Birdie & Clemens McHenry of Exchange
By: Lynn Reichen
Birdie and Clemens McHenry
In 1868, Dr. Montraville McHenry purchased land in Exchange, built a house, barn and began his medical practice. Wife Dorcas and stepson Fowler Lyons joined him and soon he and Dorcas had two daughters, Bertie, who died at the age of 2, and Birdie Frances who was born the day before her sister’s death Oct 22, 1870. In 1878 Montraville and family left Exchange to tour the United States thinking he could do better elsewhere. While traveling they stopped in Indian Territory where Birdie, 9 years old became fascinated by the American Indians and had the opportunity to meet Buffalo Bill Cody and Chief Sitting Bull. After traveling hundreds of miles the family returned to Exchange, purchased 15 acres of land built a beautiful house designed by his Dorcas with dormers, gables and a tower. Birdie could be found sitting in the tower reading and enjoying the scenery out the windows.
Birdie was a very intelligent young lady who would rather sit and read, having little friendships with others her age. She painted, wrote poetry and music. She loved animals and attended Church regularly. Her mother and half brother coddled her. Her father became worried that Birdie was becoming hard to put up with, acting like a spoiled young woman. He also worried about her health; she avoided anything physical complaining of constant headaches. He and Fowler, also a doctor, prescribed ‘cold powders’ heavily laced with painkillers such as opium and morphine. After her education in the Montour County schools, Birdie attended Muncy Normal School then went to the Female Institute, a high school affiliated with Lewisburg’s Bucknell University. In 1894, as well as taking classes at the Female Institute, Birdie also was a law student in Ikeler and Ikeler’s Law Office in Bloomsburg. On May 12, 1897 the Philadelphia Press ran the article stating the first woman admitted to the Bar of either Columbia or Montour Counties is Miss B. Frances McHenry, of Exchange. Unfortunately, her mother did not live to see her daughter practice law, Dorcas died in May 1896. In her will she left the house and property to Birdie and Montarville. In 1898 Birdie married Clemens Wagner, the grandson of a neighbor who she met while at Bucknell. Birdie established herself in the Ikeler & Ikeler Law firm and practiced mostly in Columbia County. Doing deed transfers, wills and payments of loans Birdie complained they offered her no challenge and felt she was not taken seriously. She wrote a letter to her husband, still a student in Bucknell saying “I wish you could get a better paying job; I so hate this business of the Law”.
Birdie and Clemens became parents of Winifred and M. MacHenry; soon after the marriage started falling apart. Birdie complained of the lack of income and Clem was worried about Birdie’s fierce and changing temper, possibly due to misuse of prescribed drugs and alcohol. Clemens petitioned the court in 1911 for divorce citing cruel and barbarous treatment and repeated indignities. He told the court he was devoted to his family and did all the cooking, wash, and took care of the children and well as working and giving all the money made to his wife. The ‘prosecutrix’ Birdie, was the first woman to plead a cause in a Montour County court, her own divorce. She cited female frailties claiming she had been permanently injured by childbirth. She did not dispute Clem’s statements that she frequently assaulted him, calling him names and abused him Infront of their children. The abuse mentioned was threatening to shoot him or hit him with a fire poker or throwing hot tea in his face. She also did not deny that she continually interfered with his different employments and caused him to lose his jobs. Upset by comments in the local papers, Birdie wrote an open letter to the Bloomsburg Morning Press asking them to rectify their errors. Those mentioned “I decorated my family clothes and made outfits for my children and dressed my children well”. About her name, “Whether the name, Birdie, seems to you Kittenish or not, it is the one my parents gave me”. And about her cooking, “If the Editor and committee of the Columbia County Bench & Bar will furnish the material and facilities, I will guarantee to cook for them as good if not better meal than they ever had and they may be the judge. Well, here is my challenge!” Birdie did not attend the court hearings and Clemens was granted his divorce. Somehow Birdie retained custody of the children and kept her home. It was said the children adored their mother though they lived in poverty. Neither child married, citing the horrors of their parents’ marriage as an example.
Birdie died in August 1943 and is buried in the family plot in Exchange, Winifred died in 1976 and MacHenry in 1987 and are buried beside their mother.