Emma Beauchamp McGehon

Emma Beauchamp McGehon, 1861-1903
Ran a Stage Station
 
Buried in City/Loosley Cemetery, Section B10, Lot 2, Grave 9

(Photo of Mrs. Emma McGehon and her son, Van Murray McGehon,
​from the archives of the Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc.)

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Managing a hotel or boarding house was one way for a respectable lady to earn a living during the Victorian era.              
 
Emma was born around 1861 in Santa Cruz, California, to Causten Van Rensler Beauchamp and Sarah Elizabeth Hinton, who was originally from Virginia. It should be noted that the name "Beauchamp" is usually rendered as "Beechum" in early documents, since that’s how it’s pronounced.
 
The Beauchamp family moved to Phoenix from Santa Cruz, California, around 1878. They managed the Swilling Hotel (not as grand as it sounds—it was a simple adobe structure). Later, they operated the stage station on the Black Canyon Road near where it was crossed by the Arizona Canal.
 
As her parents aged, Emma took over more of the management on the stage station. She cooked for the stage passengers and provided a few amenities to women travelers. She married William McGehon, a stage driver, in Phoenix on 6 March 1881.
 
According to his World War I draft registration, their son, Van Murray McGehon, was born in 1879 (or 1880). Another male infant, born and died in 1883, is buried next to Emma.
 
In 1902, Emma’s health began to decline. She died 17 October 1903 at St. Joseph’s hospital of shock and blood loss following surgery to remove a tumor. She was buried in City/Loosley Cemetery, Section B10, Lot 2, Grave 9.
 
© 2019 by Donna L. Carr. Last revised 31 August 2019.

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