He also lived and worked with Melissa Cargill during this time, who was a trained chemist at Berkley and also became the mother of one of his children... This usually isn't mentioned very much for some reason.

Not to take away from his genius, but this surely helped..

I recently read "Owsley and Me" by Rhoney Stanley, another woman he lived with at the time (The three of them lived together), who also become mother of one of his children, at the same time...

Yes, quite a character.