Our story last week was about Arabella Huntington, mother of Archer Milton Huntington. Thisweek we jump forward one generation to Helen Manchester Gates, the first wife of Huntington.Before we get to her, we go back a generation to William Huntington (1782-1860).

William Huntington was born on April 12, 1782, in Harwinton, Connecticut. He was married toElisabeth Vincent (1791-1871). William was a farmer and ran a shingle mill. William andElizabeth had nine children including Collis Potter Huntington (1821-1900) and Ellen MarieHuntington Gates (1836-1920). The family was poor, living in a place called Poverty Hollow,and in 1834 county authorities removed Collis from the family and placed him with another farmfamily. As mentioned last week, Collis was the adoptive father of Archer Milton Huntington.

Ellen Marie Huntington married Reverend Isaac Edwin Gates. She was a successful and prolificwriter. They were parents of Helen Manchester Gates (1868-1950). Helen was born in BeaverDam, Wisconsin, on September 3, 1868. She married Thomas Ball Criss (1860-1913) onDecember 4, 1889. He was the chief accountant for Collis Huntington. They had a daughterMildred (1890-1972) on October 6, 1890, and were divorced in 1895. Mildred was a third-generation author and wrote books for children.

When Helen married Archer on August 6, 1895, at St. George's Church in London, it was themarriage of cousins. The church register identified the 27-year-old divorced mother as a spinsterand daughter of Isaac Criss. Perhaps, like Arabella Huntington, she was attempting to concealthe facts of her first marriage.

Archer and Helen travelled frequently, often with Arabella, and split their time living in Londonand New York. In 1914, Archer and Helen travelled to Germany on behalf of the NationalGeographic Society. Discovered with a bunch of maps, they were suspected of being Russianspies and were arrested in Nuremberg. With pressure from the American State Department, theywere released after three days.

Our story line now shifts to English actor Harley Granville Barker (1877-1946). He began anacting career on the stage at age 14 and became a favorite of writer George Bernard Shaw. By1911 he gave up acting and continued as a playwright and director.

Lillah McCarthy (1875-1960) was noted as the loveliest leading lady of the English theater.Granville hired her to be the leading lady for his theater company. It was not long before shebecame the leading lady of his marriage on April 24, 1906.

Archer invited Granville to be director of the New Theatre in New York. Granville and Lillahmet Archer and Helen in New York and they became friends. Lillah was stricken with bronchitisand confined to bed at the Ritz-Carleton Hotel. A concerned Helen visited at her bedside andasked if there was anything she could do. It was reported that she whispered,

A kind friend, Helen invited Granville to her house for tea. By the time Lillah's health wasrestored, her marriage was in serious trouble. Lillah wrote a letter to Archer who confrontedHelen with the accusation of an affair. Both couples began lengthy divorce proceedings.

Archer Huntington was rich and Granville Barker was famous. The divorces may have causedwhispered conversations among the social elite. They were not broadcast on national television,blogged about on the internet and analyzed endlessly on social media.

After their divorces, Granville married Helen Gates Huntington on August 31, 1918, at King'sWeight House Church in London. At the time, he was 41 and she was 49. He began to hyphenatehis name as Granville-Barker.

Helen was an author, wrote several plays and assisted Granville-Barker in translating plays fromSpanish to Engish. Critics in London blamed Helen for stealing Granville-Barker away from thetheater. She preferred to live in Paris away from London gossip.

When they sailed from England in 1920, they both gave their age as 42. In 1940, she gave herage as 61. Like Arabella, she could be vague about her age.

Granville-Barker died of a heart attack in Paris on August 31, 1946. Helen Manchester GatesCriss Huntington Barker died in Paris on February 16, 1950. Her estate was valued in London at£128,120.

Helen and Granville-Barker are buried at Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise, the largest cemetery inParis. On her tombstone is the name This was never her name.

People of my generation may recall when Elizabeth Tylor broke up the marriage of Eddie Fisherand Debbie Reynolds. A younger generation may recall Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and JenniferAniston. A hundred years ago it was Helen Manchester Gates who was in the middle of acelebrity scandal and a lonely Archer Milton Huntington left out in the cold.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ARABELLA HUNTINGTON (1850-1924)(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n11a18.html)