Elizabeth (Fraser) Watts (1864 - 1944)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Elizabeth's lifetime.

In 1864, in the year that Elizabeth (Fraser) Watts was born, on June 15th, Arlington National Cemetery was created in Arlington Virginia. 200 acres from the grounds of Robert E. Lee's home were set aside to be a military cemetery. The home and grounds had been in Lee's wife's family - she was a great-granddaughter of Martha Washington.

In 1886, at the age of 22 years old, Elizabeth was alive when on May 4th, a general strike began in Chicago. Workers were striking for an 8 hour workday and in protest of the killing - by police - of several workers the day before. When an unknown person threw a dynamite bomb, the strike became violent. Seven policemen were killed as well as 4 civilians. It became known as the Haymarket Riot and eventually resulted in an 8 hourwork day as well as commemorations on May 1st for worker's rights.

In 1892, at the age of 28 years old, Elizabeth was alive when on October 5th, the Dalton Gang was shot. The Gang was attempting to rob two banks - simultaneously - in Coffeyville Kansas but word spread of the robberies and townspeople with guns greeted them when they left the banks. Four members of the gang were killed - only Emmett Dalton survived his wounds and spent 14 years in prison.

In 1933, by the time she was 69 years old, on December 5th, the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. The 21st Amendment said "The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed." Alcohol was legal again! It was the only amendment to the Constitution approved for the explicit purpose of repealing a previously existing amendment. South Carolina was the only state to reject the Amendment.

In 1944, in the year of Elizabeth (Fraser) Watts's passing, on December 16th, The Battle of the Bulge began in the Ardennes forest on the Western Front. Lasting for a little over a month, the battle began with a surprise attack by Germany on the Allied forces The U.S. suffered their highest casualties of any operation in World War II - 89,000 were casualties, around 8,600 killed - but Germany also severely depleted their resources and they couldn't be replaced.