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.