pennsylvania). On the 1880 census, she is still in the asylum, now 51 years old (should be 53), and was born in Pennsylvania.
In 1880 legislation was passed that led to the opening of the Oregon State Insane Asylum in Salem and many of the residents of the Portland hospital were relocated. Indeed, the 1910 census shows that Susannah was an 85 year old (should be 83) "inmate" of the Oregon State Insane Asylum and listed as able to read but not write. It also shows that she has one living child that we assume is Margaret Ellen.
In the 2013 book, Hearst Ranch: Family, Land, and Legacy, we find out that "George discussed his plans with the father of a girl he was 'sweet on': I told him I had an intention of going to California, but he said, 'no, don't go.'" This girl he was sweet on, could certainly have been Susannah Anderson. It was right about that time and likely just after she had Margaret Ellen.
So third person accounts of this relationship between George Hearst and Susannah Anderson exist, as do records for Margaret Ellen Anderson, but without proof, this story remains family legend.
George Hearst was born September 3, 1820 in Sullivan, Missouri and raised in a log cabin on one of three small farms owned by his father. When his father died in 1844, Hearst took over the care of his mother, brother and sister. In addition, he did some mining and ran a general store.
As a young man George was seeing a young lady named Susannah Anderson who gave birth to their child on April 20, 1846. They named her Margaret Ellen. The two never married and Susannah either had or began to have some mental health issues. From the book Mann Creek Memoirs: "I do remember mother saying that George Hearst wanted grandma (Susannah Anderson) to marry him. It was after the baby was born; while she was still confined to her bed that George came to see the baby. Whoever was taking care of her baby told Susannah that he asked to see it and she consented for the baby to be taken out to the front room where he waited. She wouldn't see him herself. I never heard where they were living at the time. I can't tell you if she was mentally ill before she became pregnant or not. I have always had the impression that getting in a fix like that was what caused it. Mother told me that her grandmother, Susannah, would go to the creek and walk up and down beside it looking in the water like she was looking for someone in it."
Also in 1946, George's father William died, leaving the family with 800 acres of farmland, a country store, and cattle, but deeply in debt. The family struggled. George worked hard to try to support his mother and brother and sister. His brother was physically handicapped and unable to help. His sister was a young teen.
During this time George was reading every book he could on geology and mineralogy. The local native Indians called him "The Boy That the Earth Talked to" because of his knowledge of the earth. Only a mile from his home was the Virginia Mine where he studied their methods and then realized he could be much more efficient than they. After leasing his own mines, he had success with both lead and copper and between 1846 and 1849 made more money than he ever dreamed of. Certainly enough to pay off his father's debts and give his mother and sister (his brother had died) comfortable there in Sullivan, Missouri.
It was about this time that George first heard of the gold rush beginning in California. He wanted to get there as fast as he could to get in on it, but before committing to it he continued to read as much as he could on the subject so that he could be more certain it was true. Finally, in 1850, as a member of a party of 16, he left for California. After arriving in 1850, he and his companions first tried placer mining in the vicinity of Sutter's Mill on the American River. After spending a cold winter and not having much luck, they moved to Grass Valley after hearing about a new lode. Using his mining education and experience in Missouri, Hearst switched to prospecting and dealing in quartz mines. After almost ten years, Hearst was making a decent living as a prospector and running a general store like he had done back in Missouri. He also raised livestock and did some farming in Nevada County. Back in Missouri, Susannah's parents were raising little Margaret Ellen and Susannah's mental health was declining.
In the summer of 1859, Hearst heard about an incredible seam of silver coming out of a mine in Nevada (then the Utah Territory). It was being called the Comstock Lode and was the first major discovery of silver in the United States. Hearst hurried over to the Washoe District of the western Utah Territory where he arranged to buy a one-sixth interest in the Ophir Mine there, near present day Virginia City. That winter, Hearst and his partners managed to mine 38 tons of high-grade silver ore, pack it across the Sierras on muleback, and had it smelted in San Francisco. Their profit was $91,000, which is the equivalent of nearly $4,000,000 in today's dollars. Hearst invested in the Ontario Silver Mine in Park City, Utah, and made another $10,000,000 over the next ten years. Hearst also invested in mines in New Mexico, Montana, South Dakota, and Peru.
In 1860 George's sister Patsy died and his mother's health was failing. Heart returned to Missouri. It is not known if he visited Susannah or his daughter or not, but at this point George was one of the wealthiest people in the world and would have done everything he could to keep his illegitimate daughter out of the news and public's eye. While he was in Missouri he did visit with neighbors whose daughter was eight when he had left for California but was now 17 years old and caught his eye. She was now teaching school over in St. James. The two families had always been very close. In fact Phoebe Elizabeth had been named after George's mother Elizabeth Collins Hearst. (George Hearst: California Pioneer) The two began courting and on June 15, 1862, they were married in Steelville. Hearst and his new bride, Phoebe Elizabeth Apperson, moved to San Francisco soon after.
On April 29, 1863, George and Phoebe had their only child together: William Randolph Hearst.
From 1865 to 1866 George served as one of 12 members of the California State Assembly.
In 1865, in addition to keeping a home in San Francisco, Hearst purchased the 40,000 acre Rancho Piedra Blanco ranch near San Simeon. He later purchased additional adjoining ranches so that by the time his son inherited the property, there were over 250,000 acres. How big is that? 390 square miles!
In 1880, George Hearst received ownership of the San Francisco Examiner newspaper as payment for a gambling debt. He had no interest in the newspaper business.
In 1882 George Hearst ran for the Governor of California but lost. However, he was elected into the California Senate in 1887 and served until his death in 1891.
In 1887, William returned from Harvard at the age of 23 and convinced his father to let him take over the San Francisco Examiner. It would become the start of his own fortune and dynasty in newspaper ownership and publishing. He would eventually own 30 newspapers, 15 magazines, 8 radio stations, and several movie studios.
Phoebe died at the age of 76 on April 13, 1919, giving the enormous ranch and over $10,000,000 to William Randolph Hearst. Nothing was mentioned of or given to George's illegitimate daughter Margaret Ellen or her mother Susannah Anderson.
Almost immediately after his mother's death, William began construction of one of the most amazing houses in the world. Construction lasted 40 years and cost $30,000,000. The Hearst Castle, as it would be known, was not only lavishly built and adorned, but had 165 rooms, 127 acres of gardens, 60 bathrooms, 58 bedrooms, 41 fireplaces, and about 85,000 square feet of living space!
The story of Margaret Ellen's birth to George Hearst is a secret and mystery. Not many know about it and it is not in the history books, documents, or biographies. But a diary of Mahala Saling Arnett, the sister of John Saling, who married Margaret Ellen, had the following written in it:
"When the Andersons started west in 1867, their train consisted of sixty wagons headed for the gold fields of California. Other relatives on the train were James and Mahala Saling Arnett and their thirteen children, Pete Saling, wife and their three children, Pete Lennis and wife Susan Saling and their four children, Absalom Saling, Willis Saling, John Driskell and wife Betsy Ann Arnett, William Dale and wife Martha Arnett and two children. When the wagon train got as far as Umatilla, Oregon, the Anderson and John Saling families broke off from the train. After spending the first winter at Umatilla, Oregon, they settled in Idaho."
The following was taken from a letter written by Flossie Newman Attebery, dated August 10, 1961:
"Flossie was a granddaughter of Margaret Ellen Anderson Hearst and John Saling (this is a direct quote) Yes, I remember that mother said William Randolf Hearst was a son of George Hearst who was the mother's grandfather and mother's mother (Margaret Ellen) was George Hearst's illegitimate child and Susannah Anderson was her mother. I also knew that grandma and grandpa Saling were cousins on the Hearst side."
Susannah Anderson was born 1827 in Somerset, Pennsylvania to Samuel Anderson and Elizabeth Sutley. On the 1850 census of Canal, PA, Susannah is listed as 23 years old. On the 1860 census, Susannah is listed as being 33, "insane", and living in Nebraska. On the 1870 census Susannah is a resident at an insane asylum in East Portland, listed as 40 years old (should be 43), and born in Ohio (should be Pennsylvania). On the 1880 census, she is still in the asylum, now 51 years old (should be 53), and was born in Pennsylvania.
In 1880 legislation was passed that led to the opening of the Oregon State Insane Asylum in Salem and many of the residents of the Portland hospital were relocated. Indeed, the 1910 census shows that Susannah was an 85 year old (should be 83) "inmate" of the Oregon State Insane Asylum and listed as able to read but not write. It also shows that she has one living child that we assume is Margaret Ellen.
In the 2013 book, Hearst Ranch: Family, Land, and Legacy, we find out that "George discussed his plans with the father of a girl he was 'sweet on': I told him I had an intention of going to California, but he said, 'no, don't go.'" This girl he was sweet on, could certainly have been Susannah Anderson. It was right about that time and likely just after she had Margaret Ellen.
So third person accounts of this relationship between George Hearst and Susannah Anderson exist, as do records for Margaret Ellen Anderson, but without proof, this story remains family legend.