By Ruth Ann (Partridge) Kizer and Mona Lange McCroskey
Byron Meridith "Bye" Partridge was born to James Partridge, a spice "drummer," and Estelle Gammon Partridge in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 7, 1900. On November 5, 1900, he married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Chapin. Byron, a self-taught musician, earned money as a youth playing the piano in silent movie theaters in Springfield. He could not read music but he had a good ear for a melody and a wonderful sense of rhythm. He held several other jobs, making a living for himself and his young bride.
They had a son, Richard Byron Partridge, who contracted spinal meningitis at the age of eighteen months and died, devastating the young couple. The death of their son was not the last of the Partridges' misfortunes. Soon afterwards, Byron was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and an uncle in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, took them in. Through his business the uncle had contacts all over the world and had heard of Dr. John Flinn in Prescott, Arizona who was enjoying great success in curing TB . In the summer of 1923, he bought tickets to send Byron and Ruth to Arizona. They were a little apprehensive as they boarded the train, but they took the move in stride and never looked back. Upon their arrival in Prescott, Ruth immediately found work with the law firm of Cornick and Carr. She then found accommodations with the Ben Powers family, who became fast friends. Byron entered the Flinn's Sanatorium for treatment, which lasted for more than two years.
Ruth, convinced that her husband should be doing something constructive while recuperating, suggested that they send for an attorney's correspondence course. Byron agreed, and he studied hard the two years he was at "the San." When he was finally declared to be TB-free in 1926, Partridge took and passed the Bar exam to become a bona fide lawyer in the State of Arizona, a proud day for both of them. He immediately hung out his shingle in the Arizona Bank Building and began to practice law with (later Judge) Pat Patterson. His was a general practice, with a collection agency on the side.
Some of Partridge's lawyer friends thought the new practitioner would be a good candidate for the Arizona State Legislature, and they convinced him to run on the Democratic ticket in 1927. He won the election and served two years in the Legislature as a senator from Yavapai County. He described his term as an excellent learning experience; however, his health was still fragile, forcing him to reject the idea of seeking a second term.
In 1927, Byron made his first investment, unbeknownst to his wife. It was their home at the corner of Crest (now Park) Avenue and Country Club Drive. He purchased the two lots next door at a tax sale and eventually built a new home on one of them, where the Partridges lived for two years. Upon Partridge's death his widow returned to the original home, where she lived until 1995, when she reached the age of ninety-six.
After settling into their new home, the Partridges decided to add to their family. The thought of passing on the TB germ to a child was of great concern, but they took a chance and in 1933, Ruth Ann was born in the old Mercy Hospital on Grove Street. Ruth Partridge was in a downstairs room and her friend Evelyn Budd Merritt was in an upstairs room. She sent a note up to Evelyn asking, "What are we going to name this child?" Evie sent a note back with the nurse saying, "Why not Ruth Ann?" And so it was.
The weekends were exciting for Ruth Ann. Oftentimes on Saturday night the phone would ring and a sobbing wife would ask Partridge to come to Jerome on Sunday and bail her husband out of jail. The Jerome miners frequently over imbibed on Saturday night and landed behind bars. Come Sunday morning Partridge would pile his family into their Ford sedan and drive over the mountain. His daughter looked forward to the times he would drop her off at the swimming pool about a mile west of Jerome while he went into town and tended to business. Other times the family would all go, bail the miscreant out of jail, take him home to his family, and then stop at the pool on the way back to Prescott. Ruth Ann remembers a deputy in Jerome who drove like he was going to a fire most of the time. It seemed to her like he was driving fifty or sixty miles an hour over the narrow, winding dirt roads, taking them to the homes of Byron's clients. Partridge would obtain the details of the case and discern what arrangements the relatives had made for bail, then go back and get the defendant out of jail. Ruth Ann did not find the wild rides exhilarating and was always glad to get back into the family car.
Law was not Byron Partridge's only interest. His love of music was lifelong, and he played the piano daily in his home, providing a musical alarm clock for his daughter. Partridge played by ear. He formed a small dance band made up of Harry Leach (drums), Lars Sands (trumpet and saxophone), and himself. They played for all kinds of events, including dances, community sings, and at the Arizona Pioneers' Home. In later years Byron played solo for the residents of the Pioneers' Home, accompanied by Ruth Ann's tap dancing. He was the organist for several Prescott men's clubs, including the Elks Lodge, Rotary, Kiwanis, and the Moose Lodge, and occasionally for the Masonic Lodge. Partridge was a 32nd Degree Mason and a Shriner.
Byron Partridge's life was too short; he lived to be only fifty-four years of age. But his life was undoubtedly lengthened by his move to Prescott and the good care he received at Flinn's Sanatorium. He never met a stranger, had many friends, and knew most everyone he passed on the street. His years in Arizona proved to be productive to the community and personally satisfying. Mrs. Partridge died in Prescott in 1997 at the age of 98.
Ruth Ann Partridge Kizer was secretary for the Yavapai Cattle Growers' Association for twenty-eight years. She now conducts ranch tours for the organization with Jack Boehning. Mona Lange McCroskey is the Oral Historian for Sharlot Hall Museum.
Sharlot Hall Museum Photograph Call Number: (po2574p). Reuse only by permission.
Byron Partridge with his daughter Ruth Ann in about 1940. Many folks, including Byron, came to Prescott for health reasons in the early part of the 1900s. They quickly realized what a fine town it was, set roots and became active members of the community.