#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 17 Theme...War...Duncan Stewart Was a Scottish Prisoner of War (Boothby)

  Modern day re-enactors at the Dunbar Battlefield, Dunbar, Scotland, UK

  https://www.dunbar1650.org/ 

  War....the theme for this week's writing prompt is war.  I am going back in time to the late summer of 1650 when Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland and defeated the Scots in the Battle of Dunbar. The result of this loss was that a Scottish soldier named Duncan Stewart was taken captive, marched to Dunbar Cathedral with thousands of his kinsmen and subsequently put on the ketch Unity bound for the New England Colonies as an indentured servant.  What happened next?

  The impact of war can be devastating in many ways. Wars of the past had major effects on subsequent family histories, often changing the trajectory and course of a family tree in a myriad of ways.  When I was researching my Boothby surname and roots, I discovered that my 4th great grandfather Josiah Boothby married  Sarah Stewart on September 19, 1765 in Scarborough, Maine.  When researching her paternal family line I eventually came to Duncan Stewart and his remarkable story.  Thank goodness Duncan was blessed with a good deal of luck and a hardy constitution that got him through his life altering ordeal.  He eventually created a new life for himself in New England. He was my 7th great grandfather! 

Who Was Duncan Stewart?

  Duncan Stewart was born in the highlands of Scotland around 1623, although there is still no concrete documentation of where he was born, or who his parents were.  After wading through several on-line genealogies and fanciful family trees I finally found a wonderful website called The Scottish Prisoners of War Society (https://spows.org/...link on the right) which was full of well researched information to promote knowledge of the prisoners from the battles of Dunbar (1650) and Worchester (1651).  I got to meet my 7th great grandfather and learn about how this battle utterly changed his life. 

  Duncan's Ordeal

  Duncan's story took place during the civil wars in the British Isles after King Charles I was executed in 1649.  A Scottish army of thousands was quickly raised in support of Charles II, the rightful successor to the throne and newly proclaimed king in Scotland.  Duncan was a part of this army pledged to fight.  Most soldiers were between the ages of 15 and 25 and had very little combat experience. Duncan, however,  was older than most in the army being around 30 years old. 

   Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army invaded Scotland in the spring of 1650 and after several maneuverings both armies ended up at the small harbor town of Dunbar.  Cromwell had his opportunity to attack at dawn on the morning of September 3, 1650 and his army routed the Scots in a matter of an hour. 4,000 prisoners were taken. These prisoners, including Duncan Stewart, were forced to march south to Durham (100 miles away).  Only  3,000 men reached Durham after a week's marching (some having escaped, died from lack of food or were shot) and were locked inside the empty cathedral which was the only place that could house the sheer numbers of prisoners. 

Durham Cathedral on the River Wear

irvings-coaches.co.uk

 Durham Cathedral interior today.

Durham Cathedral (photo: alljengi, CC BY-SA 2.0)

  Conditions quickly deteriorated in the makeshift prison with so many men confined to a small space with little food, water or heat.  1,600 prisoners died before it was decided that the healthiest of the prisoners were to be transported to the colonies as indentured servants; the Unity left London in November of 1650.  Duncan's fate was sealed with 150 other Scots prisoners of war. 

 The written order to deliver prisoners to New England, November 11, 1650

It cost about 5 Pounds to ship a prisoner, and a contract sold for 25-30 pounds, so this was a profitable business at the time. 

 

Screen shot from the YouTube video Landscapes of Indenture: Scottish Prisoners of War in 17th Century New England.  Partnership of Historic Bostons 2023

Duncan Arrives in Ipswich, Massachusetts

  After what must have been another harrowing journey, this time aboard a small and crowded ship,  Duncan arrived in New England in mid-December.  At this time labor was sorely needed and scarce in the colonies; the prisoners were either sent to the Saugus Iron Works (now a National Historic Site in Massachusetts), sawmills in Maine and New Hampshire, or to farmers and merchants.  Duncan's indenture was sold to George Hadley in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  He was most likely a farmer. 

  

 What is an indenture contract?  Interesting!  One copy was for the master, one was for the servant. 

Indentures provided cheap, controllable labor for England and indentured servitude was an economic and social institution during this time period of English history. Instead of being hanged for treason, these Scots were actually given the chance for a better life in New England.  

Screen shot from the YouTube video Landscapes of Indenture: Scottish Prisoners of War in 17th Century New England.  Partnership of Historic Bostons 2023

  All the Scots indentures were over by 1659.  In New England, Scottish prisoners had legal rights and their service was temporary, which was a far different fate from people groups whose enslavement was permanent.  Most Scots were offered land after they completed their contracts and went on to build homes, raise families and build wealth. They could become citizens.  So, Duncan Stewart was free to build his new life!

Duncan Stewart Builds a New Life in New England

  Duncan married Anne Winchurst (possibly an indentured servant from Ireland) in April of 1654, just a few years into his indenture. This was unusual, as most SPOWs did not marry until after they had finished working off their terms, usually around seven years.  This little piece of information explains it all....

“Court held at Ipswich, Mar. 28, 1654:
Duncan Stewartt…and An Winchest [both servants to George Hadley] to be whipped for fornication, the man that afternoon and the woman when she should be called out by the magistrates, after she was delivered. Together they were to bring up the child and pay charges.”

    The couple moved to Newbury in 1659, worked a farm for 30 years and went on to have numerous Stewart children.  Duncan died in Rowley Massachusetts on August 30, 1717, at around the age of 100.  You have to wonder; did he leave a family back in Scotland? Did they ever wonder what his fate was after the battle? Was he ever astonished at his own fate? I certainly was. 

The Rest of the Story

  Duncan and Anne's son Samuel moved to Wells, York County,  Maine and married Dorcas Baston.  Their son John married Mary Bragg and their daughter Sarah married Josiah Boothby on September 19, 1765. Incidentally Sarah's sister Mary married James Boothby, brother of Josiah.  These families made the move from Maine to Ohio sometime after 1790. 

 So, our family tree descending from Duncan Stewart of Scotland looks like this: 

Duncan Stewart (Scotland to Massachusetts as a Prisoner of War)

  *Samuel Stewart (Wells, Maine)

      *John Stewart (Maine)

         *Sarah Stewart m. Josiah Boothby (Maine)                                                                          

              *Josiah Boothby (Ohio)

                  *Josiah Stewart Boothby (Oregon)

                         *Josiah Thomas Boothby (Oregon)

                              *Sterl Kenneth Boothby (Oregon)                                                                                       

                                   *D.R. Boothby (California)

                                         *Me (California to Nevada)

 The Scottish Prisoners of War from both the Battle of Dunbar and the Battle of Worchester who were transported to the New World became the progenitors of many New England families as they quietly assimilated into the culture over many years. They left a lasting Scottish presence, especially in parts of Maine.  It is probably safe to say they were the most fortunate of all the prisoners of those battles.  Including Duncan Stewart, our Boothby SPOW. 

Resources:

YouTube video: Landscapes of Indenture: Scottish Prisoners of War in 17th Century New England.  Partnership of Historic Bostons 2023

The Scottish Prisoners of War Society website    https://spows.org/

Scottish Prisoners of War in Durham Cathedral: An Interview with Ghris Gerrard  

https://www.europenowjournal.org/2018/11/07/scottish-prisoners-of-war-in-durham-cathedral-an-interview-with-chris-gerrard/

This is a book on my reading to-do list: 

Gerrard, Christopher (Author); Pam Graves (Author); Andrew Millard (Author); Richard Annis (Author); Anwen Caffell (Author), Lost Lives, New Voices: Unlocking the Stories of the Scottish Soldiers at the Battle of Dunbar 1650, (England: Oxbow Books, 2018) 384 pages. “A book documenting the archaeology of the discovery, the process of analysis, and the history of the Scottish soldiers, including stories of the survivors…” ~ The Scottish Soldiers Archaeology Project Team & Exhibition Curatorial Team.
Available to purchase online at: Barnes and Noble and Amazon

#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 16 Theme...Steps....The King Family Enjoys Watermelon on the Front Steps

 

 

   This family photograph is from the King Album.  It shows my great grandmother (seated with her dog Spot), her mother and father behind her to the right and an unknown couple sitting on the left.   They are enjoying watermelon!  

Date: Probably around 1904-5.  Location unknown. Photographer unknown, but possibly Lester Hayes. 

Emma King, around the age of 15 or 16 (middle), Anna Levers King (in rocking chair) and Charles King (with the bowler hat). 

  Same house...Spot has taken the rocking chair for the rest of the afternoon.

  

#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 15 Theme: School Days....Dorothy Ross Hayes Graduates From Eighth Grade

 Dorothy Ross Hayes 

(b. 17 May 1910-d. 28 March 1989)

Photograph taken at Papa and Granna's "Ranch" in Santa Clara, California June 1925.

 Auntie Dot holding her diploma

  The theme for this week is School Days...my Great Aunt (Auntie Dot) saved mementos  from her 8th Grade graduation from the Cupertino Union Grammar School in June of 1925.  They are a sweet reminder of  her school days and give us a glimpse of how this particular educational passage was celebrated way back when.  

 Auntie Dot's School Days Album, diploma and ribbon. 

The book with its sewn binding is falling apart and the ribbons are faded. The diploma itself is in very good condition. 

  Auntie Dot's dress was most certainly made by her mother Emma King Hayes or her grandmother (Granna) Anna Levers King, 

(Granna-pronounced Gran-ay).  This prune orchard (The Ranch) was located on Grant Road in Santa Clara, California. 

  

This class picture was in Auntie Dot's Memory Book (her photograph album).  Can you spot her right in the middle? All the girls' dresses were the same style and pattern.

  My Memories of School Days.....

 Cupertino Union Grammar School Class of 1925

This school was located at Vista Drive and Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino. The area is now home to Apple Inc. and Silicon Valley. 

 I believe the ribbon's on Auntie Dot's diploma were originally  apricot and white. 

 Sports....Go Cupertino girls!

 Classmates signatures...

A dinner was held for the graduates....

Plays given by graduating classes were popular around this time.... 

  

The Reserve Club was sponsored by the YWCA and started in 1918. It's goal was to help girls aged 12-18 develop a well-balanced personality, grow physically and take on social responsibility.  Most girls at this time belonged to clubs or societies. 

 

Labeled "Girl Reserve Salute"...."Dorothy"... date unknown, but taken around 1925.

From Auntie Dot's Memory Album

Girl Reserve Uniform

From Auntie Dot's Memory Album. Labeled "Dorothy".

Date unknown but taken around 1925. 

  The Class Picnic took place at Alum Rock;  Alum Rock Park in San Jose is California's oldest municipal park.  It sounded like a fun day with lots of activities,  weenies and ice cream!

 Graduation Exercises June 18, 1925

This is my favorite page....

"This book was given to me by Granna and Papa on June 15th, 1925"

"A beautiful wrist watch from Daddy (Van) June 17th, 1925".  George Van Duzer would become her step father in December of 1925.  

"A lovely pearl bracelet and necklace from Mamma, June 17, 1925"

"A bouquet of Easter lilies & delphiniums from California Smith June 18, 1925" (a friend found in her School Days album)

"A basket of sweet peas, Baby's breath and roses from Betty June 18, 1925" Betty was Auntie Dot's youngest sister, and my grandmother. 

"A box of candy was given me by Frances June 18, 1925" Auntie Fran was Auntie Dot's younger sister. 

"Blue garters from Aunties Clara and family June" (not sure who this refers too....)

"Carnation and Roses from the whole family June 18, 1925"

"A French bouquet was presented to me from the boys of our class June 18, 1925"

"From Mrs. Rowen and family I received two lovely handkerchiefs and an address book. June 18, 1925"

"A card from Adele Melone"

Dorothy Rose Hayes.....her middle name was actually Ross, not Rose...

"Now there's Dorothy Hayes

To all of the party she stays

She tells us good jokes

Amuses the folks

And we all like her nice pleasant ways".....

Found at the back of her School Days album under "miscellaneous".

   It was fun to go back in time to almost 100 years ago and look at my Auntie in a very different light as a young girl. After her mother Emma (Nana) married George Van Duzer and moved the family back to Grass Valley,  Auntie Dot attended Grass Valley High School and graduated in 1929.  Later in life she became a talented cake decorator and made many memorable family birthday cakes and celebration cakes.  She made my wedding cake!  She was always full of advice and unconditionally showered love and attention on her nieces and nephews (and then great nieces and nephews) as she never had children of her own after she married. She was a large part of my life growing up. 

  I'm glad she saved these mementos of that special event; they are like a time capsule ready to transport us right back to 1925.  Now, time to preserve them for the generations to come.....

Relationship Reference:

Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Betty Hayes Hansen->Lester Hayes m. Emma King Hayes/Van Duzer (daughters Dorothy, Frances, Margaret (Betty)

#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 13...Worship.... It Happened on Church Street

 Emmanuel Episcopal Church 

235 South Church Street Grass Valley, California

Pen and watercolor  by local artist Loana Beeson 

This framed picture hung in my grandfather's house for many years. This is the church he and his family grew up in. 

 

 Grass Valley United Methodist Church

236 South Church Street Grass Valley, California

Pen and watercolor by local artist Loana Beeson

This framed and matted picture was a wedding present from the artist to my husband and I in June of 1981. This is the church I grew up in. 

 

    Emmanuel Church first opened its doors for worship on August 1, 1858. The Carpenter Gothic style building was built on land donated by the Gold Hill Quartz Mining Company and many pioneer families regularly worshiped there.  Directly across the street was the Methodist Episcopal Church which was formed in 1852 and began as a house with several additions before the grand new church was built in 1872. The steeple which housed the church bell was 125 feet tall. Cornish families worshiped there as they had done in their Cornish Chapels back in England. 

The 1872 church building.  

This church burned in a spectacular fire in August of 1936.  Luckily, Emmanuel Church, which was directly across the street, did not catch fire. The worry was the steeple would fall outward but it eventually fell back into the church itself and the entire church was gone in less than an hour. 

  This week's writing prompt is Worship....   I am not focusing on just one ancestor this week,  but rather a place that has influenced my family since the 1800's. When I think of  Church street (or more specifically South Church street) in Grass Valley, California I am reminded of the role it has played in my family history and in my continuing faith.   

    Church street was so named because of the  five original churches built on the quiet dirt road just one block up  from Mill street, which was the heart of town.  The Congregational Church (built by pioneers in 1853) was on the corner of Church and Neal streets.  St. Patrick's Parish Church (1855) was located at the intersection of Church street and Chapel street.  The African Methodist Episcopal Church (1854) was also located on Church street until 1894.  Even though my family did not worship at these other three churches, St. Mary's Academy, next door to St. Patrick's,  was where Uncle Jack took commercial classes as a young man and my grandfather took choral classes. Their Norwegian father John Hartwig Hansen was involved in drama productions there to learn to speak English.  My mother took piano lessons there from Sister Mary James. The building now houses the Grass Valley Museum where the Burrows family cradle is located. 

   My great great grandparents Alexander Burrows and  Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows attended the Emmanuel Church on Church street with their growing family in the  late 1800's. This is my great grandmother's original Baptism certificate from 1895 and her later confirmation card from 1899.

  There are only three documents that have Clara's name written as Clara Vere de Vere:  Her graduation diploma and these two religious records. She was named after Clara Vere de Vere in the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem!

  The next generation also worshiped at Emmanuel:

 Vere Burrows Hansen with her boys (l-r) Robley, Harold and Jack

 Harold was my grandfather. 

  Clara Vere Burrows married John Hartwig Hansen and together they had three boys: Jack, Robley and Harold (the youngest).  Vere made sure the boys were baptized and eventually  confirmed in the Emmanuel Church. The above picture was taken around 1912 and was found in Vere's photograph album. 

My grandfather's confirmation card from 1922. 

    The Methodist Church across the street was built by Cornish miners who came to Grass Valley to work in the gold mines. The church was heavily influenced by the preaching and music of John and Charles Wesley and became known for the Cornish Carol Choir, Pasty Bake Sales and the Cornish Fair (all of which continue on to this day).  

   My other great grandmother, Emma King Hayes VanDuzer, was a resident of Grass Valley from a young age when her parents immigrated from Cornwall to Grass Valley. They were staunch Methodists who had previously worshiped in the small Methodist Chapel on East Hill in St. Austell, Cornwall.  After living in San Francisco, Nana later made Grass Valley her permanent home with her daughters.  She was very involved in the church and was a very active member there for the rest of her life. She was known for heading up committees, singing in the choir, sewing drapes for Wesley Hall, and for her flower arrangements.  She started the "Friendly Club" and the quilting group.   Her daughters Dorothy, Fran and Margaret (Betty, my grandmother) were life long members as well. 

The new Methodist Church was dedicated on Palm Sunday, 1939.  The architecture style was California Mission Revival. All the solid oak pews with their red velvet cushions came from the Temple Methodist Church in San Francisco. The pipe  organ came from a theater in Chicago.  

   My grandfather Harold Hansen (of Emmanuel Episcopal Church) recorded his "life story" later in life, and told how Emma VanDuzer cornered him on Mill Street one day to ask if he could help with Easter music at the Methodist Church.  My grandfather had a beautiful tenor voice and sang at other churches in the area as well as  in San Francisco.  He crossed the street to attend choir practice at the Methodist Church,  met Betty (who was a soprano), and "took a shine to her from the start".  They were married on July 2, 1939.  They were my grandparents. 

 Jack Hansen, Harold Hansen and Betty Hayes Hansen , Dorothy Hayes in the new Methodist Church July 2, 1939.  Jack and Harold grew up in the Emmanuel Church, Betty and Dorothy grew up in the Methodist Church.  Nana made sure Grandma and Grandpa stayed Methodist....

Margaret "Betty" Hayes Hansen (my grandmother)

July 2, 1939.  The beautiful walnut woodwork is still in the church.

    My Dad's family came to Grass Valley in 1947 (a little later than my pioneer relatives on my Mom's side....).  My Grandmother (Nino) was raised in the Catholic faith but decided the Catholic ritual and teaching were not for her.  She attended Emmanuel Episcopal Church for quite awhile, because she liked the priest. She then switched to the Methodist Church across the street after the Episcopal priest left. Nino helped my sister and I memorize the Lord's Prayer at a very early age.  Her mother, Nonna, belonged to the Methodist Church in San Francisco where she worked in the church kitchen and was loved by all.  When she died new kitchen equipment was purchased in her memory and a plaque was placed designating the space as "The Caterina Brondolo Memorial Kitchen". Nonna attended the Methodist Church in Grass Valley when she visited Nino. Nonna was known to have a constant conversation with her Jesus who could help her with anything at all. 

 My Dad went to the youth group at the Methodist Church and later joined the Methodist Youth Movement at University of the Pacific in Stockton.  Both my Dad and Mom attended UOP, which was founded in 1851 by three Methodist ministers. When he and Mom were married, the Methodist Church became our family's place of worship, and our second home on Sundays. My sister and I would often spend the night with either Nana or Grandma and Grandpa and go to church the next morning with our quarters ready for the collection plate. 

Dale  and Margaret (Hansen) Boothby with Tersilla Boothby (Nino) in Wesley Hall after their wedding.  June 25, 1961

In front of the Methodist Church at my parent's wedding June 25 1961

I recognize: Nonna, Dottie, an unknown couple, Nino, Little Mary, Aunt Dena, Uncle Frank and ? Little Mary's husband?

   Growing up in the this church gave me many happy memories.  Worshiping with a large congregation of people who truly loved the Lord and each other,  singing hymns from the red hymnal (especially at Christmas and Easter) and hearing my own grandparents sing in the choir every Sunday will always stay with me.  Seeing the flowers my Nana and Auntie Dot placed on the altar every spring also comes to mind.  I can still smell the daphne and the daffodils. Sunday school songs and stories, Youth Group and Vacation Bible School. Church potlucks and picnics. Hearing both my Mom and Dad play two piano duets during the service. Playing in the handbell choir while my Mom directed.  

    Later on my husband and I were married in this church, as were my sister and her husband.  My Dad's funeral was held here with standing room only.  In fact, many family weddings, baptisms and funerals were held in both churches on Church street over the many years.  

 June 28, 1981 

Methodist Church Grass Valley, California

 

  

The large "Christ" window in the front of the church.  This is the view I had every Sunday growing up. Photograph taken May 21, 2023.

     

    I still visit the Methodist Church with Mom (who still attends) on occasion.  I love just sitting in the pews and meditating on the beautiful stain glass windows that all tell a story. The church my husband and I attend now with our children and grandchildren is nothing like the church I grew up in.  It has no stain glass, no wood pews with a smooth patina and history, no altar flowers, no homey feel.  The music is loud and the service is presented in multimedia. Change is inevitable.  But, the preaching is solid and from the Gospel. In the end, that's what matters the most. I still have my lasting faith which was handed down from all my relatives worshiping on Church Street. 

References: 

The Church With the Golden Past; A History of the Grass Valley United Methodist Church. By Don Alexander and Dorothy Peavy  October, 2006

Once again, thanks Mom, for all your help with this post!