| SEDONA MILLER SCHNEBLY |
| Sedona was born in Goren, Missouri, in 1877, one of twelve children of Philip Miller, who was of Pennsylvania Dutch ancestry. She married Theodore Carlton "Carl" or "T. C." Schnebly in 1897 in Missouri and came with him and all their household goods via the narrow gauge railroad, arriving in Jerome on 23 October 1901. They set up housekeeping on an 80-acre homestead at the mouth of the 15-mile-long canyon that Oak Creek carved into Arizona's Mogollon Rim. T. C. Became the first Postmaster, and her brother-in-law, Ellsworth Schnebly, suggested that the town be named "Sedona" after her, "because she was a character that would stand well as a symbol for the community." She had six children: Ellsworth, Pearl, who was killed in a horse-riding accident when she was 5 years old, Genevieve, Clara McBride, Margaret Wallace, and Henry. Sedona's great-granddaughter said, "I hear her saying Rats!' when Carl annoyed her and threatening to go to live in the barn. I can also visualize them holding hands, as they always did, in church or when walking somewhere. Whenever she had to carry buckets of water from the creek, she was planning how she would set her table with a touch of class." Sedona served meals to travelers, using the fresh vegetables from T. C. 's farm, and so hers was Oak Creek's first tourist Mecca. Sedona played the piano at gatherings that took the place of church services, picture shows, rodeos, and club meetings. It is appropriate that the Stonehouse is now one of the 200 suites of Los Abrigados Resort in Sedona. T. C. and Aunt Dona, as she was known to her many friends, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1947. Sedona died on 13 November 1950 and is buried in Grasshopper Flat, Sedona. Donors: Ellsworth, Henry, Clara, and Margaret Schnebly |
