- Birth: October 1, 1885
- First Marriage: Delta F. Newton, July 31, 1902
- Second Marriage: Timothy N. Briscoe, May 5, 1924
- Death: July 3, 1970
Early Life
Clemma Ruth Christenot was born on October 1, 1885, near Virginia City, Montana. She was the youngest of 9 children of Charles and Martha (Craig) Wilton Christenot, who traversed the Bozeman Trail and arrived in October 1866.
Charles worked at the Christenot Mill, at Union City, then settled his family near Puller Springs, Montana on the Ruby River. He served as a constable and worked in construction. The heat stroke that Charles suffered during the Civil War left him with epileptic seizures that grew worse with age. He died on May 23, 1886, in a sanitarium. Clemma was 8 months old. Her mother, Martha, was 40 years old and without financial support, other than some Civil War pensions.
Children of Charles and Martha Christenot, Siblings of Clemma
- Hattie (Christenot) Kyle (1867-1936)
- Anna (Christenot) Swisher (1869-1950)
- Mary (Christenot) Patrick (1872-1919)
- Charles Christenot (1874-1875)
- Amelia “Mae” (Christenot) Pendarvis Jordan (1876-1959)
- George Christenot (1878-1934)
- Frank Christenot (1880-1956)
- Fred Christenot (1883-1961)
- Clemma (Christenot) Newton Briscoe (1885-1970)
First Marriage – Delta Newton
When she was 16, Clemma married 24 year-old Delta Frederick Newton on July 31, 1902, in Butte, Montana. Del was born on May 13, 1878, in Sidney, Nebraska. In the 1900 Census, Del is listed as a jeweler living in Pony, Montana. About 1905, the family moved to Idaho where the 1910 Census lists him as a building contractor. He’s a carpenter in the Canyon, Idaho, directory of 1919. Clemma and Delta Newton had seven living children.
Children of Clemma and Delta Newton
- Raymond Frederick Newton (1903-1966)
- Verda Mae (Newton) Kendall Dynge (1904-1971)
- Esther Alice Newton (1906-1965)
- Earnest Edward Newton (1910-1998)
- Vern Orville Newton (1911-1972)
- Acie Newton (1914-1991)
- Zelma Amelia (Newton) Pinkstaff (1914-1969)
Divorce from Delta Newton
Clemma and Delta divorced in 1924 in Weiser, Idaho, and she moved to Portland, Oregon, where her sister, Amelia “Mae” Christenot Jordan and family lived. Clemma took with her Verda, Esther, the ten-year-old twins, Acie and Zelma, and Jerry. Del moved to Medford, Oregon, where his brother Henry lived, taking along sons Ray, Ernest and Vern. (Of interest, in adulthood, two daughters, Verda and Esther, lived near their father, Del. Two of the three boys, Ray and Vern, who had lived with Del, resided near Clemma in Northern California.)
Second Marriage – Timothy Briscoe
Clemma married Timothy Nathan “Fat” Briscoe on May 5, 1924, in Washington, after which they lived in and around Portland, Oregon, where Tim was a truck driver and street sweeper for the city.
Adopted son of Timothy Briscoe
- Jerry Briscoe (1920-1979) – Adopted
Jerry Briscoe was born in 1920 to Verda Mae Newton when she was just sixteen and unmarried. He was raised by Clemma as her own, and was adopted by Tim Briscoe when Tim married Clemma in 1924.
Divorce from Timothy Briscoe
Clemma divorced Tim Briscoe in 1941, as recorded in Oregon. Mae Christenot Jordan, Clemma’s sister, gave the account that Tim frequently allowed his dogs to get up on the table while Tim and Clemma were dining, and they would eat from the serving dishes, which made Clemma angry, so she sold the dogs, which made Tim angry. Tim is listed as the Complainant on the Divorce Papers, claiming desertion as the reason for the split. Clemma took Jerry to San Francisco, where her son Ray had an apartment.
Later Life
When Clemma lived in Portland, she quite often bet at the greyhound races. After she moved to San Francisco, she bet on horse races.
Her granddaughter Sharon (Pinkstaff) Morris describes her: “Clemma was definitely not a talkative person. Very quiet and gentle is what I remember when she took care of me during three different summers” in the 1940s.
Delta Newton died on April 29, 1954 in Medford, Oregon. He was almost 76 years old.
Front row (l to r) Vern Newton, Clemma (Christenot) Newton Briscoe, Ernie Newton. November 30, 1940.
After leaving San Francisco, Clemma rented a home for many years in Palo Alto, California. Her son Acie resided with her in the late 1960s, after separating from his wife.
Clemma died on July 3, 1970, in Los Altos or Palo Alto, California. She is buried in Palo Alto, sharing a grave site and marker with her son, Ray Newton.
Sources
Morris, S. (2019). Clemma Ruth Christenot. In N. Shrauger, Christenot Family Stories: A Compilation of Stories by Family Members (p. 153).
Shrauger, N. (2006). Christenot Family History Chronology.
Shrauger, N. (2019). Christenot Family History: A Compilation of Stories by Family Members.
Research
More information, photographs, and documents about Clemma (Christenot) Newton Briscoe are available and will be added over time. Our research is based on the sources listed and the primary documents found on the Christenot Family Tree at Ancestry.com.
Please contact us with additions, questions or corrections. Last updated February 2022.
Quick Links
Yellow is the color of the name badge that Clemma’s descendants wear at Christenot Family Reunions to help distinguish their family line.