52Ancestors52Weeks Week 43 Theme: Shock.................A Voice From the Past; Alexander Burrows of Drum Speaks To His Son (Burrows Working Tree)

 

    The theme for this week is shock.  What was something shocking or surprising that you'd found in your research? The Oxford Languages/Oxford English Dictionary gives one definition of shock as a sudden upsetting or surprising event or experience. I chose to focus on the sudden and surprising part of the definition.  I experienced a  surprising event several months ago when I made this discovery.  Although, I have to say I was shocked too! I heard my Great Great Great Grandfather's voice from the past....

  I have been working on the Burrows family history now for several years.  When I began my research, all I had to go on was information passed down to my Great Grandmother Vere Burrows Hansen from her father, Alexander Burrows.  This was the information that my Auntie Claire had when she began her genealogy work.  He was born in Sligo, Ireland, somewhere near Riverston/Manorhamiliton in 1847.  He came to the United States as a young man in the 1870's. Beyond that, I did not know who his parents were, if he had siblings, or what circumstances led to his immigration.  His background was a mystery! 

    Since then, DNA matches have helped open the door just a little bit.  I have been in touch with several wonderful Burrows distant cousins who either had family from Sligo, or have visited the area in search of their branches of this tree.  It turns out, there were many Burrows in the area, and they tended to intermarry with cousins, muddying the waters quite a bit.  But, with  ongoing correspondence back and forth  we have begun to piece together a working tree with the help of two wills and several newspaper articles.  I have previously written about the beginning of this journey (11-13-2020 Alexander Burrows, An Irish Mystery and Some DNA Clues). 

  Several months ago I was fortunate to come across more family  ephemera and artifacts that a cousin had borrowed over 40 years ago from the Hansen family in Grass Valley, California. I had no idea what was in her collection of items.  It was a  surprisingly serendipitous  find!  As I was going through albums and pictures I came across a pack of old envelopes bound by a fragile rubber band that were full of old correspondence. It took awhile to unfold each letter, quickly peruse each one to see dates, locations and names, and put them in chronological order.  What slowly came to light was these letters were not only from family members of Alexander Burrows, but most were from Ireland where remaining relatives still lived at the time.  Chills literally ran down my spine as I read them.  I was shocked to realize that after 140 years they still existed, and once again thanked my Great Grandmother who kept everything!  As I read them, I heard voices from the past.  

  The last several months my DNA cousins and I have been working to transcribe the oldest letter, and were able to connect some dots on the working tree.  It took awhile, as Alexander Burrows' handwriting was difficult to read and we had no context of the letter.  But, here is the transcribed letter, along with our notes and thoughts.  This letter was written on July 18, 1878 by Alexander Burrows of Drum (the father to my Great Great Grandfather Alexander Burrows).  A death had occurred in the family, and there were concerns over wording in the will, and the dispersal of property.  At the time this letter was written, my Great Great Grandfather was a lawyer in California. So, it was natural that a father would write to his son for legal advice.  

The area around Sligo where the Burrows lived and owned property in 1889. 

The letter reads as follows:

Drum July 18th 1878

Dear Alick,

  As the old man is now dead and gone I mean to look after the manorhamilton property at once.  Before Harloe Phibbses death he had an opinion on it as the deed now stands and the opinion was that limitation was against it at present but after my death the next ear (heir) would com(e) in for it     I did not let him no (know) anything about the erasure that you mead (made) in the deed which is after the death of Addam Eliott and Jean his wife and (?) (now or and?) as I have Attorney (Jeavis or Deavis?) imployed he intends going to Dublin some of those days to look after the draft of the deed in the registry office to see will it correspond with deed before the erasure was made as the deed was long registered before it (,)  now if the draft does not agree with the deed before the erasure was maid (made) I intend having it sent to you to have the words after the death of Addam Eliott and Jean his wife inserted again as no one noes (knows) where the word should be placed better than you do the hole (whole) thing is do you think it will rech (reach) you in (safety?)   As soon as you receive this let me have an answer from you at once

Your affectionate Father

Alex Burrows

The "old man" was Adam Elliott, Alexander's father in law who died in 1878 and was  registered at Manorhamilton.  His daughter was possibly Fanny Francis Elliot.  His wife was possibly Jean mentioned in the letter.  Adam would have been 97 years old when he died.  We are working to verify this by searching deeds in Dublin.  It looks like Alexander was trying to make a revocation or a change in this will, which is what the erasure refers to.  

This is a snippet of a newspaper article published in 1896 talking about four small houses in Manorhamilton which may have been the Adam Elliot property that was registered to him in 1857.  This property was set aside for the upkeep of Alexander Burrows' son Adam who was in the asylum in 1889. 

  Harloe Rutledge Phibbs was a solicitor in the area, as well as a relative.  He turned up as a witness at marriages and attended family funerals according to newspaper research.  He passed away in 1876, two years before this letter was written.  We are not sure how he is related, but there is a connection.  The middle name of Rutledge appears in this family, as well as the Burrows family. 

  In his will of 1889 Alexander of Drum disposed of property in the town of Manorhamilton to be held in trust with rents going towards the upkeep for his son Adam who was living in the Sligo Asylum. It looks like this property was handed down to him from his wife's side of the family and he used it later on to make sure his son was taken care of.  In his will he also disposed of property in Largan and Drum. The proceeds from the Largan and Drum properties were divided amongst his children.  

  

Alexander ended his letter with "Your affectionate father".  Even though this was more of a business type letter, I could still hear his voice from the past as I tried to decipher his hurried handwriting and unravel what he was trying to say.  He had a pressing matter on his mind, and he needed to take care of the will.  He trusted his son who was far away in America.  He sounded urgent.  In the end, it appears that everything turned out the way he wanted it to, as he was in possession of that property when he wrote his final will right before his death in 1889.  The plight of his son Adam is mentioned in more letters, which I have not finished transcribing.  It seems there was some family drama after Alexander of Drum's death!

I will continue this part of the Burrows story under the title Burrows Working Tree.  This post is the first in many to come, as I unravel more voices from the past! 

The following tree is our "working tree".  It will change as we do more research, fit more pieces together and verify family members.  This is the basic tree as of now. 

Alexander Burrows of Carrowcrin (based on his will of 1834)

*

               Alexander Burrows of Drum (based on his will of 1889) m. Fanny Francis Elliot (possible)

*

1. Margaret Burrows Porteus (married Rober Porteus) of Clara

2. Jane Burrows (married Adam Elliott White) of Sligo

3. Adam Burrows (lived at the asylum in Sligo)

4. Alexander Burrows (married Elizabeth Jane Hurd in America) my G G Grandparents

5. John Elliott Burrows (came to America) 

6. Thomas Burrows 

7.  Ismena Burrows (possibly spent time in America but went back home to Ireland)

8. Elizabeth Burrows (came to America and married Herman Bucher) in New York.

A more current view of Manorhamilton, Ireland.

  

  

52Ancestors52Weeks Weeks 41 and 42 Themes: Change and Sports.....Robley Hansen's Early Skiing Days And Some Surprising Connections

     This is a picture taken from my Uncle Bob's (Robley Hansen) family album.  This is an early snapshot taken of Uncle Bob (bottom left, on one knee) and the Zero Ski Club sometime around  1929/1930.  I was not able to find any information on what the Zero referred to, but this group may have been the Auburn Ski Club or the precursor to the Reno Ski Club founded in 1930.  What I found interesting was that in the album the very young man third from the left, bottom, was identified as Wayne Poulsen.  I'll get back to Wayne Poulsen later in the story.

     My Uncle Bob became an avid skier after he moved from Grass Valley, California to Reno, Nevada right after his high school graduation in 1926.  He took up a winter sport that fit right in with his Norwegian heritage!  His father, John Hartwig Hansen, was also an avid skier, skater and swimmer who  espoused a healthy lifestyle by way of vigorous exercise.  I suppose Uncle Bob took it a step further by adding his canned spinach! 

I found the article above saved in Uncle Bob's early family photo album.  There is no date on it, but on the reverse is an advertisement for the movie Queen Christina starring Greta Garbo.  That movie opened in theaters on December 26, 1933, so this article was written either at the end of December 1933 or in January or February of 1934.  Uncle Bob was the Club president.  He also wrote newspaper articles for the Club....

  This article was probably written around the same time as the first article.  Mount Rose Highway is still the center of Reno's winter playground today. 

Aunt Alma identified this as "The Reno Ski Club" with Uncle Bob 4th from the left.  Cecil Crawford is to his left, and James Crawford is third from the right.  Taken around 1933/34. 

Bob Hansen posing for the camera...

   Aunt Alma was a skier too....taken in 1933 in front of the house on 270 Thoma street, Reno. She began appearing in the album pictures in 1930. She and Bob married in October of 1931. 

Bob Hansen date unknown

  Uncle Bob and Cecil Crawford skiing together.  Date unknown. This looks more like spring skiing...still a popular past time in the area! 

  Spring skiing at its finest.....


  

    Bob and Alma skiing with friends....probably taken around the early 30's. 

  And now we come back to Wayne Poulsen.  Wayne grew up in an era (along with Uncle Bob) marked by an explosion of winter sports and leisure activities.  As a young boy Wayne and his friends would ski on Reno streets when ever there was snow. They'd grab onto a truck bumper and get a tow up to the top of the road.  He became fascinated by Norwegian skiers and ski jumpers, taught himself to ski, and ultimately became an accomplished skier.   

   Wayne eventually became a pioneer in the ski industry and was instrumental in bringing the sport of skiing to the greater Lake Tahoe/Reno area.  He is best known as the founder of the Squaw Valley ski community, which became an internationally celebrated ski resort and would host the 1960 Winter Olympics.  

  Aside from Wayne's accomplishments in the world of skiing, I was more interested in his relationship with Dr. James Church.   In 1932, during his senior year in high school, Wayne trekked into the unexplored back country of the Sierra Nevada with James E. Church as his aide.  Dr. Church, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, pioneered snow survey methodology that is still in use today.  Dr. Church needed an accomplished  skier to accompany him to the back country to collect data and conduct research. They initiated snow pack surveys to accurately predict the spring run off that was vital to the agricultural industry in California.  Poulsen worked with Dr. Church for the next six years, exploring and charting the mountains surrounding the Lake Tahoe Basin.  Poulsen would carry a 35 pound camera , tripod and a 12 foot tube while they made their circuit to different areas of Lake Tahoe.  Dr. Church had a cadre of volunteers that helped him with his surveys in the 30's, Poulsen being the youngest.  Wouldn't you know, Uncle Bob was a volunteer working for Dr. Church.   I believe he got started  in helping Dr. Church conduct snow surveys due to his connection with Wayne.  That is a very unique and special  connection! 

If you want more information on Wayne Poulsen, please see the website

                                      https://waynepoulsen.wordpress.com/

 for more information.  He led a very interesting and colorful life which included a distinguished career as a WWII military pilot. 

     Change:  Change always seems to go hand in hand with the passage of time....  Poulsen died in 1995, and on July 2, 2005 Poulsen Peak in Squaw Valley was commemorated in Wayne's honor and in remembrance of his accomplishments and contributions to the sport of skiing and the region. 

     On September 13th 2021, the name Squaw Valley was officially changed to Palisades Tahoe after the resort owners acknowledged the controversial term of "squaw" as being a derogatory and offensive ethnic and sexist slur.  Sometimes change is good! 

Relationship Reference:  Bob (Robley Hansen)->John Hartwig Hansen m. Vere Burrows Hansen

  

  The three Hansen brothers were Jack, Robley, and Harold (my grandfather). 

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 40 Theme: Preservation...............The Burrows and the Hansens Took a Road Trip to Virginia City

     October is National Family History Month! Since October of 2001 families have been encouraged to think about their family histories and origins, and ways to honor them. The theme for this week is preservation.  This prompt got me thinking about how my family has preserved our history in the last several generations, and how we preserve it now.  

   I recently found this photograph in the Bob Hansen Family photo album.  The location of this photograph tells a story, as well as the grouping of family members.  The Burrows and the Hansens were very proud of their family history and the unique connections between Virginia City, Nevada and Grass Valley, California. This was one way they shared and preserved their family history for future generations.  They took a multi-generational road trip........

  This picture was captioned by Alma Goins Hansen, who probably took the picture as well.  She wrote: "Lucy Burrows, Bob, Mother H, Skip, Jack, Dad Hansen, Gay...Geiger Grade Lookout     Road to Virginia City".  Lucy Burrows was the wife of Roy Burrows; they lived in Reno where their 13 year old daughter Gertrude died of appendicitis in 1930 and Roy was in the construction business.  Roy was an older brother of my Great Grandmother, Vere Burrows Hansen (Mother H. in the picture).  Bob and Jack were two of three sons of Vere and John Hansen (Dad Hansen in the photo).  Bob married Alma Goins, and their children were Skip and Gay; they lived in Reno as well where Uncle Bob was also in the construction business.  The John Hansens, as well as Jack Hansen, lived in Grass Valley, as did my Grandfather Harold Hansen, who was not on this particular trip.  So, three generations of family were on this trip exploring family history.  It must have been quite a day!

  I love the candid feel to this picture. I'm not sure what Uncle Jack was thinking of Skip at this particular moment....he was probably worried Skip might go backwards down the steep drop offs that Geiger Grade is famous for!  Uncle Jack probably drove his parents over the hill (over the Sierra Nevada mountains to Reno) in one of his fancy cars, as he loved to buy a new car every year or so. Vere was always very interested in family history and was the family archivist all those years ago.  Her origins were very important to her and she made sure everyone else knew the family history also.  She probably thought you were never too young to get in the car with your family and visit the cemetery. 

  Geiger Grade is the curvy, steep and very scenic 20 mile route from Reno, Nevada up to the mining town of Virginia City, Nevada. The summit sits at 6,889 feet and provides spectacular views of the Truckee Meadows.  My own family has driven that route many, many times to visit the unique mining city, ride the train and wonder about the stories I had heard of family who lived here at one time.  However, quite a bit of detail was lost (to me at least) of the more important details in this narrative.  I was not taken to Virginia City as a young child (that I can remember) and only experienced the area after moving to Reno from Grass Valley as an adult.   I have been rediscovering those details in the last few years and making sure they are preserved beyond just the oral stories and visits to cemeteries.  I too value my family history! 

 

This picture was taken the same day as the above picture.  

    Pictured are Lucy Burrows, Bob Hansen, Jack Hansen, John Hansen and Vere Hansen.  This picture was taken sometime before John Hansen died on April 10, 1945; probably around 1940 and right before Bob and Jack enlisted in the war.   I was glad to see Lucy Crampton Burrows in these pictures.  Her family history revolved around Virginia City, as well (see my post from October 12, 2020 Roy Burrows). She probably provided quite a bit of oral history that added to this trip, as she was born in Virginia City in 1884 and spent her early childhood there.  

  Uncle Bob moved to Reno after his high school graduation from Grass Valley High School in 1926.  He loved exploring the area and probably learned about family history from Uncle Roy and Aunt Lucy.  

Virginia City photo taken around 1930 by Bob Hansen from the Bob Hansen Family Album.  This looks like the view was taken down C Street towards Carson City.  You can see the St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic church steeple on the left in the distance. 

  Even before this particular trip other family members would make a day of it and visit the town and cemetery to remember family buried there.   In fact, I shared this story of another relative, Alta Powers, who had quite the adventure at the cemetery in Virginia City in 1935 when she went to place flowers on Harriet Hurd's grave (see February 20, 2021..How a Weird Tale Solved a Family Mystery).  Unfortunately, this bit of information was not handed down to the next generations as they (and I) had been searching for this particular gravesite for years. Which goes to show, oral history is very, very fragile. 

3 June 1935 Nevada State Journal

Margaret Hansen Boothby (Mom) with Gay Hansen in the photo booth at the Bucket of Blood Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada.  Around 1944-45? Another trip to visit the cemetery, and some new memories made with cousins. 

  I have previously posted quite a bit of history and the results of my research on the Burrows and Hurds who lived and worked on the Comstock during the silver mining boom in the late 1800's.  That part of our family history has never been formally researched or written down up until now. Auntie Claire made a good start by constructing a family tree, back when the internet was just starting to be a  useful tool used by genealogists.  I have been working to flesh the tree out with more research,  organize the many pictures that were saved from this branch of the family, and present it all to my children and other family  members so that it becomes meaningful and personal to their own lives.  That's what preservation means to me. 

  Preserving family history is on on-going and ever-changing process.  My goals are much different than the goals of the family members in the above pictures.  I am continuing the work started by my Auntie Claire who was the "keeper of the stuff" many years ago, and by my Great Grandmother Vere Burrows Hansen who kept everything to begin with (we are so very lucky!).   It seems that now I am the "keeper of the stuff".  So, what do I do with it all?  I am working to digitize,  archive and store all of our  pictures and documents (and there are a lot!) so that my grand children and great grandchildren can enjoy them and wonder about them  as much as I have over the last few years.  I am working to document those few precious cherished items handed down that tell certain stories themselves before they are gone.  I am in the process of doing much more research and writing down family history, as well as the memories and stories of family members who are able to contribute.  And the best part of preserving all this is that I get to share it with family (and friends) through email, texting, blogging and social media.  Those are things that were certainly not available way back when! But, in the end, I would like to change it all back to print form.  Something tangible for future generations.  I am not sure I trust technology!  And who knows where technology will take us in the future?  How will my great grandchildren be documenting my life? Who will be the "keeper of the stuff"? More things to ponder. 

  How do we preserve family history?  In my family, we have honored family members by visiting the towns and places where they lived and the cemeteries where their final resting places are.  We have passed down pictures, cherished items and oral histories.  My personal preservation efforts have utilized even more modern methods with the help of technology.   But, in the end, I still do go visit cemeteries every so often.  When my grandchildren are a little bit older,  we can even all go together.  After all, it is  a family tradition! 

These pictures were taken from a very recent fall visit to the Knights of Pythias Cemetery, located on Nevada Street here in Reno.  It is the final resting place for Lucie A. Burrows, her parents Lena Koehler and Henry Crampton,  and her daughter Gertrude Burrows who died so young.  I hope their stories will not be forgotten. 

  Relationship Reference: Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby (sister Claire Hansen Clark)->Harold Hansen->Vere Burrows Hansen m. John Hansen

Sons of Vere and John Hansen:  Jack, Robley (Bob) and Harold Hansen

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 39 Theme: Steps.......Margaret and Claire Hansen on the Steps Eating Cheerioats

      The theme for this week is Steps....I have so many photographs of family members having their pictures taken on steps!  School pictures, sports team pictures, going off to war pictures.  Just posing for a picture pictures.  Pictures on steps seems to be a theme for my ancestors. For this week's theme, I chose to share one of my most cherished photographs.  This one could have been lost forever in the Hansen house fire of 1950 (see my previous post "Fire!" published March 18, 2020).  And yet, here it is!

Margaret Hansen is sitting next to her little sister Claire (who is generously sharing her Cheerioats) on the porch steps. It must have been a warm morning or afternoon in Grass Valley.  This has to be one of my all time favorite pictures of my Mom and my Auntie Claire.  It is still charred, sooty and brittle from the fire but captures such a sweet moment between sisters.  The Cheerioats are fun, too! This picture was probably taken around 1945.  I am so thankful I was able to digitize it and preserve it in a safe place for future generations of our family.  It has been a labor of love to continue the genealogy work my Auntie Claire started many years ago. 

  

Relationship Reference:  Me-Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold and Margaret Elizabeth (Betty) Hayes Hansen.  Lavinia Claire Hansen Clark is Margaret's younger sister. 

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 38 Fun and Games...........Silly Poses By the Fence Photographed on August 16, 1903

 

     I found this small, loose picture in the photo album kept by my Great Great Grandparents Charles and Anna King.  On the back it identifies the silly teens as a young lady by the name of Emma ? (15 years 8 months old), my Great Grandmother Emma Lavinia King (age 15 years 5 months) and Harold B. Earl (age 19 years 8 months old).  The picture was taken August 6th or 16th in 1903.  Also unknown is whether this was taken in Grass Valley, or in San Francisco.  The family was living in Grass Valley in 1900.  They lived through the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire in 1906.  

  What I love about this picture is that is shows my Nana's playful and silly side with her friends.  They look like they are having fun trading hats and having their picture taken.  I would love to know who took the picture. Someone trying out a new camera? 

   This picture was also in the same album.  The fence is the same as in the upper photo.  I believe this is Anna King pretending to climb the fence.  

  This is the same fence!  Charles King tries his poses.  

  Just a small, fascinating glimpse into the antics of the King family and friends on August 16, 1903.  It looked like fun and games!

Relationship Reference:  Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen->Emma King Hayes Van Duzer->Charles and Anna Levers King

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 37 On the Farm......John Hansen Visits Colusa After 30 Years Absence

   I found this old newspaper clipping several summers ago in my Great Grandmother Vere Hansen's things.  As I read it, I realized that it was talking about my Great Grandfather John Hartwig Hansen.  But why was he visiting Colusa thirty years later?  Who were I. G. Zumwalt and E. A. Potter? When was this newspaper story published?  Unfortunately, I had no other information to put this story into context. Until this summer when I came across the following picture at Cousin Skip Hansen's house....

  On the back was written "Threshing grain  Colusa Co 1890   (arrow up) Hansen".  The writing is familiar and could be either Vere Hansen's or John Hansen's.  

 The picture was taken by J. B. Stormer, who took "Instantaneous Photos" in Colusa California. 

It is hard to make out, but when I enlarged the photograph I saw an arrow pointing to none other than John H. Hansen! 

   I know John petitioned for Citizenship in 1892 and was granted United States Citizenship in Colusa County in 1894.  The family story was that he worked on a farm right after he had jumped ship in Eureka, California, after several years at sea.  He came from a farm in Norway, so the story was certainly plausible.  

  The newspaper article reads....

Old Timer Here to Visit After Thirty Years Absence

    Thirty years ago J. H. Hansen left Colusa.  Today he returned and was the guest of  I. G. Zumwalt.   Jack, as he will be remembered by old-timers, is going over the scenes of three decades ago and "remembering when" with cronies of past days.

  Since leaving Colusa, Jack has covered a good share of the world. Soldiering in the Philippines, mining in South America and Mexico and travels in the states finally led back to the Grass Valley country where Jack has been in the mining game. 

  Recently he sustained injuries when struck by falling timber at his work and employees of the mine presented him with a gold watch which he proudly wears, as a token of esteem.

  Jack is resting up after the accident and is on the way to Wilbur Springs to spend a couple of weeks.  To I. G. Zumwalt today he pointed out the spot where a Chinese murderer was hanged by an irate mob and recalled also when Colusa had a chorus of 100 voices and he was a member of the chorus. 

  This afternoon Mr. Hansen is visiting with E. A. Potter, for whom he worked 30 years ago.  

****

   Looking on Find A Grave, I found E. A.  Potter's life story.  After serving in the Civil War Albert Eugene Potter came to California from New York by way of the Nicaragua route to San Francisco.  In 1869 he bought a farm one mile west of Colusa.  At his death in 1930 he had 91 acres of alfalfa on the farm.  He also operated a grain ranch of 1900 acres six miles north of Colusa.  He is buried in the Colusa Community Cemetery.   I believe the picture I have could have been taken on E. A. Potter's farm near Colusa. 

  I. G. Zumwalt's life story was also on Find A Grave.  Ivy George Zumwalt was an attorney, founder and president of the Colusa Implement Company and also served as District Attorney for Colusa County. He founded the Colusa Daily Times in 1933.  He died a multi-millionaire  in 1950.  My great grandfather was his guest around 1920 when this story was published.  

  I still haven't found the newspaper that this story was published in.  There are three possibilities:  The Colusa Daily Sun, the Weekly Sun or the Colusa Herald.   The article was written sometime in August. I have posted the article and the picture on the Colusa History Facebook page to see if I can get any suggestions.  

  If we do the math, John Hansen was around 25 years old when he worked on the farm in Colusa, as he was born in 1865 in Norway.  30 years from then would be right around 1920, and he would have been around 55 years old.  I suppose one would be considered an "Old Timer" at 55 in 1920.  He certainly made an impression on the residents of Colusa during his stay there in the 1890's. Did he rest up in Wilbur Springs (sulfur hot springs)  by himself or did he take my Great Grandmother? 

  There is also the mention of John Hansen's "soldiering in the Philippines".  I still have found no documentation to say that he was in the Philippines before, during or after the Spanish American War.  He did serve on the USS Philadelphia and the USS Mohican and was in Hawaii in 1898 for the raising of the American Flag (see my post from May 31, 2020 entitled Documents for John Hansen: Birth, Citizenship, The Spanish American War and the Laundry Business).  As always, his complex life narrative never ceases to amaze me.   At least I now know that the story of working on a farm is true!

  

    Wilbur Springs is located in Williams, California, and is now called Wilbur Hot Springs.  It is advertised as a "Health Sanctuary/Geothermal Springs/Nature Preserve" that is a "peaceful,  off-grid, solar powered health sanctuary".   Bathing in the hot springs is clothing optional. 

Relationship Reference:  Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold Hansen->John Hartwig Hansen m. Vere Burrows Hansen

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 36 Theme: Working........Frank Brondolo Was a Master Welder in San Francisco

Francesco Brondolo

b. April 3 1900 Vesime, Italy

d. October 24 1985 San Francisco, California

Enlarged from lower photograph. 

Taken around the late 1900's.  A welding/auto shop in San Francisco, California. Uncle Frank is posing in the middle of the group. This was possibly taken at the service shop for the L. H. Rose-Chalmers Co. which sold cars on Van Ness Ave. 

Taken around the late 1900's.  Enlarged from the lower photograph.  Note the welding glasses!

 

A welding shop in San Francisco, California.  Uncle Frank in on the right. 

     Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of  American workers.  It became an official federal holiday in 1894, just several years before my Great Uncle Frank was born in the small little village of Vesime Italy.  Uncle Frank came to America at the age of 13  to live in the the growing metropolis of San Francisco and entered the labor force as an apprentice welder at the age of 16.  The pictures shown above are in the Boothby family collection and are a priceless window into his early career.  

  These next excerpts are from Uncle Frank's memorial service held on Sunday, November 3, 1985 in San Francisco.  These memories are from my Dad, Dale Boothby, and Kent Boothby, his brother, as well as Terry Brondolo Boothby, their mother (my Grandmother "Nino").  Nino was Uncle Frank's youngest sister.  

  "The remarks I am about to make are a compilation of remembrances from my brother and me, and from our families.  We have been asked to speak of Uncle Frank as we remember him so you might know him as we did."..........

  "Uncle Frank was born Francesco Brondolo in Vesime, Italy on April 3, 1900.  He was one of four brothers and two sisters who came to America a few at a time...'on the installment plan' as my mother says.  Uncle Frank's turn to immigrate came when he was 13.  He started working at odd jobs when he arrived here and went to work full-time at 16, learning the welding trade. He became a master welder and worked at that exacting trade until his later years when his eyesight would not allow him to continue.  He seemed to have a natural instinct for metals and their varying properties and, indeed, taught his craft to many workers in San Francisco who eventually opened up their own shops.  He was proud of his ability to troubleshoot problems in various welding shops, staying until he got a shop straightened out and working up to his standards.  He was a hard worker, one who took immense pride in his abilities.  He liked a neat and orderly shop and expected those who worked with him to do the same."

Uncle Frank's WWI Registration Card from 1917-18.   He was living on Bannam Place (with another brother) and was working as a serviceman for L. H. Rose-Chalmers at 1230 Van Ness Ave.  In the late 1900's Van Ness was considered "Automobile Row".  

After some sleuthing I found this advertisement for the Rose-Chalmers Co. where Uncle Frank worked around 1917-18.  He would have been around 18 years of age. 

San Francisco Call Vol. 104 No. 113 13 Nov. 1918.  

A San Francisco Directory for 1918..Uncle Frank worked as an apprentice, and lived at 1015b Golden Gate Avenue when this directory came out. 

A photograph of a very handsome Uncle Frank, probably taken around the early 1920's. It was taken in the Boussum Studios on Geary Street.  Boussum was a leading photographer in  northern California in the 1920's.  

Uncle Frank's WW II Registration Card (1940's).  He was working at the Link Belt Co. at 400 Paul Ave. in San Francisco. He was most likely working as a welder.  This address is currently the site of a large power-shell data center bringing next-generation technologies to the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley.  (fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty)

    Uncle Frank's work ethic continued in his home....

  "His home and his wife were the center of Uncle Frank's life.  He took meticulous care of his home, always fixing things or making an improvement.  He built a large concrete block wall around their back yard.  He took pride in his garden, flowers and trees.  In the basement of their home he had a well-equipped shop where he made many things.  He could always see an easier way to do something.  One result was a piping system in the backyard by which the whole yard could be watered with one flick of the wrist.  Finding his mother's pasta machine too much to trouble to crank by hand, he electrified it complete with belts and pulleys so that it turns out pasta faster and with less effort.  My brother and his wife used it recently and ended up with pasta all over the house!"

Dad (Dale Boothby) in front of a fireplace screen that Uncle Frank welded (possibly the San Carlos house?)

Uncle Frank welded the fireplace screen for the Mainhart Drive house in Grass Valley.  He also welded the fireplace screen for his home with Aunt Dena on 20th Avenue in San Francisco.  They were works of art and a labor of love. 

 (photo of Margaret Hansen Boothby with me, 1962.)

The fireplace screen is still in place!  This is from a recent real estate listing for the 481 20th Avenue home of Uncle Frank and Aunt Dena. 

Uncle Frank (middle) with Nino (Terry) on left and Aunt Dena on the right. 1937. His favorite girls! 

From the photo album of Frank and Dena Brondolo.

  
"When his bathtub and shower were being installed (in the 20th Ave. house) Uncle Frank was not content with the standard installation and made the plumbers put the shower head at the opposite end of the tub from the controls so that Aunt Dena would not get her hair wet when she turned on the shower."

The bathroom at 481 20th Avenue. The shower head is still at the opposite end of the tub today. 

  Uncle Frank's ingenuity carried on into many family members' lives also....

  "He invented many items and enjoyed making them for family members to enjoy, too.  He put together a barbeque grill that would raise and lower with a crank; He made everyone his own version of a step trash can; he crafted a fireplace set for our home in Grass Valley."  As a young girl visiting Nino in Sonoma or Aunt Dena in San Francisco I loved using those trash cans and watching how the mechanism worked as you stepped on the little metal foot pedal at the bottom of the can.   Sometimes I wish we had kept at least one!  

  The last bit of his memorial summed up his life beautifully....

  "Pablo Cassals has said that 'Art is a product of labor' and by that definition Uncle Frank's life was a work of art.  He labored at his craft, he gave of his time at home and with his family, he lived a good, long life and today we must say goodbye."

    Uncle Frank worked in his later years at the St. Francis Hotel at Union Square in San Francisco where he did maintenance work and washed their coins.  His career as a welder was over, due to deteriorating eye sight.  And, there is still much more to say about his life, but I will save that for more posts.  On this Labor Day 2021 I am remembering his skills, career and contributions to his new home in the city of San Francisco, and to his family.  He is still very fondly remembered by many family members even after we said our goodbyes so many years ago.   

  

  Relationship Reference:  Me->Dale Boothby-> (Nino) Tersilla  Brondolo Boothby->sister to Frank Brondolo.