Charlotte Susan Ryan was born on 1 November 1873 in Huntsville, Tennessee to Martha (née Davis) and Thomas Granville Ryan. As a child, she moved with her family to the Chickasaw Nation in the area which would become Grady County, Oklahoma and married U.S. Deputy Marshal John Swain, on April 15, 1891, in Alex, Indian Territory. The couple moved to Purcell, Indian Territory where Susie worked as a school teacher. Swain was killed in a shoot-out over a land dispute on January 9, 1895, near Purcell and a life sized tribute to him was erected in the Purcell Cemetery by his wife. On July 20, 1897, in Guthrie, Oklahoma Territory, Swain was issued a license to marry James W. "Jim" Peters, but no marriage record was returned. A second license to marry Peters was issued on October 23, 1901, and the ceremony was performed the following day in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory. Peters was accidentally shot by the Ardmore, Indian Territory police chief, Buck Garrett on March 15, 1906, while the two men were at an informal gathering. Peters died the following day and was buried in his hometown of Newton, Kansas. For a brief time, Peters managed the Monarch Hotel located at 200 E. 2nd Street in Oklahoma City. On June 29, 1911, she married Oscar L. Shaffer in Oklahoma City, but he was also murdered.
