Carl Darling Pancake was the son of Stewart Megge Pancake and Priscilla Jane Freeland. His middle name is for his paternal grandmother’s line. She was Catharine Darling who married Samuel Crawford Pancake. He was born in Blandinsville, Illinois and died in California. He had one sibling, a sister, Edythe Lillian Pancake Chance, wife of baseball player Frank L. Chance. Carl married Margaret but her maiden name is still a mystery to us as is their marriage date and place. We only know her name because his obituary tells us. Carl started his career at sixteen on the old Chicago Inter-ocean Newspaper and later worked for the Chicago Tribune. He covered the famous trial of the McNamara brothers who were convicted of blowing up the Los Angeles Times building in 1910. This portrait of Carl D. Pancake is on file in The National Archives. Neither Carl nor his sister Edythe had children. The posterity of Carl’s father, Stewart Megge Pancake ended with the death of Carl and his sister Edythe.
The migration of Carl Darling Pancake
Illinois to Utah to California to Illinois
Catharine Darling Pancake was born in 1826 in Virginia and died in 1892 in California. She was the daughter of Thomas Darling and Demie Butler. She was one of many siblings. This portrait of Catharine was taken about 1870 as judged by several clues. Those clues include her hair, her jewelry, her collar, and her dress. Further research into the photographer and the years of his operation helps us to place Catharine in middle age in Coshocton County, Ohio. Catharine Darling married Samuel Crawford Pancake in 1844. They made their home in Jefferson Township, Coshocton County, Ohio where Catharine became the mother of at least 13 children. Not all of the children survived to adulthood. Emma, Pauline and Harry died as children. The death years for the little girls are known but for Harry, we only know that he is found with the family in a census at the age of 15 but disappears after that. Catharine’s son Marion died at 27 of consumption from his mining vocation in the mines of Utah. These children lived to adulthood and outlived their mother: Stewart Megge Pancake, Ophelia Pancake McVey, Jackson Darling Pancake, Carrie Pancake Conwell, Edith Glendora Pancake Watrous, Juliett Pancake Guthrie, Demie Seville Pancake Whiteley and Camilla Pancake Elliott. Another daughter, Nettie Pancake Cole lived to adulthood but seems to have disappeared as well. Her son-in-law, Albert Conwell, son of her daughter Carrie Virginia also died from consumption, common to miners. Catharine and her husband Samuel moved from Ohio to Blandinsville, Illinois where Samuel bought a bank with his son-in-law William McVey. There, several of Catharine’s children were married and some grandchildren were born. From Illinois the entire family moved on to Utah and invested in the mining business. As each family moved from Utah to other states, Catharine and Samuel left Utah for California, leaving three daughters and their families behind. While in the home of her oldest child and daughter Ophelia, Catharine died. She was buried in Fresno, California. Her husband Samuel returned to Utah where he died a few years later. He was buried in Utah.
This portrait was a gift to us from Mary Emma, who is the great granddaughter of Catharine Darling Pancake.
The migration of Catharine Darling Pancake
Virginia to Ohio to Illinois to Utah to California
In this early 1850s portrait we see a young Catharine Darling Pancake and her two oldest children, Ophelia and Stewart. This photograph was a gift to us from Mary Emma, who is the great granddaughter of Catharine. The photograph measures about 2 inches by 2 1/2 inches and is very fragile. It has many characteristics of the time in which it was taken such as the crackle and the tinted cheeks. Many clues help us to place this photograph in time such as Catharine’s hair, her hat, her collar and her dress sleeves. The gingham dress worn by Ophelia is characteristic of the times when gingham was prized and little dresses such as this one were made by hand. The photograph is dark with age. It has been lightened in order to see the faces of Catharine, Ophelia and Stewart.
The migration of Catharine Darling Pancake
Virginia to Ohio to Illinois to Utah to California