- Birth: March 28, 1867
- Marriage: John Kyle, September 13, 1885
- Death: February 4, 1936
Early Life
Hattie Christenot was born on March 28, 1867, near Virginia City, Montana. She was the first child of Charles and Martha (Craig) Wilton Christenot, who traversed the Bozeman Trail and arrived in October, 1866. Her half-sister, Alice May Wilton (1863-1889), the only child of Martha and Henry Wilton, was four years old when Hattie was born.
Charles worked at the Christenot Mill, at Union City, then settled his family near Puller Springs, Montana on the Ruby River. He served as a constable and worked in construction. The heat stroke that Charles suffered during the Civil War left him with epileptic seizures that grew worse with age. He died on May 23, 1886, at the Insane Asylum at Warm Springs, Montana. Hattie was 19 years old. Martha was 40 years old and without financial support, other than some Civil War pensions.
Children of Charles and Martha Christenot, Siblings of Hattie
- Hattie (Christenot) Kyle (1867-1936)
- Anna (Christenot) Swisher (1869-1950)
- Mary (Christenot) Patrick (1872-1919)
- Charles Christenot (1874-1875)
- Amelia “Mae” (Christenot) Pendarvis Jordan (1876-1959)
- George Christenot (1878-1934)
- Frank Christenot (1880-1956)
- Fred Christenot (1883-1961)
- Clemma (Christenot) Newton Briscoe (1885-1970)
Marriage to John Kyle
Hattie married John Kyle (1855-1940) on September 13, 1885, in Madison County, Montana. She was 18 and he was 30.
John Kyle was born on September 10, 1855 in Howard County, Indiana, and was the ____ of __ children of John Smith Kyle and Margaret Pollock.
Hattie and John had 8 children, 7 of whom lived to adulthood.
Children of Hattie and John Kyle
- Hattie Gertrude (Kyle) Shrauger (1886-1973)
- Nellie Mae (Kyle) Smith (1887-1978)
- Margaret Irene (Kyle) Counter (1889-1978)
- Martha Leah (Kyle) Mosby Newton (1891-1950)
- Amelia Beryl (Kyle) Mosby (1896-1975)
- John Leroy Kyle (1899-1976)
- Guy Wilbur Kyle (1902-1905)
- Norma Onita (Kyle) Lankins (1907-1998)
Farming and Ranching
The Kyle family homesteaded along the Musselshell River near Weede, in 1909. In later years, they farmed on the South Boulder near Cardwell. Hattie’s mother, Martha, lived with them in Whitehall in 1923, where Martha passed away.
Patent
Hattie was a talented homemaker, known her seamstress skills and cooking. Her inventive mind produced a unique cake mixer, for which she filed a patent on June 14, 1911. She took a correspondence course on Candy-making, in hopes of starting a business.
Move to Oregon
In the early 1920’s, Montana was experiencing hard times. Hattie’s youngest daughter, Norma’s husband, Lee Lankins, had moved to Portland, Oregon, and gotten a job with a power company. When he returned to Montana to marry Norma, he told family members they should move to Oregon where there were jobs. Many soon followed, including most of Hattie and John’s children and their spouses and families: Gertrude, Nellie, Margaret, Leah, Beryl and Norma. Hattie and John soon followed. They would take turn living with their daughters, mostly Margaret or Norma, in the Portland area. Nellie and her family moved on to California later. Only Leroy stayed in Montana and worked for Montana Power.
Later Life
Hattie died on February 4, 1936, in Portland, Oregon. Her husband, John Kyle, died on January 26, 1940, in Portland. They are buried at the River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.