The National tribune., 1910-02-24
CAROLINE RANSOM DEAD.
Distinguished of Lineage and Army
Nurse of Note.

There died in Washington a couple
OF weeks ago a woman whose life has
been very busy and romantic one.
Miss Caroline l.. o. Ransom, who was
one of our noted army nurses, was a
descendant of Sir Edward Hyde, Lord
High Chancellor of England under
Charles III, the grandfather of Queen
Anne. Her grandmother on her faith
er's side was Anne Hyde, which name
was kept in all that branch of this FAM
lily from Sir Edward down to her time
and died with her. Thru this grand
mother she was a descendant of Col.
Ward, of Boston. Aid to Washington,
and relative of Ethan Allen, of Ticon-
derOga fame.
On her mothers side she is a grand
daughter of Gen. Jonathan Ormes, of
Vermont, one of the survivors of the
old Jersey prison ship and Brigadier-
General in the War of 1912, with many
other distinguished ancestors running
back to the times of William the Con-
queror, when the Barons Ransom, Of
Normandy, went over with him to Eng
land and fought in the battle of Hast
ings.
She was a painter of note, having
been pupil of a. Il. Durane in land
scape, Thomas Hix and Daniel Hunt
! ington, of New York, and Kaulbac1, OF
Munich in portraiture, and may justly
have been considered one of the pioneer
woman artists of the country as well as
the most successful and widely known.
AT the time of her death the walls Of
her great studio, which is 40 feet in
length and nearly the same in width.
We're covered with exquisite copies OF
some of the best paintings of the old
masters made during a long se!Ourn in
Europe, besides sketches and land
scapes made at the same time.
The most prominent and imposing
painting of this collection is magnifi-
cent full-Iength, Hfe-size portrait of
on the battlefield of Chickamauga. This
painting is valued at $4,000, and
should be the property of the Nation.
4 bill for its purchase has twice passed
The Senate in response to a resolution
passed by the Army Of the Cumberland
Society indorsing it and asking Congress
TO buy it and place it in the Capitol.
There is also fine portrait of Maj
Gen. Mcpherson, which was pronounced
by ex-President Hayes to be the best
likeness Of him in existence, as also one
OF Salmon p. Chase, painted from life
sittings when Secretary of the Treasury.
There is also splendid portrait Of
was purchased by the State of Ohio,
Miss Ransom's native State, along with
i've other of her portraits of Ohio's dis
tinguished men. Her portraits of Joshua
X. Giddings and John w. Taylor, of
New York, one of the early Speakers OF
the House, were the first paintings by
"a woman purchased by this Govern
ment- Miss Ransom was chosen by the
Hamilton family to paint the portrait
of Gen. Alexander Hamilton for the
Treasury Department and by the Dix
family. OF New York, to paint Gen.
John y. Dix for the same. Secretary
of State James G.. Blaine purchased her
portrait of Thomas Jefferson for the
State Department soon after becoming
Secretary under Garfield. One of her
portraits of Garfield was painted to or
der for the city of Toledo for its Me-
mortal Hall.
These portraits should be purchased
by patriotic societies and placed in the
National Museums of the country, that
future generations may know that we
who lived close to them were fond
enough of our war heroes to want to
see their portraits placed where poster
ity may know surely just what they
| looked like. OF the hundreds of por-
traits that hang on her walls Miss RAN
som was fondest, perhaps, of those OF
! Grant and of Thomas. She called these
pictures her children, and her latter
Years were spent living much in the
past, as her strength failed her and
she was unable longer to go about the
city.