What became of David and Mary Wormley ...

I mentioned David and Mary Wormley yesterday in a post entitled, "Glory Days at the Chariton Depot House, 1876-1890."  And here they are, in a portrait from the Lucas County Historical Society collection, one of the few reminders left in Chariton of a couple once widely known.

The Wormleys and their two sons, Henry and Willis, arrived in Lucas County during January of 1876 after leasing the new C.B.&.Q. hotel and restaurant. The Wormleys furnished and opened the hotel and developed the restaurant, turning the combination into something of a hospitality landmark in the south of Iowa before giving up the lease in 1890.

After that, the Wormleys remained in Chariton (with the exception of a couple of years in Des Moines) for 14 more years --- until 1904. In the intervening years, their sons had married and moved on, entering the hospitality industry themselves at various locations.

On Aug. 11, 1904, The Chariton Patriot featured a front-page story headlined, "The Wormleys Go to Washington" --- "Mr. and Mrs. D. Wormley left Chariton Monday on Train No. 18 for Olympia, Wash., where they expect to make their home. A host of old time friends gathered to bid them good-bye, all wishing them a safe trip across the continent, knowing they will meet with a joyous reception at the end of their long journey, their son and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wormley, being there to receive and welcome them to their new home."

Henry and Hattie Wormley were managing a hotel in Olympia at the time and the senior Wormleys expected to assist in the operation. Unfortunately, that hotel burned and the Wormleys moved on to Seattle where Henry went to work elsewhere in the hospitality industry.

David Wormley died at Seattle on Dec. 15, 1907, at the age of 75, as reported in The Chariton Herald of Dec. 26: "The sad news came to Chariton last week that David Wormley, one of the oldest and best known residents of Chariton, had died at the home of his son in Seattle, and was buried there last week. A wide circle of warm friends here mourn the death of this good man.

"Mr. Wormley passed away on Sunday morning, December 16, and the funeral services were held at the home of his son, Henry, the following Tuesday. He is survived by his wife and two sons, Henry, of Seattle, and Will, of Long Beach, California. He was born on Feb. 23, 1832. He had been ill for some time with Bright's disease, but had been confined to his bed only a week. For many years he conducted the Depot Hotel here, and was held in high regard by all who knew him."

The family buried David in Seattle's Mount Pleasant Cemetery, then after a few years the Henry Wormleys resettled in San Jose, California, just south of San Francisco, and Mary moved there with them.

Son and daughter-in-law, Willis and Nell Wormley, had located in Long Beach, California, some years before and  according to the Long Beach Daily Telegram of Nov. 3, 1915, his mother, Mary, died in San Jose on Nov. 2, 1915, one day short of her 82nd birthday. Her remains were returned to Seattle for burial beside David, but her grave apparently has never been marked.