Alice Mae (Gray) Smith was born in Christian, Jack County, Texas, on May 17, 1872, to James Wilson and Amarintah Clinton “Minnie” (Graves) Gray.  The family moved to Nutrioso, Apache County, Arizona Territory, in 1885, traveling in a covered wagon.  Census records show that, by 1890, James W. Gray was living in Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona Territory.  On July 16, 1891, Alice married Louis Dupree Smith in Phoenix.

Lizzie Lee (Cox) Sharp was born on April 19, 1882, the third child of John Shriver and Jeannie (Campbell) Cox in Aztec, New Mexico. In 1874, her family moved from Erath County, Texas, to San Juan County, New Mexico, driving thirty thousand head of cattle. Unfortunately, Lizzie’s mother died when she was born. John then married Jane Smith, who later also died in childbirth.

Jessie Jean “JJ” (Higley) Lane was born to Stephen Weaver and Jessie Fremont (Howe) Higley on June 24, 1895, in Prescott, Yavapai County, Arizona Territory.  The family was living at 202 North Pleasant Street when the 1900 census was taken.  JJ’s brother, James Stephen Higley, was born July 14, 1896.  Her father, Stephen Weaver (SW) Higley, worked for the Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railway.  In 1890, SW moved his wife and a son to Prescott, where he was superintendent for construction. 

Ann Lulu (Rockwood) Hall was born on October 15, 1873, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Charles Welcome and Anna B. (Starr) Rockwood, a prominent pioneer Mormon family. At the age of 15, she opened a boarding house for railroad workers where she did the cooking and cleaning.  On December 3, 1891, Lulu married Hubert Lester Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah, a man twenty years her senior.  Hubert was in the hotel business.

Amarintha “Minnie” Clinton (Graves) Gray was born May 5, 1842, in Homer Claiborne Parish, Louisiana to Samuel and Eliza Lawson (Brown) Graves.

The family moved to Jack County, Texas before July 1860.  Minnie married James Wilson Gray on July 3, 1863 in Jack County. Minnie reportedly had ten children; eight were still living in 1900.  Wilson James was born March 1864; Robert Lee, July 1865; Charles, December 1867; Alva Newton, 1869; Alice M., May 1872; Horace, July 1876; Lizzie, 1879; and Grover, May 1885.  All of the children were born in Texas.

Maria Julia (Guilio) Defilippi was born June 29, 1875 to Peter and Katherine (Valli) Guilio in San Georgio, Italy. In 1898, the Guilio family emigrated from Italy and settled in Jerome, Yavapai County, Arizona Territory.

Maria married Antonio Defilippi (1868 – 1951) on January 18, 1899. According to her obituary in the Prescott Courier, she was said to be one of the first brides of the Verde Valley.

Rose Mary (Defilippi) Hess Clyburn was born on May 30, 1901, to Antonio and Maria (Guilio) Defilippi in Jerome, Yavapai County, Arizona Territory. Both her parents were born in Italy. Rose Mary was one of five children born to the Deflippi family. She grew up in Jerome, but attended the Prescott Free Academy through eighth grade, boarding in Prescott during the school term.  She attended high school in Berkeley, California.

Sophia (Banay, alternate spellings of Banyay and Banjay) Bisjak was born April 9, 1878, in Hungary.  She came to America alone at the age of eighteen, and her parents are unknown. 

She married Anton Bisjak on February 5, 1910, at the St. Michael Hotel in Prescott, Yavapai County, Arizona Territory.

Lillian Mae (Crumb/Cromb) Baker was born to Truman Billington Crumb and Harriet 'Hattie' (Mixer) Crumb in North Adams, Berkshire, Massachusetts on May 27, 1872.  Like many families of that time, they were part of a westward migration moving to improve their opportunities.  By the time she was eight years old, Lillian's family was farming in the small community of Pilot Grove, Iowa, but they left Iowa and moved to the Arizona Territory between 1885 and 1895.  They probably came to the Arizona territory because their young son, Ernest, had contracted tuberculosis.  After relocating to the Mesa area, the Crumb family once again engaged in farming, and by 1890 their surname had been changed inexplicably from Crumb to Cromb.

By Al Bates

Not only was Territorial Prescott home to the first Arizona historical society, it also was home to the second: First came the Arizona Historical Society incorporated by the first territorial legislature and organized in November 1864; second was theArizona Pioneer Society formed late in 1865.