I have pieced together a timeline for the Hurd family and their journeys across the country from Pennsylvania to California and back and then from Pennsylvania to Nevada. I believe these journeys were the result of the search for economic stability. It does end on a sad note for William Hurd in August of 1876. But, his daughter Elizabeth Jane settled in Grass Valley, California and became a piece of my story.....
1830 William Henry Hurd was born in Somerset, England. I have no other genealogical information on William. He was a miner in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, and was in all likelihood a coal miner, as this region of the state was known for its anthracite coal deposits. It is not known when William came to America or when he married Harriet.
1834 Harriet Elizabeth Bluett was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on December 8th. Her parents were John Bluett and Honor Rodda. John was from Tywardreath, Cornwall (England) and Honor was from Crowan, Cornwall. John Bluett was also a miner.
1852 John Bluett died of bilious pneumonia in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.
John Bluett's Death Registration, Pennsylvania. Notice the phonetic spelling of Tywardreath.
1853 John Henry Hurd was born to William and Harriet Elizabeth Bluett Hurd in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.
1855 Elizabeth Jane Hurd was born in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania (my Great Great Grandmother)
1856 William, Harriet, John and Elizabeth made the journey from Pennsylvania to Nevada City, California by sailing from the east coast, crossing the isthmus of Panama by mule and ox teams, arriving in San Francisco by steamship and then taking the stage to Nevada City. This route was used by thousands of miners during the gold rush. It was the fastest route at the time, taking about 8 weeks to complete. There were other Bluett and Rodda relatives living in the new gold rush town of Nevada City, California. (See my post from January 2, 2020 Gold Country Stories Unverified Elizabeth Jane Hurd Surviving Panama) for the whole story..
William was most likely trying to take advantage of the economic opportunities, as were other family members who came out also. Gold mining may have seemed a better choice of occupation than coal mining for William. Around 1853-4 a large mine fire started in a coal mine near Tamaqua and became a "well known menace" to mine workers in the area as were several other mine fires. (from Wynn History Blog September 9, 2020). There was also a Great Flood in 1850 that remains Tamaqua's single historic event and most noted tragedy (from Iron Steps Illustrated History of Tamaqua Pennsylvania by Donald R. Serfass 2010). I don't know for sure if these events played a part in William's decision to come out west or not, but they certainly could have contributed.
1857 William George Hurd was born in Nevada City, California.
1859 Virginia City, Nevada begins as a boomtown with the discovery of the first major silver deposit in the country, also called The Comstock Lode.
1860 Ella Mae Hurd was born in Nevada City, California.
1862 Frank S. Hurd was born in Nevada City, California.
According to Frank's obituary, the family lived "on the hill above the Manzanita Mine".
1864 Carrie Amelia Hurd was born in Nevada City, California.
Nevada becomes the 36th state.
1868 Winnifred Willomie Hurd was born in Nevada City, California.
1870 By the 1870 US Census, the family was back in Pennsylvania, but this time living in Mahanoy, Schuylkill County. This was a large coal producing region also, but was just being opened up to mining. William was once again employed as a miner. It is not known why they came back "to the states" as the story was written down. Perhaps William needed a more stable job with stable earnings and he was familiar with the job and surroundings in Pennsylvania.
Being a gold miner in the foothills of California was a gamble at best. The family had lived in Nevada City for almost 10 years, and by the late 1860's the number of miners was diminishing and mining was becoming more of a business than an adventure. Most profits went to merchants and suppliers. Prices were high, living conditions were bad, and most miners didn't strike it rich (from Joint Chamber of Commerce of Nevada County, Gold Mining in Nevada County 2005).
The area they moved to was just starting its coal boom and looked very similar to wild west towns on the west coast with new towns, including Mahanoy Township, springing up all over the Mahanoy Valley. Very shortly the town became embroiled with the Molly McGuires violence. Wikipedia describes how the Irish brought a form of the Molly McGuires organization into America and located in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania, including Schuylkill County. There was a large influx of immigrants to this part of Pennsylvania at the time. Irish miners employed tactics of intimidation and violence during conflicts with large hard coal mining companies and railroad owners. Wages were low, the companies recruited other oversees immigrants to work, safety precautions were not taken, and there were many injuries, fires and deaths in the mines. The Molly McGuires were accused of murder, kidnapping, and arson as they protested, and many were eventually convicted and hanged for their crimes. The Pinkerton Detective Agency was hired to infiltrate the organization and bring them to justice. The trials and and executions are now considered an outrageous perversion of the criminal justice system (Who Were the Molly McGuires? Aug. 29, 2018 History.com/History Channel)
Both William and John were working in the mines, with John working as a machinist. Working conditions in coal mines were simply horrendous and miners faced many occupational hazards. "Miners' asthma" and "black lung disease" caused by the inhalation of coal dust, powder and underground gases was a big problem. In fact, John Bluett died of bilious pneumonia which was most likely related to his job as a miner. He was 49 years old. Miners faced even greater risks from large falls of coal or rock, or by explosions caused by gases. Death by drowning occurred if miners tapped into an unknown body of water or if strata under a river collapsed. The most lethal accidents involved fire and gas. (from Black gold: Molly Maguireism, Unionism, and the Anthracite Labor Wars 1860-1880 by Samantha Edmiston May 2012)
1873 The Panic of 1873 occurred. This panic lasted until 1879 and was one of the worst depressions in the nation's history. One result was the Coal Miners' Strike of 1873 which essentially failed due to the importation of Italian strikebreakers. Unrest continued for several years after the strike, and undermined coal miners' efforts to organize. (The Coal Miners' Strike of 1873--Wikipedia)
1873 Hattie Lenore Hurd was born in Mahanoy, Pennsylvania on February 11.
1875 Edith Francis Hurd was born in Mahanoy, Pennsylvania on February 4th.
At some point in the timeline after Edith's birth the family moved back to California and Nevada with either 9 or 10 of their children. It is not known how they came this time, but the Transcontinental Railroad had been completed by 1869 and so was a strong possibility.
They were leaving an area that was riddled with cultural clashes, violence, and protest against working conditions and low pay. Unions were having a difficult time organizing. A serious downturn in the national economy didn't help, either. In other words, a lot of turmoil. It was time to move again.
1875 Elizabeth Jane Hurd was married to Alexander Burrows and had her first child in October, in Grass Valley, California. She may have come out before her family did. She settled in Grass Valley, but the Hurds settled in Virginia City, Nevada. William and John began work in the Ophir Mine, mining for silver on The Comstock.
1875 October 26 The Great Fire occurred in Virginia City, Nevada and with the help of the "Washoe Zephyr" destroyed over 2,000 structures in the span of 10 hours. There is no mention in any oral or written family history of the impact this had on the Hurds, but it must have been a traumatic event to witness. Humanitarian relief was promptly sent from California, and the mines opened back up the next day. Optimistic townspeople reported to the newspapers that "The town will be alright in a week or two" and indeed the community proved to be resilient and put the fire behind them (from The Virginia City Great Fire of 1875 by Rachel Hendrickson, Brigham Young University Intermountain Histories January 9, 2021).
1876 Monday, August 7, William Hurd was killed in a mine accident at the Ophir Mine.
August 9, 1876 Reno Evening Gazette
At its peak in the mid-1870's Virginia City had over 25,000 residents, and was called the richest city in America. It was a vibrant community full of many different ethnic groups and races all living and working together without the strife the Hurds left behind. There were good paying jobs in the mines. Unfortunately, William Hurd did not live long enough to benefit from the prosperity around him. His job was a still dangerous one. But the community came together and donated relief money to the family, as was the practice whenever a mining accident happened. His family continued to live in Virginia City for many years. In the next post I will talk about the remaining Hurd family and the impact they made not only on Virginia City, but other towns as well. Their journeys continued.
Ophir Mine date unknown. From the Fourth Ward School Museum Virginia City, Nevada.
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