Interesting archaeobotany but questionable history in at least one respect.

The U.S.'s first "Our Mary" (1892-1979) was hot with-- or at least married
to-- Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. (1883-1939)  from 1920 to 1936.  Douglas, Jr.
(1908-2000) was the son of Fairbanks Sr. and his first wife, Beth Sully,
therefore Mary Pickford's step-son.  So, while this scenario is possible,
it isn't very likely.  Maybe Mary was confused in her old age.

Jim Murphy
Ohio State University Libraries
1858 Neil Avenue Mall
Columbus OH 43210

At 02:25 PM 3/12/01 -0500, Ron May wrote:
>About 22 years ago, in my role as Environmental Project Manager on the
>Fairbanks Ranch Specific Plan near Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego County,
>California, I field inspected the 2,000 acre ranch and found numerous small
>fenced-in areas. These were usually about 8-feet on a side and the fences
>were decomposing hogwire with an ornamental top. There were also some rotting
>picket fences too. Finally, some had dead fruit trees in the center. I
>puzzeled over these for quite some time and eventually required the developer
>to retain professional historians and conduct an archaeology survey. In
>addition to about 50 prehistoric sites, they mapped about 10 of these fenced
>features. Some also had geraniums, nasturtiums, whorehound, and bulb plants.
>The historian found the property had been owned by the late Douglas
>Fairbanks, Jr. (which we already knew) and that he owned when he was hot with
>Mary Pickford. At the time of the historic research, she was still alive and
>living in the area. Oral history with Pickford revealed she and Fairbanks had
>wild and passionate sexual trysts out on the ranch. Fairbanks memorialized
>the most memorable episodes with fruit trees and flowers, often surrounded by
>little fences. How about this for archaeobotany?
>
>Ron May
>Legacy 106, Inc.