I am researching Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect.  I have read that
he had several illegitimate children.  I am trying to find if there is
any published information on this.

Dear lynne2363-ga;

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. It made for a challenging bit of research. I?m going to
begin by including some background on the marriages and romances of
Frank Lloyd Wright, who lived a rather complicated and troubled life
in terms of his relationships and certainly endured his share of
heartache. Some of this information you may already know, but to show
you how I came to my conclusion it is necessary to summarize. In the
end, I?ve found some impressive evidence that has probably been
overlooked regarding this rumor for many years and which will clearly
and definitely prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Frank Lloyd
Wright did in fact father ONE illegitimate child:

To begin?

Frank Lloyd Wright fathered a total of seven children, six of them
legitimately and one out of wedlock. Here is a brief synopsis of his
marriages and relationships:

In 1889, Frank Lloyd Wright married Catherine ?Kitty? Tobin. Together
they had six children. The Wrights separated in 1909 but did not
formally and legally divorce until 1923.

In the interim, Wright took up with a married woman, Mamah Borthwick
Cheney, the estranged wife of Edwin Cheney whom he had designed and
built a house for in 1903. According to his son John, Wright loved her
dearly and they an affair lasting for nearly five years ensued. Wright
and Ms. Cheney lived together at Taliesin, a home Wright had built at
the site of his uncles' farm near Spring Green, Wisconsin. They had no
children together, though Mamah had two children by her husband Edwin,
and never married because Catherine would not grant Wright a divorce.
In a bizarre and tragic turn of events, Mamah died on August 15th,
1914 when Julian Carlton, a Negro servant murdered her, her two
children John and Martha, and four others in the home that night with
a hatchet and then destroyed a large part of the house with a gasoline
fire. Wright was devastated and his biological son would later say
that his father was never the same man again.

We know from the historical account of the tragedy that the children
killed were those of her estranged husband Edwin (John and Martha) and
that no other children young enough to have been Wright?s were killed,
since he and Mamah were only together for about four and half years.
The official account says:

?Killed in the tragedy were: Mrs. Mamah Borthwick [Cheney], their son
and daughter, John and Martha Cheney, aged 11 and 9 respectively; Emil
Brodelle, aged 30, an architectural draftsman; Thomas Brunker, of
Ridgeway, hostler; Ernest Weston, 13-year-old son of Mr. And Mrs. Wm.
Weston of Spring Green; and David Lindblom, gardener.?
PBS - STORY OF THE FIRE AND MURDERS
http://www.pbs.org/flw/buildings/taliesin/taliesin_wright02.html

Where the record says ??their son and daughter??, referring to Wright
and Mamah Borthwick Cheney, the record is respectfully recognizing the
fact that Wright and Mamah were publicly using the titles ?Mr. and
Mrs. Wright? at the time, even though most people knew full well that
they were not married. To have reported it otherwise would have
besmirched both of their reputations and so presumably this subtle
reference was intended more for the sake of respect for their privacy
and reputations than it was accuracy.

So, as I said, this indicates that since no other children who could
have been Wright?s were killed in the fire, and if there were it
certainly would have been reported, it is safe to assume that Wright
had no children by this woman.

Shortly thereafter, around 1915, Wright met Maude ?Miriam? Noel and
the two began an unmarried love affair that lasted until his first
wife Catherine finally granted him a divorce in 1923, at which time
Wright and Noel married. The marriage however was a disaster, as
Miriam, said to have been addicted to morphine and prone to maniacal
episodes, left him, childless, in 1924. She plagued him throughout his
life though with lawsuits and property disputes but never once
mentioned any children or Wright?s financial obligations to support
any children in her claims. Again, it is safe then to assume that she
and Wright had no children or certainly this would have been a point
of legal contention with her.

Olgivanna Milanoff Hinzenburg (alternately recorded as variations of
?Olga Ivanovna Lazovich Milanoff?), a Bosnian Serb who would become
his last wife, came into Frank Lloyd's life in November of 1924 when
they met at a ballet. She already had daughter named Svetlana from a
previous marriage, but she and Wright also eventually had one daughter
together, and they named her Iovanna.

Which brings me to the evidence of an illegitimate child, which I
think you will appreciate as clear evidence:

The only child that I can find irrefutable proof that Wright fathered
out of wedlock was in fact, Iovanna, his last child, who was born some
three years prior to his marriage to her mother Olgivanna. I was able
to locate this most compelling piece of public proof which comes from
no other than the Wright?s themselves in the form of an rare copy of
their official wedding announcement issued on their wedding day in
1928, three years to the day after he obtained a divorce from Noel,
and upon which is pictured his and Olgivanna?s child Iovanna at about
the age of two or three years old, whom they obviously had out of
wedlock:

Image:
http://www.arslibri.com/341-m.jpg

source: ARS LIBRI LTS.
http://www.arslibri.com/cat130w34.htm

Wright?s marriage to Olgivanna of course legitimized Iovanna, but
nevertheless she was indeed born illegitimate while Wright was still
legally married to his troubled second wife ?Miriam? Noel.

A number of his biographies say the same thing:

?During the next twenty years, two love affairs and marriages, a child
born out of wedlock, another fire at Taliesin, numerous lawsuits, an
arrest and jailing, and a period in exile contributed to Wright's
going bankrupt.?
READERS COMPANION TO AMERICAN HISTORY ? FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/rc_094400_wrightfrankl.htm


Here referring to ?a? child born out of wedlock, implying that there
was ONLY one, and the proof, the rare copy of the original wedding
announcement I was able to find for you, serving as confirmation that
this child was indeed Iovanna.

Adding to the confusion, it is also apparent that Wright adopted
Svetlana, Olgivanna?s daughter from her previous marriage and perhaps
even Svetlana?s son Brandoch. In this article, Brandoch Peters,
Svetlana?s son who is now 62 years old, talked about his ?grandfather?
and his ?grandmother? and the fact that Svetlana used the name
?Svetlana Wright Peters? until her untimely death in 1946 when the
Jeep she was riding in with her husband and then 4 year old Brandoch,
plunged off a bridge. Only young Brandoch survived the crash and the
Wright?s raised him as their own:

?He grew up at Taliesin at his adopted grandfather's side, during the
golden years of Wright's final two decades.?

LACROSS TRIBUNE
?Grandson of Wright offers his memories?
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2003/12/14/news/zzsmith.txt

These subsequent events could very well have added fuel to the
assumption that Frank Lloyd Wright had ?several? illegitimate
children, when in fact he can be factually attributed to having
fathered only one ? and that ?one? was Iovanna.

So as you can see, irrefutable public proof has been presented as you
requested. The only children of Frank Lloyd Wright were:

With CATHERINE ?KITTY? WRIGHT: 

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, JR. (1890-1978; known as Lloyd Wright) ?
architect, landscape architect. Lloyd worked with his father on the
elder Wright's 1920s California homes. The younger Wright established
a practice in California, where he remained until he died. His most
famous project is probably the Wayfarers Chapel overlooking the
Pacific Ocean in Palos Verdes, California. He also designed a version
of the Hollywood Bowl (later destroyed).

JOHN LLOYD WRIGHT (1892-1972) ? architect, toy designer (designed
Lincoln Logs and Timber Toys). John also worked with his father, most
notably on the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo and Midway Gardens in Chicago.
Wrote a book about his father describing his childhood memories and
their relationship.

CATHERINE WRIGHT BAXTER (1894-1979) ? homemaker. Mother of Anne
Baxter, the Hollywood actress.

DAVID WRIGHT (1895-1997) ? building products representative. His
father designed him a house in Phoenix, Arizona.

FRANCES WRIGHT CAROE (1898-1959) ? arts administrator. 

ROBERT LLEWELLYN WRIGHT (1903-1986; known as Llewellyn Wright) ?
attorney. His father designed him a house in Bethesda, Maryland.


With OLGIVANNA LLOYD WRIGHT: 

SVETLANA PETERS (1917-1946) ? musician (Olgivanna Lloyd Wright's
daughter from her first marriage, whom Frank Lloyd Wright adopted).
Married apprentice and longtime Fellowship member William Wesley "Wes"
Peters.

IOVANNA LLOYD WRIGHT (1925- ) ? musician, artist. Clearly born prior
to Wright?s marriage to her mother.



You might also find the FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT PRESERVATION TRUST RESEARCH
CENTER helpful in your quest for information about Mr. Wright?s life,
achievements and activities:

?Reference services are available free of charge during the Research
Center's regularly scheduled hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 1:00
p.m. to 4:00 p.m., or by special appointment. The Research Center
accepts inquiries via phone at 708-848-1695 or email at
research@wrightplus.org . The Research Center is closed during the
month of August. Please refer to the Rules Governing Use of the
Research Center at The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.?



I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES


FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT PRESERVATION TRUST RESEARCH CENTER
http://www.wrightplus.org/research/index.html


FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: INNOVATOR IN AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE 
Author: Eileen Marie Egger
http://www.users.muohio.edu/shermalw/honors_2001_fall/honors_papers_2000/egger.html


THE UNCONSCIOUS
http://www.jungdownunder.com/psych_arch/psych_arch.htm


FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
http://www.prairiestyles.com/wright.htm

ARS LIBRI LTD.
http://www.arslibri.com/cat130w34.htm


ALL-WRIGHT SITE
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/1469/flw_life.html


PBS - THE WEEKLY HOME NEWS, AUGUST 20, 1914 
?Murderer of Seven: Sets Fire to Country Home of Frank Lloyd Wright
Near Spring Green?
http://www.pbs.org/flw/buildings/taliesin/taliesin_wright02.html


READERS COMPANION TO AMERICAN HISTORY ? FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
http://college.hmco.com/history/readerscomp/rcah/html/rc_094400_wrightfrankl.htm


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/flw/FAQ.htm


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

"FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT", FATHERED, NOEL, MAMAH, CHILDREN, CHILD, ILLEGITIMATE, WEDLOCK

---

Request for Answer Clarification by lynne2363-ga on 03 Feb 2004 09:56 PST

All of what you told me is common knowledge and is readily obtainable
information.  There were comments in several places that he also
fathered several other children.  This is the information I am looking
for, not the information you provided me with.

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 03 Feb 2004 10:21 PST

I haven't seen such statements in my research, but if they exist as
you say they do, my purpose here is to dispel that as erroneous, based
on the fact that he DID father one illegitimate child and had two
others (Svetlana and Brandoch) living with him that very well might
have led people to think they were his children from some other
relationship.

Are you open to the likley probability that Frank Lloyd Wright had
ONLY one illegitimate child, or would you only be satisfied if it were
proven that he did in fact father others?

As you can see, it is impossible to prove a negative ragarding
additional children, but I was successful in proving that FLW did
father an illegitimate child as you requested.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 05 Feb 2004 10:09 PST

Dear lynne2363-ga; 

Just to be certain of the quality of my research and the accuracy of
my answer, and following your rating here, I contacted the Frank Lloyd
Wright Preservation Trust Research Center personally (as I recommend
for you to do in my answser). I inquired, in part, "Can you tell me if
there is any reasonable evidence that Frank Lloyd Wright fathered
illegitimate children". Here is the response I recieved, and
presumably the same one you would have recieved from the most notable
resource of the activities of Frank Lloyd Wright:

"FLW had a daughter with Olga Lazovich Milanoff who was known as
Olgivanna. They met around 1924, their daughter Iovanna was born in
1925 and then they married in 1928."

No other children out of wedlock are mentioned or known about by this
institution which is presumed to know every detail of the man's life.

This confirms my research an in fact confirms my answer that there was
only ONE illegitimate child father by Frank Lloyd Wright. I hope this
adds some credibility to my answer and serves as convincing evidence
that I was absolutely correct in my answer.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

I asked for information on Frank Lloyd Wright's many rumoured
illegitimate children.  The answers provided were all well-known
published information and had nothing to do with the question.  One
answer stated that I would have to pay large sums of money for the
information I wanted; however, how would I know or not know whether
one of your researchers would provide the information for $100?  Thank
you for providing me the opportunity to use your service.  I request a
full refund.

I can't tell you how disappointed I am in the answer by tutuzdad-ga. 
She provided me with common knowledge only, stuff you can find in
Frank Lloyd Wright's biographies. I was looking for other romances
that are not well described in the traditional literature, i.e.,
newpaper articles etc.  There are plenty of rumors that he fathered
several children outside of his marriages.  Tutuzdad-ga gave me an
answer about an illegitimate child whose mother he then married.  She
dug in her heels and told me she had answered my question.  I can't
imagine that I need to pay her for this response.  Is there some way
you monitor to decide whether an appropriate answer is given?

I see you chose to rate my answer and close the question rather than
answer my request for clarification. I had hoped to get your feelings
on the probability that Frank Lloyd Wright had ONLY one illegitimate
child.

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

Your question was:

I am researching Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect.  I have read that
he had several illegitimate children.  I am trying to find if there is
any published information on this.

If you read that he had several illegitimate children then wasn't it
from a published source?  Frank Lloyd Wright could have had dozens of
affairs, and dozens of illegitimate children; with NO way to prove
they existed.  There might not be any newspaper, or magazine articles,
nor any other proof; much less published proof.  Even the birth
certificates might not say he was the father; i.e. father unknown. 
All of this is specualtion, and to actually do the necessary research
is far beyond the scope of a researcher on Google Answer.  I mean what
do you want for $100?  This kind of research might cost thousands of
dollars, and the final results still might not be what you want to
hear.  It seems to me that your question was answered.