52Ancestors52Weeks Week 4 Theme: My Favorite Photo (Harold Hansen)

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   Week 4 of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge brings us to the theme of "My favorite photo"....

  How on earth do you pick a favorite photograph out of hundreds and hundreds on both sides of your family?  There are so many memories and stories to choose from. I have had this photograph of my grandfather, Harold Hansen, in my favorites file on my computer for some time.  I spent this last summer going through photographs that he took, or were taken of him, on his trip to Norway in 1930.  Later in his life he wrote his "Life Story", which my Aunt transcribed, and I added it to the blog (April, 2020).  I especially loved the stories of his trip to Norway.   Most of the pictures he took on his trip were in a house fire in 1950; many were rescued, but were burnt or had singed edges.  As I was going through other files and boxes, I discovered a manila envelope with "Norway" written on the front.  Inside were many more pictures of my grandfather on his trip, taken by family members.  This picture was in that envelope.  I did not include this picture in my summer posts, so this seems like a perfect place to add it. 

  I remember looking at it for the first time and thinking about his face.  This must have been at an early stage in his trip, perhaps before he left the dock from San Francisco.  His clothes look brand new, not like in other pictures where you can tell he was dirty and disheveled from working off his passage.  I can imagine his  father taking this picture before he left.   His face had such a look of youthful exuberance and expectation!  

  He was a young man, out of high school, looking for adventure and possibly a vocation to take up in life.  His father John Hartwig Hansen was from Norway and still had close family living near Oslo.  He was a sailor in his youth.  John Hartwig Hansen wrote to  his brother-in-law Harald Klemmetsen  who ran a shipping business and got Grandpa on the ship Balboa to Norway.   Grandpa was to work off his passage and in the process see if sailing might be a good future vocation.  He figured out pretty fast that sailing was not the life for him,  but had a wonderful adventure none the less and got to connect with his Norwegian family and heritage.  It was a trip that provided a life time of memories. 

  I received a packet of letters from my mother this summer that my grandfather had written home while on his trip.  I have been in the process of transcribing them.  I am sharing a letter he wrote after his arrival in Norway.  It is a long one, but it describes his trip from San Francisco to Norway and everything in between.  I think my favorite part might be his last line before he signs off as "Heine H.".  

I shared this picture in a previous post.  My grandfather Harold Hansen is with his father, John Hartwig Hansen,  right before his trip to Norway in June of 1930.  This picture was most likely taken the same day as the top photo.  Who took the photo? 

Relationship Reference:  Me->Mom->Harold Hansen->John Hartwig Hansen

The Hurd Family: Lives in Pennsylvania, California, Nevada and Beyond Part 2 (Hurd)

Frank S Hurd, buried at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Butte, Montana

  There were three sons born to William Hurd and Harriet Bluett: John Henry Hurd (his life story was written about in my last post), William George Hurd and Frank S. Hurd.  John lived a long life as a miner, but the other two brothers made different occupational  choices, lived in different parts of the west, and passed away rather young.  

  Unfortunately, I was unable to find very much information on William George when I first began researching this part of the family several years ago.    He was born while the family was living in Nevada City, California in 1858.  He was listed in the 1870 US Census as living with his family in Mahanoy, Pennsylvania,  aged 13 years.  The next bit of information I found on William was in a Voter Registration list of 1879 for Amador County.  He was aged 21 and living in Township 4 (Sutter Creek).   The 1880 US Census showed William still living in Amador County, California, Township 3, aged 22, and his occupation was "watchmaker".  Township 3 encompassed the little town of Volcano.  He may have chosen to live in Amador county as his uncle, William Bluett (Harriet's brother) lived in Pine Grove, Amador County, which is located very near Volcano.  His aunt Sara Jane "Jenny" Bluett also lived in Township 3, and she was married to  Orson Clough. I will use another post to go into the Clough family in Amador County.  William's younger sister Carrie married one of Orson Clough's sons by his second wife, so Amador County had a connection to the Virginia City Hurds in several ways. 

  Just recently (as in yesterday!), I came across a clue that led me to the obituary of William G. Hurd, and the confirmation of his residence, occupation and death.   I was searching the Find A Grave website for burials in Volcano.  Find A Grave is a site where contributors can add pictures of grave markers, family photos, obituaries, and  life stories of people in their own families or people they are researching.  Many people contribute as a hobby.  It is a wonderful research tool for family historians. 

   I came across a William G. Hurd buried in the Catholic Cemetery (no marker).  I contacted the contributor to the site and asked him to send me the obituary that he used to add the memorial. He had added William's memorial just this past August.  He graciously agreed to change William's place of  burial  to the Volcano Protestant Cemetery right across the street,  on the Find A Grave website.  Here is the copy he provided me of the obituary.  The date is January 1, 1881, but the name of the newspaper is unknown. 

   

  So, the mystery of what happened to William G. Hurd was solved.  I was sad to read that he died at such a young age from consumption (tuberculosis), but was also glad to read that his mother, Harriet Bluett Hurd, was at his side. The Hurd family had lost another male family member. William Hurd had died in 1876 in a mining accident in Virginia City, Nevada. 

  Frank S. Hurd was born in 1862 while the Hurd family was living in Nevada City.  He was listed on the 1870 US Census with his family in Mahanoy, Pennsylvania, aged 8 years.  The 1880 US Census listed Frank as living with his mother Harriet, his older brother John, and 6 sisters on Sacramento Road in Virginia City, Nevada. He was working as a "Grocer's Clerk" and was 18 years old.  

  In May of 1894 Frank married Elizabeth Ann Tyack Hawke in Butte, Montana.  She was a widow with three children.  Their daughter, Electa Viola Hurd, was born May 22, 1896 according to a delayed birth certificate registered in 1942.  Frank was listed in the Butte City Directory as a bookkeeper at T J Bennetts and Co. (grocers) in 1896.    Sadly, Frank passed away March 20, 1896 at the age of about 35.  Electa's actual birthdate may have been a year earlier than 1896, as she is listed with his stepchildren in both obituaries. Or, she was born before March 20.  More research is needed into the origin and dates of the newspapers which would set the actual date of death, proving that Electa's birthdate is incorrect, or that his headstone year of death is incorrect, possibly 1897.  The headstone reads Brother and may have been purchased at a much later date by members of the Hurd family and the year of death  may have been mis-recorded.  

Frank Hurd Obituary.  Unknown newspaper source, probably the paper out of Reno, Nevada. Unknown date. The Mrs. Cluff listed as his sister would be Carrie Hurd Clough, living in Amador County, California. 

Frank Hurd Obituary Unknown date or newspaper source (probably The Weekly Tribune out of Butte, Montana).  Centerville was just outside the city limits of Butte at the time, and is now a part of Butte, Montana. 
 

  Why did Frank Hurd decide to leave Virginia City and move to Butte, Montana?  An excerpt from Montana, Its Story and Biography, Vol. 3 (from Ancestry.com)...tells the story of James Tyack, the father of Frank's wife Elizabeth Ann Tyack.  Elizabeth was Lydia's older sister. 

"Mr. Bennett (no relation to T J Bennetts & Co.) .....married Lydia Tyack...December 1895...Lydia Tyack, a graduate of the public schools of Virginia City, Nevada.  Her father, James Tyack....journeyed by way of the Isthmus of Panama to California, (from the east coast of America) thence to Nevada  where he was a pioneer worker at the old Comstock Mine.  In 1889, having accumulated a competency in his mining operations, he located in Butte, Montana, where he spent the remaining years of his life.  His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Peters, still resides in Butte."

  James and Hannah were born in Cornwall, England, as was Elizabeth and several siblings.  Lydia was born in Virginia City, Nevada.  James' story was very similar to so many Cornish emigrants who brought their mining skills and culture to western mining towns of America.  He may have known Frank and the Hurds in Virginia City, possibly through the grocers store where Frank was a clerk.  Elizabeth and her first husband Joseph Hawkes (a miner) also lived in Virginia City in 1880 on South H Street. Elizabeth was 19 years old.  Their third child was born in 1891 in Butte, and Joseph died sometime between 1892 and 1893.  Frank may have gone to Montana knowing James and Hannah Tyack and their daughters from their time in Virginia City.  Frank arrived in Butte around 1890 or 91 and was in a convenient position to marry their daughter, who was a widow by at least 1893.  Or,  it was just plain coincidence! 

Either way, Frank's early death cut short their time together, and took a father figure from 4 little girls.  Elizabeth passed away in 1928 at the age of 67. 

  

The Hurd Family: Lives in Pennsylvania, California, Nevada and Beyond Part 1

 

John Henry  Hurd   (Born 28 December 1852 Tamaqua, Pennsylvania--Died 13 February 1933 San Francisco, California).  Picture shared by Mimi Swaney (Great Granddaughter to Winnie Hurd) on Ancestry.com. This picture is believed to have been taken in Pennsylvania around 1870.

  John Henry Hurd was the first born child of William Henry Hurd and Harriet Elizabeth Bluett.  He was born in Tamaqua, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania.  He traveled to Nevada City, California with his parents and younger sister Elizabeth Jane Hurd (my Great Great Grandmother) by crossing the Isthmus at Panama in 1856. The family lived on a hill above the Manzanita Mine (in the vicinity of  Sugarloaf Mountain).  He traveled back to Pennsylvania  before the 1870 Census.  He began working in mining (most likely coal mining) as a machinist around 1870 in Mahanoy, Pennsylvania along with his father and other Bluett family members.  He traveled back west with his family, settling down in Virginia City, Nevada.  His father William died in a mining accident in the Ophir mine in 1876.  He continued working as a machinist/miner in Virginia City in and around the 1880's at the C and C Shaft. He was living with his mother, his younger brother and 6 younger sisters on Sacramento Road in 1880. 

  Unfortunately, there is no 1890 Census to help us see what John was doing in the early 90's, but the obituary of his younger brother Frank Hurd mentions that John was in Mexico at the time of Frank's death in 1897.  John was no doubt engaged in a job related to mining;  he may have gone to work in some capacity for an American owned mine.  The silver and gold  boom in Virginia City was almost over, and he may have needed work, or he was there to gain experience. There is no record of his trip or how long he was out of the country. He was not enumerated in the 1900 US Census, so he may have still  been in Mexico at the time. 

John Hurd  

Picture taken somewhere around the 1880's or 90's.  Shared by Mimi Swaney on Ancestry.com

  

  By the 1910 US Census John was back in Virginia City.  He was living on C Street as a lodger along with 11 other gentlemen who worked as miners in the "gold and silver mines" industry.  John's occupation was listed as  stationary engineer.  He was 57 years old.  Under the column "List how many days out of work in 1909" he listed 0.  So, he was still working in the mines, even though the heyday and boom times were coming to an end. 

  Several newspaper snippets give a glimpse of his life as an older gentleman.  The Reno Evening Gazette dated February 3, 1915 said.."John Hurd returned from Truckee Monday, after attending the ice festival."  The Reno Evening Gazette dated October 2, 1915 said ..."John Hurd was a departure yesterday evening for the exposition." This was probably referring to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition World's Fair being held in San Francisco. That must have been quite a trip! 

  By the 1920 US Census John Hurd was living in San Francisco at 1146 Mission Street as a lodger, probably in a residential hotel.  He was 67 years old.  His sister Elizabeth Jane (my Great Great Grandmother) was living in the bay area at the time with some of her children, so he was close to family.  John was still living on Mission Street at the time of the 1930 US Census, and was 77 years old. 

  

  The writing on the back of this picture says.."Taken Sunday, Feb. 10, 1933. John H. Hurd 80 years old".  It looks like Elizabeth Jane's writing.  John was standing on the right side of the picture.  I am not sure who the older couple was.   It was taken just three days before his death.  

The Reno Evening Gazette 14, February 1933.

 

John Hurd is buried in the Masonic Garden Cemetery on Stoker Avenue in Reno, Nevada.  Photo from FindAGrave.com

  John Hurd stepped in after his father died and took over as head of the family.  He never married. He lived with his mother until her death in 1893, and he was instrumental in making sure that his younger sisters completed their educations and were able to make the most of every opportunity presented to them.  Their  stories continue....

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 3 Theme: Namesake Weston as a Middle Name: Origins From 1635 (Alden)

 Week 3 Theme:  Namesake

The Elizabeth & Ann      1635 

   The middle name of Weston has been used by my husband's Alden family for several generations, beginning with his father, and then my husband.  We gave our son the middle name of Weston.  Our son gave his son the middle name of Weston. Four consecutive generations with a middle name of Weston.  Where did that name come from?  How far back did it go? The origin of the name, and a namesake,  was not known with certainty. I took a break from research into my own family lines, and began researching to find the original Weston on the Alden side of the family. 

   So, this week I am going in a little different direction....as in way back to 1635!   The Great Migration was in full force, as roughly 20,000 people from England made their way to New England from 1620-1640.  According to Anderson's Great Migration Study Project, Edmund Weston, aged 30, was "enrolled at London as a passenger for New England on the Elizabeth & Ann".  He settled at Duxbury, Massachusetts. 

  Here is  my husband's generational line of Westons that began in Duxbury, Massachusetts in 1635. 

   Generation 1:  Edmund Weston  (about 1605-1686)  was of unknown origins.  He arrived in New England on 8 May 1635 aboard the Elizabeth & Ann.  He was a servant to John Winslow and Nathaniel Thomas before settling in Duxbury, Massachusetts.  In 1639 he formed a partnership with John Carver for planting and farming.  In 1640 he had a grant from the colony of four acres at Stony Brook, Duxbury.  In 1643 he was one of the men enrolled to bear arms.  In 1652 he was a surveyor  of highways, and from this time his name frequently appeared in connection with town affairs and in various public matters.  He married late in life, probably a De La Noy (Delano), but the name of his wife is not known for sure.  He died in Duxbury at the age of 80 years, respected and honored by all who knew him.  His will dated 18, February 1686,  listed four children.  (from Nutfield Geneaolgy Blog and Plymouth Families, Genealogical Register of, 282 from Ancestry.com).  

  Generation 2:  John Weston (1662-1736) lived in Duxbury, Massachusetts  and married Rebecca Peterson.  

  Generation 3:  David Weston (1726-1805) lived in Plympton, Massachusetts (a western parish of Plymouth) and married Susannah Churchill.

                                                       

  Generation 4:  David Weston Jr. (1754-1836) was born in Plympton, lived in Middleborough, served in the Revolutionary War, and married Keziah Eaton.  

                                

Part of David Weston's Revolutionary War Record and Pension Request

  Generation 5:  Andrew Weston (1790-1871)  lived in Middleborough, Massachusetts and married Lovina Hall.  

  Generation 6:  Juliann Weston (1832-1900) lived in Middleborough, Massachusetts, and married Thomas Jefferson Alden.  The name of Weston disappears for a few generations after this, in this particular branch of the Alden family.  

Thomas Jefferson Alden 

 Generation 7:  Theodore Henry Alden (1877-1948) was born in Middleborough and lived in Brockton, Massachusetts.  He married Louisa M. Leonard. 

  Generation 8:  Theodore Stewart Alden (1903-1979)  lived  in Brockton, Massachusetts and married Amy Burgess Thurston.  

  Generation 9:  David Weston Alden (1938-2013).  The name  Weston appears as a middle name in the family, and is handed down for three more generations as a middle name. 

   So, thanks to Edmond Weston who first came to New England in 1635 the name of Weston lives on.  Only time will tell how many more times it will be used! It was refreshing to tell a different story of my husband's family, whose origins can be traced all the way back to John Alden and Priscilla Mullens and another ship that came to New England called the Mayflower. 

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 2 Theme: Family Legend HER PATRIOTISM UNBOUNDED (Vere Burrows)

Daily Evening Tidings (Published in Grass Valley, California) May 21, 1903

Week 2 Theme:  Family Legend

  In my post of June 25, 2020, I touched briefly on a family story that my Great Grandmother, Vere Burrows Hansen, was the only one to shake hands with President Teddy Roosevelt during his train stop in Colfax, California on May 19, 1903.  I suppose you could say that it was a family legend of sorts.  Merriam Webster defines legend as a story handed down from the past, popularly regarded as historical but not verifiable.   This story has indeed been handed down! But, as intriguing as that story was, I hadn't found any real proof that Vere was actually at the train depot, or had really  shaken the hand of Teddy Roosevelt. 

Nevada County Narrow Gauge Rail Road advertisement for transportation to Colfax.  Ladies and Children were only charged 50 Cents. 

   At the time I wrote the post of June 25, I had not yet rummaged through all the papers and photos that my Auntie Claire had in boxes that were semi organized.  I spent the rest of the summer combing through newspaper snippets, receipts, unidentified pictures, obituaries, and report cards belonging to my grandfather and his brothers.  I came across a fragile pile of whole newspapers from 1903 and 1904 that were published in Grass Valley and Nevada City,  California.  I could tell that several were saved as they contained  articles relating to the death by suicide of my Great Great Grandfather, Alexander Burrows in 1904.  He was Vere's father.  Then, I came across two very brittle newspapers that I carefully unfolded and read several times, as I could not figure out why they were important enough to save.  Lo and behold, this headline stood out in a small article on page 8 of the Daily Evening Tidings, printed May 21, 1903.  HER PATRIOTISM UNBOUNDED it said....

Here is the transcribed article in its entirety. 

DAILY EVENING TIDINGS May 21, 1903. Page 8. HER PATRIOTISM UNBOUNDED Young Lady of this City Receives Unusual Distinction. ________________ Miss Vere Burrows has the Honor of Being the Only One of Her Sex to Shake Hands with the President. _________________ Miss Vere Burrows of this city is a most enviable young lady. She has the distinction of being the last to shake the hand of President Roosevelt during his recent stop at Colfax. That is certainly an honor to be proud of and she is carrying the distinction with becoming grace. This young lady is nothing if not patriotic. She is imbued with the spirit which has made Columbia celebrated in prose and poetry for the daring and patriotism of her sons and daughters. When the idea of tendering a reception to the President was first mooted she made up her mind that she would see him. It would be her first glimpse of a President and she reasoned that it would be an honor worth going miles to witness. She was among the hundreds who left on the excursion Tuesday afternoon and when she reached Colfax her patriotism was ablaze at the sight of so many thousands waiting to do homage to the distinguished guest. She waited patiently for the President’s special to arrive and when it hove in sight her enthusiasm knew no bounds. When the train stopped she was one of the first to elbow her way to the platform on which the President stood. Nothing could cool her patriotic ardor or deter her from her purpose to get close to “strenuous Teddy,” as he is familiarly called. She jostled and elbowed with the good natured crowd until she found herself directly below the rear platform of the train on which the President travelled. Then the improvised platform from which the presentation speech was made was brought forward and she was crowded somewhat out of place. For a moment she was chagrined at being forced from her position, but for a moment only. She stood and watched the President as he intently absorbed every word uttered by Judge Nilon and when he began to speak she was brimful of enthusiasm and patriotism. What a pity it would be to permit such a splendid opportunity to pass without shaking the President by the hand. In a moment she was on the improvised platform standing face to face with the nation’s chief. The engineer had already whistled the signal to start and she saw the opportunity slipping from her when she reached out her hand and exclaimed “Mr. President I would like to shake hands with you.” “Glad to have the honor, young lady,” replied President Roosevelt, and he extended his hand and gave her a hearty strenuous shake. Just then the train pulled out and the President was quickly out of sight. That’s the reason why her friends are envying her the honor he had bestowed on her. And in the after years, when the evening of life begins to cast its shadows like the edge of an approaching shroud, and when the hair that is now beautiful and fair shall be supplanted with locks of silvery gray, she will delight in gathering her loved ones around the hearthstone and telling them that out of hundreds of women who went to Colfax to see the President she was the only one to shake him by the hand.

Nevada County Daily Morning Miner Thursday May 21 1903 Page 5.  This paper was published out of Nevada City, California. 

  So, my Great Grandmother did indeed shake the hand of President Teddy Roosevelt! I had found verifiable proof that she not only was there, but that the family story was true.   She had her "15 minutes of fame",  and then  went on to lead a life full of patriotism and pride in her country.  

  The local Grass Valley paper, The Union, recently published a story that involved this incident in Vere's life.  The author, Steve Cottrell, was writing a series of stories on Teddy Roosevelt and his whistlestop tour that included Colfax, California.  Margaret Hansen Boothby (my mother) relayed the information and the newspaper articles that I had discovered to Mr. Cottrell,  thinking he could use the story somehow. He did  use Vere's story as "bookends" to his story on the search for the Navy ship the Levant. Here is the article as it appeared in The Union December 25, 2020.   I especially loved how he used Vere's High School Graduation picture from 1900. He got the  marriage date wrong by a year...she married in 1904.  And so, her story continues! 

Searching for an uncharted Pacific island

The search for an uncharted island

News NEWS | December 25, 2020

By Steve Cottrell | Special to The Union

Last month we explained how three Nevada County men arranged to present President Theodore Roosevelt with a collection of gold specimens when his train stopped at the Colfax depot on May 19, 1903. It was a brief stop, less than 15 minutes, but those who were present never forgot seeing and hearing the president — especially Vere Burrows.

A 1900 graduate of Grass Valley High School, Vere managed to nudge her way through the crowd and stood below the train’s rear platform as Roosevelt spoke. When he finished to loud cheers, Miss Burrows called out, asking to shake his hand, so the president reached down and obliged.

Roosevelt then began motioning to James Hague, president of the North Star Mine and one of the Nevada County men who arranged for the Colfax ceremony. Hague and Roosevelt knew each other as members of the elite Century Association, a private club in New York City, and the president wanted his friend to join him as the train proceeded to Sacramento.

While Vere Burrows and other Nevada County residents headed home with life-long memories, Hague sat with Roosevelt in his private car, explaining why a search of the Pacific Ocean south of Honolulu, in an area where Navy sloop-of-war Levant apparently met with tragedy in 1860, was needed. The Navy had long ago concluded that Levant foundered in a storm, but Hague believed it wrecked, not foundered, and some survivors might still be alive on an uncharted island. He needed Roosevelt’s help to undertake a search.

Hague’s theory was based in large part on a mast that washed up south of Hilo in May 1861. It was consistent with a Levant mast and had spikes driven into it in a manner suggesting it came from a jerry-rigged raft. The August 4, 1861, New York Times reported that if the mast was from Levant, “it would go far to sustain the belief that the ship had been wrecked on some shoal, reef, rock or island, and not foundered.”

James Hague was 24, living in Hilo, when Levant set sail for Panama, and prior to its departure had become friends with the ship’s commanding officer, William Hunt, and several sailors. Forty-three years later, with TR’s assistance, the 67-year-old Nevada County mine owner hoped to solve the mystery of the vessel’s disappearance.

Asking Roosevelt to make a ship available to hunt for an uncharted island more than four decades after Levant disappeared may have been stretching their friendship, but in 1904, as part of a May shakedown voyage for the freshly christened Navy cruiser USS Tacoma, Roosevelt and Secretary of the Navy William Moody authorized the ship’s commanding officer to work with a special passenger, James Hague, to search for a possible Pacific island and any evidence of it having been a safe haven for survivors of Levant.

SEARCH

Nearly 8,000 square miles were covered during a zigzag search hundreds of miles south of Honolulu, but no uncharted land was spotted. Although Hague’s charts encompassed about 30,000 square miles, Tacoma, running low on coal, was forced to return to San Francisco after only four days of searching. On June 3, 1904, the Associated Press reported that in addition to needing more coal, “(Tacoma) carried no appliances for deep-sea sounding, so her exploration was wholly superficial.”

Three months later, Hague spoke at a session of the International Geographical Congress in New York City, introduced by Arctic explorer Robert Peary. His topic, naturally, was Levant’s 1860 disappearance and the search for an uncharted Pacific island.

“I had the honor to bring the matter to the attention of President Roosevelt,” Hague told the IGC delegates, “and thereafter…Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Moody, determined to send an expedition as soon as one or more suitable vessels could be spared for the service.”

Although the ill-prepared search was unsuccessful, Hague remained optimistic, suggesting to his audience that the ship’s company “might have landed without the loss of a single life, in which event there might still be some survivors.”

During his lecture Hague talked about a possible second search, but it never materialized. And on August 3, 1908, the 72-year-old owner of the North Star Mine died at his summer home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

As for Vere Burrows, 45 days after shaking TR’s hand she married miner John Hansen, a native of Norway and veteran of the Spanish American War. Vere, a founder of the Grass Valley PTA and charter member of the Nevada County Historical Society, died in Grass Valley in 1974.

Historian Steve Cottrell, a former Nevada City Council member and mayor, can be contacted at exnevadacitymayor@gmail.com.

Navy sloop-of-war Levant sailed from the then-Sandwich Islands in September 1860, bound for Panama, but never reached port and was thought to have foundered during a storm. North Star Mine owner James Hague, however, believed Levant wrecked, not foundered, and in 1903 asked President Theodore Roosevelt to authorize a search for an uncharted Pacific island.
Courtesy Library of Congress

James Duncan Hague was a prominent Nevada County mine owner, geologist and friend of Theodore Roosevelt. In 1903, Hague asked Roosevelt to exercise his presidential powers and help him search for an uncharted Pacific island — a request the president fulfilled in 1904.
Courtesy Searls Historical Library

Grass Valley native Vere Burrows Hansen, a 65-year member of Manzanita Parlor No. 29, Native Daughters of the Golden West, was reportedly the only female to shake President Roosevelt’s hand when he spoke at the Colfax railroad depot on May 19, 1903.
Courtesy Patricia Alden and Margaret Boothby

Relationship Reference:  Me->Margaret->Harold Hansen->Vere Burrows Hansen

The Hurds in Virginia City: Life on the Comstock (Hurd)

Annie, Hattie, Winnie and Edith standing in front of their home at 203 Summit street Virginia City, Nevada.  Shared by Mimi Swaney (great granddaughter of Winnie Hurd) on Ancestry.com. I am not sure when the family moved into this house, but it may have been after Harriet's death in 1893.  The house is on the side of a hill..... 

   What happened to the Hurd family after William died in a mining accident at the Ophir mine in August of 1876?  I found a Virginia City directory for the year 1878 on Ancestry.com which provided a great deal of information.  The family was living at 204 North Howard street.  John, aged 25, was working as a miner in the C and C shaft.   Ella, aged 18, was working as a teacher at the 1st Ward School (no longer in existence), Frank, aged 16, was working as a clerk in town.  There were other Hurds in town, but I don't think they were related to this family.  If you look down the page, you will see a N. Hutchinson, working as an engineer at the Mariposa Mill.  I believe he is the Nelson Hutchinson who married Ella Hurd in 1881.  Harriet was living with the family on North Howard; she was not mentioned until the 1880 census. 

  William George was living in Amador County by 1880, aged 23, and  was a watch maker; he probably left Virginia City shortly before or after his father died.   Carrie, aged 12 in 1878, was most likely attending school, as was Winnie, aged 9, and Annie, aged 6.  Hattie was just 5 years old and Edith was just 3 years old when their father died.  Elizabeth Jane (my Great Grandmother) was living in Grass Valley and married to Alexander Burrows.  

 I'm sure the family pulled together the best they could after William's death.  They also received a "subscription" from employees at the mine for a total of  $1,240; charitable help and support was a common occurrence for injured miners or surviving family members in the community. 

 

    A current map of Virginia City.  Howard and Summit streets are on the north side of town. #9 is the Piper Opera House, #7 is the Story County Court House for reference. The Ophir Ravine was off of the end of Summit Street.  The C and C shaft was down the Sixmile Canyon road, between L and R Streets. John  worked at the C and C shaft.  

A view of Virginia City around 1870 taken from the hillside north of town looking down B and C streets. The largest building in the foreground on C street is the 1st Ward School, which no longer exists.  From The Comstock History Center Museum FaceBook page, shared March 6, 2015. The Hurds would have been living on the hill at the right side of the picture. 

The First Ward School, Virginia City, Nevada. Ella Hurd taught here in 1878. It is perched on a hill, as was most of the town.....Image complimentary of the J Curtis Special Collection shared by the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture FaceBook page on January 6, 2016. 

  By the 1880 US Census, the family had moved to Sacramento Road.  I don't know the exact location of this house, as Sacramento Road no longer exists, but it could have been north of town near the Sacramento and Meredith mines.   The family continued living all together, with Harriet listed as head of household.  John was working as a machinist, which was the job he had in Pennsylvania.   It is interesting to note that Elizabeth Jane was listed twice in the 1880 census.  In addition to being listed as living in Virginia City  as a married  family member of  Harriet on June 5th, she was also enumerated as living in Grass Valley and married with 3 children on June 9th.  She may have been visiting at the time of her enumeration in Virginia City, or someone in Grass Valley verbally gave the Census worker her information as she was not at home. 

Mine map from 1873.  Geiger Grade comes in from the top right into town.  I believe 

Sacramento Street may have been in the vicinity of the Sacramento and Meredith Mine.  

Post card of the Ophir Mine, Virginia City, Nevada circa 1910.  William Hurd worked and died at this mine. 

                                                             The C and C shaft.  John Hurd worked here. 

                                Virginia City at the turn of the century. 6 Mile Canyon is in the background.

  On Saturday the 9th of September, 1893, Harriet Hurd passed away in Virginia City. The Morning Union (Grass Valley) reported on September 14th that she died of heart failure after a long illness.  My Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Jane, was alerted before her death and had traveled from Grass Valley to be with her.  She was 59 years old.  

  My future posts will continue the story of the Hurd family on the Comstock and beyond.  Their journeys continued.  

This is an excerpt from the book, Silver Fever edited by Robert R.  VanRyzen (Krause Publications, 2009).  It provides a glimpse into the working conditions of miners on the Comstock.  William was crushed to death by a cage while descending into the Ophir mine in 1876. 

"On the morning of July 5, 1882, Comstock miner William F Grant was riding the cage up the hoisting shaft of the Chollar-Norcross-Savage mine when he became faint, lost his balance and fell.  The startled miners riding with Grant signaled the hoist engineer to lower them to the bottom of the shaft.  There they recovered Grant's mutilated remains.  When Grant fell, he became unmercifully pinned between the cage and the mine shaft's wall plates, where his right hip was horribly crushed and mangled, nearly cutting his body in two before he plummeted to his death...Slightly more than a month later, Thomas Veale, a car man at the 2,400 foot level of the same mine, fell from the cage 280 feet to his death into a pool of scalding water....."

"As gruesome as these deaths were, they were a fairly common occurrence in the Comstock mines.  Between 1863 and 1880, according to Eliot Lord, nearly 300 miners were killed and another 600 injured in various mine-related accidents....besides falling down a mine shaft, miners could be torn to shreds by premature explosions of blasting materials, roasted in underground fires, hit by falling equipment, or crushed by a runaway ore car.....If the miner survived the perils of the heat at the Comstock's lower levels, he still had to worry about his ascent to the surface.  The rapid temperature change a miner experienced while riding a fast moving cage could cause him to feel nauseated and dizzy, lose his balance, and plummet to his death.  But even if he kept his wits, he still had to worry whether or not the cage would stop at the collar of the shaft or shoot right on by, throwing its passengers violently from it. The cage's movements were controlled by a hoist engineer who, by watching a large dial, could determine its exact position at any time. Using a system based on the number of times a bell sounded, the miner could tell the engineer when and where he wanted the cage to stop.  Because a moment's  indecision could be disastrous, the hoist engineer's job was generally given to a competent person." 

  William had come to Virginia City looking for a better place to live for his family, and he most certainly earned a better income than he did working in the coal mines in  Pennsylvania.  But sadly, the dangerous working conditions still existed.  On a more positive note, his family did end up creating successful lives for themselves in the West.