Anna (Shutt Thompson Garrett) Shoemaker

Birth: She was born in 1882 at Nebraska.  

Family Information: Daughter of Will A. Shutt and Emma Shutt.

Sister of Leroy Shutt, Clarence Shutt and several others who didn't live in the colony.

Mother of Zelma (Thompson) de Fausell and Royall Thompson, plus another son, Myrvle Thompson who never lived in the colony. 

Aunt of sister Bessie Mae's son -- Sextus Garrett.

When she first came to the colony, she was known as Mrs. Garrett. She married R.V. Shoemaker while living in the colony, sometime after 1930.  

Description:  

Pre-Colony History: In 1900 she was living in Ganads, Texas with her parents and siblings.

In 1910 she was living with her first husband, Myrvle Thompson, in the William Carpenter home (in Washington) where she worked as a servant for a private family and he worked as the hired man.

In 1920 she was living with her three children in Spokane Washington while working as a waitress at a lunch counter.

In August 1928 she, Zelma and Royal arrived at the colony, bag and baggage, to take up residence with her parents. They had visited before and were known to be good co-operators. She expected to shortly take the place of Mrs. Fread in the hotel dining room.  

Home in Colony: In 1930 she and Royall were living in the New Llano Colony.

In 1934 it was reported that she had taken up her abode with Mother Pickett and Mrs. Johnson who she looked after at night.

In March 1933 a group departed for the new unit at Gila, New Mexico, along with RV Shoemaker and his wife, Ann; McCullough and his wife; Beanfellow, shoemaker; Dan Taran, blacksmith; Royal Thompson, Kenfield, Charley Desiderio, Frank Plaga, farmers; John Neill, poultryman; Ludwig Mahler, butcher; and Milton Maki, machinist; with Warren Mitchell and Lee Fread as chauffeurs. The chauffeurs would not stay, but return to the colony with the truck. "That was two fiddles, a guitar and a flute lost from the orchestra..."

In April 1934 she again traveled to the Gila, New Mexico location, now with her mother and son to join her husband, R.V. Shoemaker, who was already there working. She was still living there in 1935.  

Job in Colony: In August 1929 she was working in the laundry when Tefteller was "half laid up" causing Anna, Violet Dix, and Cecil Thompson to have to run the washer and extractor at the laundry.

In November 1929 Comrade Atwood was head of the garden group and had Comrade Davis on the Hiatt team plowing; with Mardfin picking vegetables; Shutt, Hartman and Ruth hoeing; Miss Watson was picking green beans and Mrs. Garrett had a group of little folks picking beans out on the farm.

She was listed as working in the print shop on the 1930 US Census. Also in 1930 she was helping set out about 5,000 plants in the gardens.

In September 1931 she was working at the cannery, under charge of Mrs. Walter Fread, canning pears on shares.

She was part of the regular kitchen crew in October 1931 led by Anna Raicoff and including Mrs. Bonnie Kemp, Mrs. Thelma Perkins, Bea Jensen, Lucille Oberlitner, Mrs. Ruby Fread, Mrs. Bess Shipman, Mrs. Anna Shutt (sic), and Anton Kurtz who was on the pots.

In July 1934 she was helping Jessie Page to wash and dry the silverware at the hotel dining room.

In November 1935 Industrial Manager Page appointed her as the new manager of the hotel after the departure of Mrs. DuProz. Her crew consisted of Sarah Murray, who would, assisted by Ruby Loftin, cook dinner. Mrs. Gay and Mrs. Anna Tabb would cook supper. Mrs. Wright, who had wiped trays twice a day for so long, would continue to do so at dinner and Katie Belle Goans would clean the trays at supper.

Other Info: In 1928 she was one of the founding members of the local Conscientious Objectors Union; Theodore Atworth served as the first Secretary-Treasurer with O.E. Enfield serving as the President. The organization was planned to be international, composed of people who refused to go to war as a matter of conscience. Charter members included: Theodore Atworth, Mary H. Atworth, Emily H. Dougherty, I.A. Dougherty, Carl H. Gleeser, S. Weislander, Charlie C. Black, John Hight, Lowell H. Coate, W.A. Shutt, F.O. Jernberg, Reka Jernberg, Anna Tabb, Peter Kemp, F. Rosenburg, B. Wade Hewitt, Hamilton H. McClurg, W.J. Hoag, Theodore F. Landrum, C.N. Butts, Mary Snyder, George Snyder, Anna Garrett, Emma Shutt, M.A. Brattland, Richard P. Condon, Jr., Emily Swenson, W.J. Newman, George T. Pickett, Raymond DeFausell, S.E. Baldwin, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Molenar, Earl L. Bosch, Guy F. Rogers, Ora E. Newman, James J. Miller, Bert Busick, Mabel D. Busick, Ole Synoground, C.C. Mickey, Fred A. Jensen, Katie Mickey, F. Rahn and Isaac H. Keyes.

In July 1930 she hurried back to the colony from the Rice Ranch after the sad news of the sudden death of her nephew, Sextus Garrett.  

Post-Colony History: In 1940 she was living in Houston, Texas with her oldest son, Myrvle Thompson and his wife.  

Death: She died in 1943 at Gila, New Mexico and was buried in the Mesa Cemetery near her daughter, Zelma. Her name on the tombstone is Anna I. Shutt so perhaps she and R.V. Shoemaker had divorced at some point before her death.  

Sources: US Census: 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940; "Llano Colonist": August 25, 1928, December 22, 1928, August 10, 1929, November 16, 1929, May 3, 1930, July 26, 1930, September 12, 1931, September 19, 1931, October 17, 1931, March 25, 1933, April 14, 1934, June 16, 1934, July 14, 1934, November 23, 1935; US Applications and Claims Index; FindAGrave.com