| Name: | Portia Doyle |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | 28 Mar 1891 |
| Cemetery: | Cedarvale Cemetery |
| Burial or Cremation Place: | White Oaks, Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States of America |
Committed suicide along with Jessie Rigley
Committed suicide at the ranch of P. M. Goodin, Lincoln County, NM. Was separated from her husband (at whose sister’s ranch she committed suicide) Howard L. Doyle and was governess in the family of Mrs. Lloyd.
From Perplexity:
Based on the search results, here is what can be said about Portia Hill Doyle:
Portia Hill Doyle was a young woman who lived in White Oaks, New Mexico in the late 19th century. In 1889, she went to work as a governess for Mrs. Goodin Ellis, and soon after married Mrs. Ellis’s brother, Howard Doyle. The couple settled on Doyle’s ranch, but their relationship was tragically cut short when Portia died by suicide in 1891 at the ranch of P.M. Goodin, where she was reportedly separated from her husband Howard.1 3 4
The search results suggest that Portia’s suicide may have been related to the dominant society’s proscription against her love for another woman, Jessie Rigley. The two women were buried side-by-side in the Cedarvale Cemetery in White Oaks, hinting at a possible romantic relationship between them.1 5
However, the sources do not definitively confirm the nature of Portia and Jessie’s relationship, only stating that “the sexuality of these women The sources do not reveal.”1
The tragic ending to Portia’s story is described as being “like Alfred Kinsey some years later, Elizabeth Bacon Custer apparently did not understand that deep and abiding love may very well have played a role in same-sex tionships in the West.”1
In summary, Portia Hill Doyle was a young woman in late 19th century New Mexico who died by suicide, possibly due to societal rejection of her love for another woman, Jessie Rigley, though the exact nature of their relationship is unclear from the available sources.1 3 4 5
Newspaper Clippings
Lincoln County Ownership
- 0
Ancestry.com
- 0