WHERE LIBBIE LIVED

In the twenty-five years after 1876, she moved 10 times. She usually always had at least one servant. At the end of her life, a couple lived with her, the husband had an outside job and did handyman jobs. She often lived with a companion.

1876 - She lived in Monroe for about a year. It is confusing where exactly. Writers say she lived with the Custers, which could mean Nevin - the remaining Custer brother - and his wife on their farm. Armstrong had helped his brother buy the property so the two couples were co-owners. Libbie later sold her half to Nevin and Ann. Anyway, I've also read that Libbie, Maggie Custer and Annie Yates and her three kids went from the train to the "homestead" which could mean the Bacon house in town or the Custer farm out of town. I've also read that the elder Custers lived in the Bacon house, but where was Libbie's step-mother living?

Well, I'm writing a novel so I have permission to decided who lived where. I decided that the three widows went to the farm, which would mean better privacy for them then Libbie and Maggie went to the Bacon house, where the step-mom, Rhoda Bacon, stayed for a couple of weeks then returned to her house in another town. She didn't own the house which was left to Libbie. I put the elder Custers at the farm, mainly because I didn't want to write a whole lot with them. They were difficult. Real characters, which is another topic.

In the spring of 1877, Libbie went to visit the Russells in Newark, NJ. They were Rhoda's married nephew and his wife. She had visited them when she was in D.C. during the war.

From New Jersey, she found a job and a basement flat in - of course - Manhattan. Where else does anyone go from Jersey? The flat was actually furnished rooms at 122 Madison Ave, which was close to her part-time job the Society of Decorative Arts.

In the fall of '77, she went back to Monroe to settle Armstrong's estate. His funeral was Oct. 10 at West Point.

Later in Oct, 77, she moved to the Glenham Hotel on Fifth Avenue when the Society moved to 34 E. 19th. St.

She evidently moved again when the Society moved to 28 E. 21st St in 1881, but I couldn't find where.

In 1885 she moved to the Stuyvesant Apartments at Third and 18th. St. She also bought a rental apartment at 148 E. 18th. St. She also decided to sell the Monroe House, which took until 1890.

That summer, she started going to the Catskills, to the Onteora Artists' Colony.

1890 She lived at 41 E. 10th. St.

1892 She bought a house in Lawrence Park at 20 Park Avenue. This was in Bronxville, one of the first suburban developments in NYC.

1898 She bought a cabin at Onteora. She loved sleeping in a tent at her summer places. Reminded her of the summer under canvas with Autie.

She actually owned a second house in Lawrence Park.

1922 She bought an apartment at 71 Park Avenue near 38th. It was close to the Cosmopolitan Club at W. 40th. St., a woman's club she helped co-found. She could walk there and did so at least once a week.

That's not 20 in 25 years, but it's what I've put together so far.

In her old age, she developed bad arthritis - see sleeping in tents above! - and began spending winters in Florida. She also traveled all over the world, always with friends.