Swan’s Island is a large but sparsely populated island off the coast of Maine. You can only get there by boat or helicopter. The ferry is the best and surest way to get there, which runs from Bass Harbor near Bar Harbor. The boat ride takes about 40 minutes.

I just came back from a visit there today. I wanted to visit the island to see if I could find out more about Catrina Beale, Truxtun’s cousin, who I referenced in my book. She spent her summers on the island for many years and then retired there. She is also buried that.

When I arrived on the island, Gwen May of the Swan’s Island Historical Society met me. I emailed the organization a couple of weeks before about my trip, and she was nice enough to drive me around and give me a tour, which I greatly appreciated.

Catrina Forbes Beale (later Bowie Lee) was born on October 23, 1900, in Washington, D.C. She was the only child of John Forbes Beale, a patent lawyer, and Catharine Ball Beale.

She attended the National Cathedral School for Girls in D.C. (“Mrs. Catrina Beale Bowie Lee,” The Frederick Post, December 19, 1980). She often vacationed with her family in Maine, especially on Swan’s Island.

In DC, She was a member of the Junior League, a women’s charitable group. In 1921, it was reported that she and others in the League spent “more than a week” volunteering for the Instructive Visiting Nurse Society. They helped with clerical work and sending out promotional materials. (“Visiting Nurse Society Launches $50,000 Campaign”, The Sunday Star, Washington, DC, April 24, 1921).

Unfortunately, in late April of 1923, when she was 22, Catrina’s father, John Forbes Beale, died. He was in his early to mid-70s.

About a year later, Catrina’s mother transferred some property on Swan’s Island to her. She would continue to spend a good part of her life there.

Catrina’s mom, Catherine, died in 1931, at age 68.

After this, she started to spend considerably more time with her cousin, Truxtun, and his wife, Marie. She would often summer with them in Annapolis.

Still part of the Washington social scene, the press reported that she and Marie sat together at a birthday party for President Franklin Roosevelt. (“Brillant Gowns Mark Birth Fete”, The Evening Star, January 31, 1934). Later that year, in May, Catrina hosted a dinner at Decatur House, owned by Truxtun and Marie, before a dance at the French Embassy. (“Society”, The Evening Star, May 3, 1934.)

Catrina and Marie were by Truxtun’s side when he died near Annapolis at age 80 on June 2, 1936. While the bulk of his estate went to his wife, Truxtun left Catrina a considerable amount of property in the Annapolis area, including land that Truxtun had initially purchased for his son, who sadly died in “The Great War.” This included land in St. Margaret’s, Annapolis Cove, and Beale Manor. (“Truxtun Beale, Diplomat, Dies At Annapolis: Born in San Francisco in 1856, He Had Colorful Career as Traveler.” The Washington Post, June 3, 1936. “Capital Man’s Farm is Given to Employes [sic]” Cumberland Evening Times, June 17, 1936.)

Although Catrina was single at the time, while living near Annapolis, she got to know James Page Bowie, who lived on the adjacent Bay Ridge Farm. The next year, at age 36, Catrina and J. Page Bowie (or just Page Bowie), as he was known, married near Philadelphia, PA.

Page Bowie was from the Bowie family that played a prominent role in the history of the State. There is a nearby Bowie, Maryland, named after one of them. “Page” was a family name that the family occasionally reused like “Truxtun” was for some of Thomas Truxtun’s descendants.

They lived at Page Bowie’s farm at Bay Ridge, near Annapolis. Catrina was involved with the D.C. Chapter of the Colonial Dames of America, the Annapolis Yacht Club, and the Four Rivers Garden Club of Annapolis. J. Page Bowie was a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club, the Maryland Horsebreeders Assocation, and the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association. He was also into jousting, which he sometimes did at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in an area near Annapolis called St. Margaret’s. (“J. Page Bowie”, The Evening Capital, Annapolis, January 6, 1964. “Mark’s Memories”, http://www.st-margarets.org/uploads/2/8/8/6/28869061/macks_memories.pdf . “Mrs. Catrina Beale Bowie Lee”, The Frederick Post, December 19, 1980.

One of Catrina’s friends was Dr. Emily Hammond Wilson, who was “the first female country doctor in southern Anne Arundel County.” In Dr. Wilson’s biography, she wrote about vacationing with the Bowie’s on Swan’s Island, Maine, in 1945 and about another trip she took with Catrina and another friend to Japan at some other time. The book is free to borrow from the Internet Archive (see hyperlinks) or for purchase from the Captain Avery Museum.

They were both also involved in developing some of the property that Truxtun left her. For example, they had to go to the City of Annapolis to rezone some property they owned in Truxton Heights, which is next to Truxtun Park.

She still continued to spend time at Swan’s Island, Maine. Here are a couple of pictures from 1961 from the Swan’s Island Historical Society:

James Page Bowie died in early 1964 at age 70. He was buried at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Bowie, MD. I have tried to visit this site on two occasions. Both times a gate blocked the road and there was no legal place to park. The parish is apparently closed.

Catrina would continue to spend time on Swan’s Island. This picture was taken somewhere between 1960 and 1970. She was the woman with the dog.

At some point after her first husband’s death, she started spending time with James Tyson Lee, a retired politician from Maryland who also spent time in Maine. His first wife died in 1974. I read somewhere that Catrina and Tyson were childhood friends, but I can’t seem to find where I read that now. In 1978, they went to the Virgin Islands together and got married.

J. Tyson Lee was an interesting and eccentric character. A former Democratic State Delegate from Frederick, Maryland, he wasn’t afraid of controversy if he believed he was in the right.

He had particularly strong feelings about fellow Democrat George P. Mahoney, who he once called “a complete fraud.” In 1952, when Mahoney won the Democratic Nomination for U.S. Senate from Maryland, Lee endorsed his Republican opponent, J. Glenn Beall, who went on to win the race. Lee did this, even though he was then the Secretary of the Frederick County Democratic State Central Committee. (“J. Tyson Lee Backs Beall”, The Baltimore Sun, October 23, 1952.)

In 1961, Tyson Lee entered the Democratic Primary for Governor of Maryland, but he did not intend to win. He got into the race only to attack Geoge P. Mahoney, who was also running. Lee believed that the incumbent he supported, J. Millard Tawes was too nice to attack Mahoney because Tawes was from the Eastern Shore. Lee was successful in the race because he didn’t win, and Tawes did.

According to my guide today, she and Tyson Lee resided at this house on the island:

The marriage would not be a long one, but only because Catrina died on December 6, 1980, at age 80. According to my guide, the death was a shock as she appeared healthy. She was walking down the street on the mainland when she just dropped dead. My guide did not personally know Catrina but knew of her. Catrina was older than her and in different social circles.

While he was buried at Swan’s Island, she did not forget about Annapolis. Included in her will was $50,000 to put towards improvements at the Truxtun Park. In addition, the city put up a marker there in her honor. (“Truxtun Descendant Aids Park”, The Capital, March 20, 1982.)

This was the second donation the city from a Beale for the park. After she died in 1956, Marie Beale left over $25,000 in her will to improve the boating and swimming facilities at the park. (“Annapolis Gets $25,000 Check for Truxtun Park”, The Capital, January 16, 1958). I have been told that Catrina also donated land for Peninsula Park south of Annapolis but have not been able to confirm this. Although, land records show she donated some land to Anne Arundel County in the 1970s around there.

The only other memorial to Catrina Beale Bowie Lee around Annapolis is a street in Annapolis Cove that has her name.

James Tyson Lee died ten years later, also at age 80. He had one daughter from his first marriage, Sally Lee of New York City. She now owns the house on Swan’s Island, but was not in town today.

Catrina and Tyson are buried together, along with his first wife, on Swan’s Island. I left small Maryland flags there today as a tribute. In addition, people from the town placed American flags on Tyson’s grave, and the grave of his first wife, as both served in the military.

Swan’s Island is a nice place to visit, but there really isn’t a lot to do there. I took the first ferry there at 8:30 am and was hoping to take the 9:45 am one back, but it turned out that on Wednesdays, the next one comes at 1:30 pm. Gwen was nice enough to drive me around for a bit, and then I went and explored on my own. On the way back, I started talking to some random guy, and it turned out that he was also from Anne Arundel County, Maryland, where I live. I offered him a free copy of my book, and he insisted on buying it. I will have to talk to my accountant about this being a business expense. I’m here to promote the book and do some additional research.