Mattie Blaylock

Mattie Blaylock
Mattie Blaylock
	Mattie Blaylock
Born	Celia Ann Blaylock; 1850; Johnson County, Iowa
Died	July 3, 1888(aged 37–38); Pinal City, Arizona
Cause of death	Suicide by poisoning
Other names	Celie
Occupation	Prostitute
Years active	1873–1888
Spouse	Wyatt Earp(common-law husband)

Celia Ann "Mattie" Blaylock(January 1850 – July 3, 1888) was a prostitute who became the romantic companion and common-law wife ofOld West lawmanandgambler Wyatt Earpfor about six years. Knowledge of her place in Wyatt's life was concealed byJosephine Earp,his later common-law wife, who worked ceaselessly to protect her and Wyatt's reputation in their later years. Blaylock's relationship with Earp was rediscovered by Earp researcher John Gilchriese and author Frank Waters in the 1950s, when they uncovered a coroner's report for "Mattie Earp", and a deathbed conversation in which she told someone, "Wyatt Earp had ruined my life."

Early life

Mattie was born Celia Ann Blaylock in Monroe Township, Johnson County, Iowa, nearFairfax, Iowa,to Henry Blaylock and Elizabeth "Betsy" Vance.^[1]She was their third child and second daughter. The family lived on a small farm that Henry had obtained in 1846. Henry and his wife were stern parents and adhered to the principle, "spare the rod and spoil the child," and "children should be seen and not heard."

Celia, or "Celie" as she was known as a child, attended Sunday school, learned Biblical parables, and was taught to live by theTen Commandments.When her older sister Martha Jane was 17, she married Charles Probst on July 1, 1870.^[1]Celia had no desire to live on a farm for the rest of her life.

Runs away

In mid-1868, Celia ran away with her younger sister Sarah to avoid farm life. Celia was a reasonably skilled seamstress and may have sought work in that field, but both girls found life on their own very difficult. There were few employment possibilities for young girls. They likely headed west to one of the growing towns along the Kansas-Iowa-Missouri border area.^[1]Sarah returned home less than a year later, chagrined and shamed by her experience. Her parents greeted her cheerlessly and took her back in disgrace.^[1]

At some point after leaving home, Celia chose the alias "Mattie", probably in an effort to conceal her identity and remain as anonymous as possible. However, court records indicate that she continued to call herself by her childhood nickname of "Celie", which was often phonetically spelled by court clerks as "Sally"; no court records have been found throughout her life using the name "Mattie". The first known record of Mattie's presence is a picture taken inFort Scottin 1871. It's not known where she and Sarah spent the intervening time. Court records show that she became a prostitute beginning in 1872^[1]in Fort Scott, then later inDodge City.

Meets Wyatt Earp

Mattie Blaylock began a relationship with Earp after April 1876 in Dodge City, following his departure from Wichita, Kansas and the end of his relationship with Sally Heckell, who called herself Sally Earp.^[2]Earp was appointed assistant marshal in Dodge City under Marshal Lawrence Deger around May 1876. Blaylock continued to work as a prostitute.^[3]Earp resigned from the Dodge City police force on September 9, 1879, and traveled to Las Vegas,New Mexico Territorywith Blaylock, his brother Jim, and Jim's wife Bessie. There they reunited with Holliday and Big Nose Kate.^[4]The six friends traveled to Prescott, Arizona. Then Blaylock and Earp stopped in the booming silver town ofPinal City,Arizona Territory,for two months in 1879. Wyatt, Virgil, and James Earp with their wives arrived inTombstoneon December 1, 1879.^[4]In the 1880United States Censusof Tombstone, Blaylock is listed as Wyatt's wife though there is no record of a legal marriage.^[5]^: 47^[5]^: 65

Blaylock suffered from severe headaches and while inTombstone, Arizonashe became addicted tolaudanum,a then-common opiate and pain killer.^[5]^: 65It is not known exactly when Earp and Blaylock ended their relationship. Tombstone diaristGeorge W. Parsonsnever mentioned seeing Earp and his next common-law wife,Josephine "Sadie" Marcus,together and neither did John Clum in his memoirs.^[6]^: 235Frank Waters wrote inThe Earp Brothers of Tombstoneof public fights between Sadie Marcus and Blaylock and how the affair was a public scandal. However, Waters' book has been criticized as biased for its negative portrayal of Wyatt Earp and for including details not mentioned in the original manuscript by Allie Earp (the common-law wife of Wyatt Earp's brotherVirgil).^[7]

After theGunfight at the O.K. Corraland the March 18, 1882,assassinationofMorgan Earp,Wyatt Earp, his youngest brotherWarren,and a posse of other deputies began avendetta.They hunted down some of theoutlaw Cochise County Cowboysthey believed responsible for maimingVirgil Earpand killingMorgan.In early April, Wyatt left Arizona for New Mexico and then Colorado.

Blaylock left Tombstone with other Earp family members forColton, California.She apparently expected to receive atelegramfrom Earp telling her where to meet him, but it never arrived. Instead, Earp left Colorado in late 1882 and arrived in San Francisco where Virgil was seeking treatment for his arm. Wyatt began a relationship withJosephine "Sadie" Marcus,who had during 1880-81 been in a relationship withJohnny Behanin Tombstone. Blaylock left Colton and returned to Pinal City, but the silver boom had died out and the bulk of the town's population had moved on. Blaylock planned to return to sex work in Pinal City, but with most of the prospective clientele gone with the silver, making a living there proved difficult.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Gravesite

Death record

On July 3, 1888, Blaylock took a lethal dose oflaudanumand alcohol. Her death was ruled as "suicidebyopiumpoisoning ".^[8]She had been using laudanum and alcohol to excess for some time. It is possible she overdosed by accident and died of respiratory depression.^[9]The coroner's report of her death was brief. She is buried in the cemetery atPinal City,now aghost town,located just west of the former mining town ofSuperior, Arizona.

In popular culture

Mattie Blaylock was portrayed byDana Wheeler-Nicholsonin the 1993 filmTombstone.She was played byMare Winninghamin the 1994 filmWyatt Earp.

References

^^a ^b ^c ^d ^eMeyers, E.C. (Ted) (2010).Mattie: Wyatt Earp's Secret Second Wife(PDF).Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House Publishers.ISBN 978-0-88839-628-0.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-08-27.
^WGBH American Experience: Wyatt Earp, Complete Program Transcript(Television production). 22. Vol. 2. January 25, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2017.
^Woog, Adam (2010).Wyatt Earp.Chelsea House Publications.ISBN 978-1-60413-597-8.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2016.
^^a ^bGuinn, Jeff (2011).The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral and How it Changed the American West(First hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN 978-1-4391-5424-3.
^^a ^b ^cEppinga, Jane (2009).Around Tombstone: Ghost Towns and Gunfights.Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. p. 128.ISBN 978-0-7385-7127-0.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-04-20.
^Barra, Alan (December 1998)."Who Was Wyatt Earp?".American Heritage Magazine.Vol. 49, no. 8. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-05-07.
^Roberts, Gary."Allie's Story: Mrs. Virgil Earp and The" Tombstone Travesty "".Archivedfrom the original on 2016-03-07.
^"Standard Certificate"(PDF).State of Arizona Department of Commerce. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 21, 2011.RetrievedMay 12,2011.
^"Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics of Alcohol and Opioids"(PDF).Robert M. Swift, MD, PhD.Archived(PDF)from the original on November 6, 2015.RetrievedMarch 2,2016.

External links

Photos of Mattie Blaylock's gravesite

[meyers-1] Meyers, E.C. (Ted) (2010).Mattie: Wyatt Earp's Secret Second Wife(PDF).Surrey, B.C.: Hancock House Publishers.ISBN 978-0-88839-628-0.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-08-27.

[wgbh-2] WGBH American Experience: Wyatt Earp, Complete Program Transcript(Television production). 22. Vol. 2. January 25, 2010.Archivedfrom the original on January 30, 2017.

[woog-3] Woog, Adam (2010).Wyatt Earp.Chelsea House Publications.ISBN 978-1-60413-597-8.Archivedfrom the original on May 29, 2016.

[guinn-4] Guinn, Jeff (2011).The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral and How it Changed the American West(First hardcover ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.ISBN 978-1-4391-5424-3.

[eppinga-5] Eppinga, Jane (2009).Around Tombstone: Ghost Towns and Gunfights.Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub. p. 128.ISBN 978-0-7385-7127-0.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-04-20.

[barra-6] Barra, Alan (December 1998)."Who Was Wyatt Earp?".American Heritage Magazine.Vol. 49, no. 8. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-05-07.

[roberts-7] Roberts, Gary."Allie's Story: Mrs. Virgil Earp and The" Tombstone Travesty "".Archivedfrom the original on 2016-03-07.

[8] "Standard Certificate"(PDF).State of Arizona Department of Commerce. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 21, 2011.RetrievedMay 12,2011.

[9] "Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics of Alcohol and Opioids"(PDF).Robert M. Swift, MD, PhD.Archived(PDF)from the original on November 6, 2015.RetrievedMarch 2,2016.

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Authority control databases
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National	United States