Kit Carson County, Colorado
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Kit Carson County Pioneers:
John M. Foster, 8 South 45 West
John claimed a quarter in section 26, 8S 45W, Kit Carson County, in 1891.
POSSIBLE
" Hon. Turner S. and Harriet
(Erwin) Foster were natives of Tennessee. Turner was at one time a
leading attorney of Nashville and later became judge of the district court, sitting
on the bench for many years, presiding over his court with dignity, ability and honor.
During the Civil war he enlisted for active service in the Confederate army and served
throughout the entire conflict between the north and the south. He died in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1897 at the age of seventy-five years, having for many years
survived his wife, who passed away in Nashville in 1869. They had a family of three
children: Dr. John M. Foster, now living in Denver; Mrs. Charles S. Caldwell, whose
home is in Nashville; and A. C. Foster,"
John M. Foster is in Denver, in 1900,
a dentist, born January 1861 in Tennessee,
married 14 years to Bessie B. born Dec 1863
in Louisiana. William B. July 1890,
Pinckney B. Aug 1893, and John M. Sept 1899 w
ere born in Colorado.
Her parents William D. Bethel 59
born in Louisiana and Cinthia P.
59 born in Tennessee are with them.
" Pinckney C. and William D. Bethell, father and son, were active
in Louisiana, Tennessee and Colorado. The Bethell family was influential in the
South long before the Civil War. After Appomattox, the family acquired vast properties
and established a variety of economic interests in Memphis. W.D. Bethell,
following his father's death in 1884, became a prominent investor in Memphis
business properties and in railroads throughout the Middle West and South.
In 1891 he moved to Denver, where he quickly acquired control of Manhattan Beach,
a resort located on Sloan's Lake, and one of the city's most popular amusement centers. At the time of his death in 1906, W.D. Bethell possessed a fortune estimated at two million dollars and was called one of Colorado's wealthiest men.
"
In 1915 the Colorado University School of Medicine had "John M. Foster, M.D., Professor of Otolaryngology."
John is buried in Denver # 33130272 1861-1945.
" John McEwin' Foster, M. D., Denver, was born Nashville, Tenn., 11th January, 1861.
He married 29th December, 1885, Bessie Perkins, b. 18th December, 1862,
daughter of Colonel William Decatur Bethell and Cynthia Pillow, his wife,
of Maury county, Tennessee.
Colonel Bethell and Dr. Foster removed from Memphis, Tenn., to Denver in 1890
. Issue:
1. William Bethell, b. Denver, 26th July, 1890.
2. Pinckney Bethell, b. 10th August, 1893."
March 3, 1933 "Denver's kidnapping case was closed, Wednesday,
when Dr. John M. Foster paid the $60,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers,
for the safe return of Charles Boettcher, 2d, son of a Denver multimillionaire,
who furnished the money. The young man was released after sixteen days
and thus ends another good newspaper story."
In 1891, following a physical breakdown, William Bethell moved to the mild climate of Denver, Colorado, where he erected a large residence at East Colfax and Marion Streets, a home later purchased and occupied by Lawrence C. Phipps. That year, Bethell, through the Southern Investment Company, in which he was the principal stockholder, became the financial backer of Manhattan Beach, an amusement center located on the shore of Sloan’s Lake. The following year, on foreclosure of a mortgage, Bethell acquired control of the resort, which his son-in-law, Dr. John M. Foster, continued to operate until 1914.
In 1900, poor health prompted another move. This time, Bethell, after selling his Denver residence, chose California, where he remained almost six years. He returned to Denver six weeks before his death on August 19, 1906. He was survived by three of his children: Mrs. John M. (Bessie) Foster of Denver; Mrs. J.P. (Jennie) Edrington of Memphis; and Mr. William D. Bethell, Jr. of Redlands, California.
1922 
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