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I received an email from John Loomis in June 2010, asking if I would like to post a circa 1890 photo of Henry Windsor and his family; Henry is buried at Prospect Hill. I very much thank him for sending it to me...family photos are rare and seldom shared. The Windsor family were prominent in Omaha around 1890 and the turn of the century, especially in the educational community. 

This story does have a happy ending. Several years after I'd posted this page back in 2010, a direct relative of Henry Windsor emailed me.  I put her in touch with John, who was delighted to have a Windsor heir take custody of the Windsor photos and documents.

John wrote me that: 

"...Henry was a pioneer cattleman who was manager of one of the largest cattle ranches in the west at the time - The Diamond Cattle Company. The ranch was in Wyoming, but he had significant Omaha connections and an office there. His brother-in-law was Robert Doherty, who was the principal of Brownell Hall from around 1877 to 1897. This weekend I discovered in my Internet search that Doherty married Henry's sister, Emma, in 1876, and that Henry's mother was a witness to the marriage. So there was a family presence in Omaha as early as that date." 

Henry's wife Ethel was a teacher at Brownell Hall here in Omaha. John also wrote that: 

"...the photo includes his wife Ethel Gill Jacobsen, who taught at Brownell Hall in Omaha. She is listed in all the records as "Miss Jacobsen" even though she was married to Henry. Henry's mother, Susan Harriet Rebecca Benson, also worked at Brownell Hall as Lady Principal; Henry's sister, Emma Windsor-Doherty was married to the principal of Brownell Hall, the Rev. Robert Doherty." 

 

The text below is from his email: 

"Mildred Windsor died unmarried with no immediate survivors. She asked my father before her death to keep her family records until someone might contact him for their use. She could not bear the thought of her family being discarded in the trash. 

My dad died in 2004, and I have finally opened the few remaining boxes. There was all of Mildred Windsor's family information, including the family record written in Henry Windsor's hand with extensive records of the family history. 

Trying to honor Miss. Windsor's wishes, I have begun to place the information I have online at Ancestry.com and findagrave.com. It is a slow process trying to read the fancy writing of the 19th century, but I am making some progress. The Rev Doherty who conducted the service was the principal of Brownell Hall School and Henry Windsor's brother-in-law. The Rev. married Henry's sister Emma, and after leaving the school, they moved to Yankton, SD, and Christ Church parish. 

I have been in contact with Prospect Hill to obtain copies of the records of Henry Windsor's burial there, but I was so pleased to find a picture of his memorial on your web site! What a grand thing you are doing for those of us who live so far away! Thank you for taking the time to document all the markers, and provide pictures to those of us doing research! . I know Mildred Windsor would appreciate what you have done as she adored her father and kept many of his letters. 

Miss Windsor, her sister Rosalie and her mother are buried at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore in the family plot of Owen A Gill. Her Windsor Grandmother, Susan Harriet Rebecca Windsor (often referred to in Omaha simply as S H Windsor) is buried next to her husband, also Henry J Windsor, in Old Saint Paul's Cemetery in Baltimore. 

The picture below is of Henry, his wife Ethel Gill Jacobsen Windsor (b: Baltimore 1859, d: Washington, DC 1940), his daughter Rosalie (b. Nebraska 1884, d. Washington, DC 1947) and his daughter Mildred (b. 1889, Nebraska; d Washington, DC 1976) All the ladies are buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore. His mother, referred to in Omaha directories as S. H. Windsor (real name Susan Harriet Rebecca Windsor) died in SD in 1914 and is buried in Old St. Paul's Cemetery, Baltimore, next to her husband - also named Henry J Windsor." 

Left to right: Rosalie Windsor (1884 - 1947); Henry J Windsor (1853-1906); Mildred Windsor (1889-1976); Ethel Gill Jacobsen Windsor (1859-1940).