Letitia Blackert-Trousdale

Character Name: Letitia Blackert-Trousdale
Nicknames: Lettie, Black-Widow, Mrs. Trousdale, Mrs. Black
Hometown: Charleston, South Carolina
Occupation: (Wife of) Railroad Investor
Age: 36 (Born June 7, 1834)
Gender: Female
Relationship Status: Married to Mr. Noah Trousdale
Face Claim: Jessica Chastain

• Vain - Values her looks and painstakingly ensures that her hair, makeup, clothing and jewelry are nicely put together.
• Dutiful - Attends to her husband's needs without complaint.
• Selfish - She can appear caring and generous, but it’s an act. Ultimately, she will act for her own interests.
• Innovative - She rarely needs to resort to violence (at least not by her own hand) to get her way.
• Ambitious - Always looking toward the future, diversifying her investments, and expanding her influence.

• An ownership share in the railroad.

• She has been having an off and on affair with a man fleeing justice.

• Losing her youth and good looks (and thus her control over the men in her life)

June 7, 1834 - born in Charleston, South Carolina as the only child of Dolores and Clifton Blackert, a well-to-do banker.

1851 - Due to several very bad investments, Clifton Blackert found himself deep in debt and in danger of losing everything. A family friend, Mr. Stewart Gyles, offered to pay their debts in exchange for Letitia's hand in marriage. Stewart was several decades older than Letitia, but the two got on surprisingly well. Mr. Gyles was a good husband, whose good nature and submissive being was quickly dominated by the young, fiery Letitia. She enjoyed the gifts he showered upon her and the status it brought her - always having the finest and the best.

1855 - Stewart Gyles catches a fever and passes away at the age of 57. Letitia inherits his small fortune. At only 21, no children, and wealth, she has no trouble finding new suitors.

October 1856 - Letitia marries 30-year-old Peter Wells, owner of a gambling establishment in Charleston. Their marriage was marked with violence. Peter drank too much and was often jealous of looks Letitia got from other men.

August 1857 - Letitia got a bad cut from a broken glass bottle that left a scar on her right arm.

September 1857 - Wells was shot in front of Letitia during a brawl at the gambling hall. His murderer was never identified. Letitia inherited the gambling hall, which she sold almost immediately.

November 1857 - Letitia gives birth to a baby boy, who died in his crib two days later.

1858 - 24-year-old Letitia marries 35-year-old Nathaniel Terner, a widower with a young daughter. Terner owned a ranch near Lawrence, Kansas so Letitia moved there. She always spoke very highly of her husband in social gatherings in Lawrence.

August 21, 1863 Terner killed by Quantrill's Raider. Despite not being in the city that day, Quantrill's Raiders must have met the rancher on the road, for he was found shot alongside an overturned wagon the very next day. Letitia inherits the Terner Ranch and custody of his daughter, 10 year old Andrea Terner.

1865 - Andrea Terner dies after being thrown from her horse and breaking her neck.

March 1870 - Marries Noah Trousdale (60), a wealthy entrepreneur who is heavily invested in an upcoming railroad project.

April 1870 - The newly married couple relocate to the young, frontier town of Wichita to be closer to the railroad project.