Memorial Park in Grass Valley California....More Musings on Memorial Day and Our Hansen Family Service Recognized....

 

 Memorial Park

Grass Valley, California 

All Veteran's Memorial and Memorial Grove

City of Grass Valley.com 

  Memorial Day is a national holiday set aside for reflection and remembrance of those who died while serving in the U.S. Military. I have previously posted about the origins of Memorial Day (previously called Decoration Day), what this day has meant to our family and the service of my Hansen and Boothby relatives (see posts from  May 31, 2021 , June 4, 2021) .  You can read about the Hansen Brothers' WWII service in these posts: May 26, 2020, June 10, 2020 and June 15, 2020; you can also click on the WWII link on the right. 

  This Memorial Day I would like to reflect on the service of my Hansen relatives and how it has now been marked for future generations of our family.  Even though these men did not die in service they did serve with honor and came home very different men than when they left their homes in Grass Valley and Reno to serve their country.  I am sure they were very aware of the ultimate sacrifice that countless friends and fellow service members paid.   We are able to enjoy our  privileges and freedoms as citizens of the United States of America because of those sacrifices. 

 These marble plaques were recently installed at the All Veterans Memorial located in Memorial Park, Grass Valley, California (2023).  The first phase of the project began in 2002; the names on the walls honor Nevada County veterans living or deceased who served in all branches of the military.  Margaret Boothby (my mother) requested that four plaques be added this year in honor of John Hartwig Hansen (her Grandfather), Jack Hansen (her Uncle), Robley Hansen (her Uncle) and Harold Hansen (her Father). The plaques are all together on the same wall. 

John Hartwig Hansen (Grass Valley, Ca.)

Jack Klemmet Hansen (Uncle Jack) Grass Valley, Ca. 

Robley Evans "Bob" Hansen (Uncle Bob) born in Grass Valley, Ca. and lived in Reno, Nevada

Harold Lloyd Hansen (Grandpa) Grass Valley, Ca. 

 The four plaques can be found at the top of this section.  

The Memorial section of the park is located across from the pickle ball courts and pool and is located on the Race Street side. 

Taken from the City of Grass Valley website: 

  "The Grass Valley Women's Improvement Club's creation of the modest park, Dow Alexander Park, presaged bigger things.  In their early conversation with William Bourn, the women asked about a 7-acre property along Colfax Avenue, known as Barker Tract, which the Empire had purchased for its underground mineral rights.  Bourn took the matter to his Board of Directors, and a week later offered the land for a park.

  In 1911, the women didn't have the funds to develop a property as large as the Barker Tract.  But later, as a result of organizing successful war bond and Red Cross drives during the Great War of 1914-18, local citizens developed the skills to raise money on a larger scale than they could through parties and variety shows.

  The Memorial Park property was purchased November 11, 1930 from the Empire Star Mines Company for the sum of $1.00.  After the war Empire's property would become Grass Valley's Memorial Park.  The Memorial area was dedicated to Veterans and contains monuments for WWI, WWII and Korean War.  Memorial Day and Veteran's Day services are held annually by local Veteran's groups." 

  The Grass Valley Chamber of Commerce also asked for contributions with the slogan "Give a Shift for the Park". Hundreds of working men and their families gave a day's wages.  The result was a beautiful community park with a stone bridge, an auto camp, gardens, a community building which served as the veteran's hall, tennis courts , a ball field, a swimming pool, and a memorial grove. Cities throughout the state used Memorial Park as a model. (The Union October 29, 2021 Volunteerism Built Grass Valley's Memorial Park)  

 

   Memorial Park just recently under went an extensive remodel and upgrade.  There is a renovated and expanded  pool, new tennis, basketball and pickle ball courts and a beautiful inclusive playground for children of all abilities. The Memorial grove is located in the same quiet spot under large mature trees that provide cool shade in the summer.  A perfect spot to sit and reflect on the service of not only our family members, but of all the remembered service members of Nevada County.  

John Hartwig Hansen Spanish American War 1898

 Harold, John and Bob Hansen WWII

Jack Hansen (from the Bob Hansen Family Album) WWII

  

  

  

John Hartwig Hansen and The Last Days of Pompeii......May 1900

   

  Recently this photograph surfaced on the Facebook site You Know You're From Nevada County If You Remember.....  it was found in the Grass Valley Museum archives and posted on April 16, 2023.  Imagine my surprise to see John Hartwig Hansen in what looks like a Viking costume on the right side of the scene! 

 Enlarged...quite the costume!

  

  I had another similar picture that was saved by Vere Hansen, my great grandmother, and posted it previously on December 2, 2021.   I had no context for the picture, but assumed it was a local production put on around the turn of the century.  After other members of the site added newspaper information, I had confirmation of the date and the name of the play.  Wonderful! 

 

This picture was also shared on  the Facebook site You Know You're From Nevada County If You Remember..... April 16, 2023 by the Grass Valley Museum.  It is in rougher shape than our family copy. 

 This is the picture I posted in December 2021. John Hartwig Hansen was standing on the far left. It looks like he traded costumes with the fellow in the middle for the picture at the top of the post.....interesting! It turns out it was not a Viking costume after all....

May 29, 1900 The Morning Union

Mr. J. Hanson played Lydon (a gladiator, Nydia's brother).  

The Review....

June 1,  1900 The Morning Union

The Young Ladies' Sodality was a Catholic church society for young ladies and was affiliated with Mount St. Mary's church in Grass Valley. 

    The 1900 Census listed a single John Hansen as living in Grass Valley in the home of George Hill on Neal Street.  He was working as a miner.  We think he was participating in plays and taking elocution lessons to lessen his Norwegian accent. He was also probably looking for a wife! 

Relationship Reference: 

 Me--->Margaret Hansen Boothby---->Harold Lloyd Hansen---->John Hartwig Hansen m. Clara Vere Burrows Hansen

I have added a link on the right side bar for the St. Joseph's Cultural Center and Grass Valley Museum. 

Gwendolyn Burrows, The Eagle Rock Railway Wreck and The Rest of the Story......

 

 Gwendolyn Harriet Burrows 

b. April 9, 1890 Grass Valley, Ca. d. June 9, 1907 Los Angeles, Ca. 

Colorized picture using Ancestry.com edit feature. 

 18 November 1903 The Morning Union Grass Valley, Ca. 

Gwendolyn's budding stage presence was noted during the Episcopal Bazaar that evening. She had a beautiful singing voice and sang in the choir of the Pro-Cathedral on Olive Street in Los Angeles at the time of her death.  Despite offers from a number of theatrical managers to go on stage in Los Angeles, her widowed mother (Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows) resolutely refused the tempting offers for her daughter. 

Old St. Paul's Cathedral, located at the present site of the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles (Olive Street). Photo: Archives of the Diocese of Los Angeles. This was an Episcopalian Church, built in 1883. 

   I last posted about Gwendolyn Burrows way back on 8/22/21 detailing her short life and tragic death in a railway car accident in Eagle Rock, California on June 9th of 1907.  At that time, I had very little information on what happened after the accident.  The driver John Harris went on trial in October of 1907 for causing two deaths on that evening.  What was the outcome of the trial? Who was held responsible? Was there compensation paid to the family? 

  

  Newspapers.com recently had another free weekend, which I happily used to look for more details to help tell the rest of Gwendolyn's story. I was able to access more articles from Los Angeles newspapers that added to the newspaper clippings my Great Grandmother kept, and I was able to piece together what happened during and after the trial.  

  My Great Grandmother Vere Burrows Hansen was deeply affected by her younger sister's death, as was the rest of her family.  Just three years prior their father Alexander Burrows had committed suicide in San Francisco.  My Great Great Grandmother Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows and Gwendolyn had moved to Los Angeles to be closer to daughter Maud and her family sometime between 1904 and 1907. Gwendolyn was supporting her mother. 

 Cause of Death

13 June 1907 Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Evening Post-Record  12 June 1907 page 7

Newspapers.com

The coroner's jury found John Harris, the motorman, responsible for the accident just 3 days after the incident. He was not found criminally responsible at that time, and a warrant for his arrest was not issued by the district attorney who was not present at the inquest. It appears there was some interesting goings on between the District Attorney and the Coroner's Jury in Los Angeles County in 1907....

 

 Los Angeles Times 12 June 1907 page 13

Newspapers.com

  

 

 

 Los Angeles Evening Post-Record 14 June 1907 page 4

Newspapers.com

   John Harris was charged several days later with manslaughter and spent the next few months in the county jail.  During the summer, a monetary  settlement appears to have been reached with the family.  Elizabeth Jane Burrows was a lawyer in her earlier years (although there is no evidence that she practiced law as her husband Alexander did) and clearly had the skills and force to threaten a lawsuit against the rail company (or knew of resources to help her do so).  The company evaded a lawsuit by settling for $3,000.  There are no other records or family history to corroborate this article.  Elizabeth Jane did purchase property in Santa Rosa Farms, East Oakland, in 1909. Perhaps she used some of the settlement money to acquire this property. 

 The Morning Union 25 July 1907 

Newspapers.com

This next article was in the original post of 8/22/21 and was found in the papers kept by Vere Hansen.  John Harris went on trial  October 2 of 1907.

  And the verdict......

 Los Angeles Herald 10 October 1907 page 12

Newspapers.com

   One wonders how John Harris lived the rest of his life.  His draft card from 1942 gives some information...he was still employed by the Los Angeles Railway Corporation. He died in 1978 at the age of 88 years and was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.  It strikes me that he and Gwendolyn were very close in age.  That day changed both of their lives.  

 U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 for John Harris. Ancestry.com

Gwendolyn Harriet Burrows was buried in the Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. 

Relationship Reference:  

Me---->  Margaret Hansen Boothby   ---->  Harold Hansen---->   Clara Vere Burrows Hansen (older sister to Gwendolyn Burrows) ---->   

Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows m. Alexander Burrows