Blanche Barrow

Bennie Iva "Blanche" Frasure (née Caldwell) (January 1, 1911 - December 24, 1988) was the third wife of Marvin "Buck" Barrow and a member of the Barrow gang. Born in Garvin, Oklahoma, she was the only child of Matthew Fontain Caldwell (June 23, 1871 - September 19, 1947) and Lillain Bell Pond (c.1894 - February 24, 1995). At the time of her birth, her father was 40 years old and her mother was 16 years old. Her parents divorced while Blanche was still a young child, and she was raised by her father, who was beloved by her for the rest of her life. Her father made his living as a logger and a farmer. Matthew Caldwell was a devoutly religious man and occasionally preached as a lay minister, even though he was not an ordained minister. At age 17, Blanche was forced to marry a much older John Callaway, a marriage arranged by her mother, who offered Blanche to Callaway on the premise that Callaway had money and would reward both her and Blanche. Blanche ran away in 1929, and met Buck Barrow two years later. In her book, "My Life with Bonnie and Clyde", Blanche maintains that the experience with Callaway left her unable to bear children.