Who Was Clifford Ross Hayes? Adding to the Hayes Family Tree....

 The San Francisco Examiner

Wednesday, June 1, 1892

newspapers.com

    Who was Clifford Ross Hayes? This name came up in a search I was doing through newspapers.com the other day.  I was very surprised to see that Frank and Sallie E. Hayes had another child, as I always thought Lester Franklin Hayes was an only child.  Lester was my great grandfather; he married my great grandmother Emma King in 1908 in San Francisco.  Clifford Ross was Lester's younger brother!  Quite a discovery! 

    Clifford was born when Sallie was 36 years old, and when Franklin was 38 years old.  He was born 10 years after his older brother Lester.  There are no records discovered (yet) of any other children born between Lester's birth in 1882 and Clifford's birth in 1892.  

 The San Francisco Examiner

Wednesday, June 1, 1892

newspapers.com

       

 San Francisco Chronicle 

Thursday, June 2, 1892

newspapers.com

    Funeral services were held shortly after Clifford's death at the Hayes home,  18 Elgin Park, in San Francisco.  Hayes family members in attendance with Frank and Sallie Hayes were most likely Lester and Lillie Ross Hayes, Franklin's mother.  The death date for Lillie's husband Robert is unknown at this time, so he may or may not have been alive in 1892.  Frank's brothers Joseph and William were possibly in attendance.  Sallie's Crawford siblings (Mary and George) were living in San Francisco, and may have also attended.  Sallies' parents John Washington Crawford and Sarah Byerly Crawford were still living at the time in the city, and may have attended. Members of the Cummings family may have also been present.  It must have been a very sad and somber gathering for everyone, especially Franklin, Sallie and Lester. 

   I don't know why Clifford didn't live past his first birthday.  His death certificate or any records of burial may have been lost in the 1906 Great Earthquake.  He may have been buried in one of the original San Francisco cemeteries which were  later moved to Colma after 1900.  Robert Hayes had purchased plots in the Lone Mountain Cemetery in 1863. Bodies from this cemetery (later named Laurel Hill) were not completely relocated to Colma until after 1940, and unclaimed headstones were reused for seawalls and erosion control.  Many were used for lining rain gutters.  Clifford's funeral notice did not give a place of internment, so we just don't know what happened to his body after his death. 

 Clifford Ross Hayes

b. ? 1891 d. May 31, 1892 aged 1 year. 

Image from Pinterest

   

    Clifford was given the middle name Ross, which was his paternal grandmother's maiden name.  Lester and Emma gave their first daughter the same middle name:  Dorothy Ross Hayes.  In memory of Lillie Ross Hayes and Clifford Ross Hayes.  I have added Clifford to the family tree where he will no longer be lost to time or forgotten. 

#52Ancestors52Weeks...Weeks 38 and 45...Symbol and Colorful....An Invitation to a Straw Wedding..."One Is For Paper, Two Is For Straw"

 

 This card measures 4 1/2" X 3 1/2" and was an invitation to the wedding anniversary gathering of Robert and Sallie Hayes, my great great grandparents. 

 

   This colorful little card was found with papers from the Hayes side of the family, and dates from 1884.  The colors in the corner decoration are as vibrant today as they were when they were printed 140 years ago!  What was a "straw wedding"? It was a mystery...

    The little invitation was found in its original envelope, addressed to J.W. Crawford and Wife (Sallie's parents).  At the bottom, the word "Present" was written.  Did John and Sarah need to bring a present, or were they counted as being present?  I'm not sure! 

   I did some research on wedding anniversary customs during the Victorian period. The earliest known references to wedding anniversary symbols and gifts were silver for the 25th and gold for the 50th; these customs originated in the Germanic region during the Middle Ages. Wood became a symbol around 1875 and gifts made of wood were given at the 5 year mark of marriage to reflect strength and durability.   Queen Victoria popularized the 60th Diamond Anniversary after she  used her Diamond Jubilee to celebrate 60 years on the throne.  Diamonds symbolized passion and commitment. 

  Anniversary gift lists became popular in the mid to late 1800's, along with the societal rage for the proper format in invitations. The symbols on the invitation had to match the year (if you notice on the above invitation, it shows grass or reeds to symbolize straw), and had to be worded "just so".  The annual dates also needed to be on the card.  The dates above are 1881 and 1884.  Robert Franklin Hayes and Sallie Crawford were married February 18, 1881 in San Francisco.  

All of these gifts were symbolic of how the marriage was progressing and maturing through the years.  These could change, depending on which list you were using! 

  This was the only list I could find that mentioned straw.  Cotton was a more popular symbol, but straw was an older and more traditional symbol, especially in England and Germany.  Since Sallie's mother Sarah Crawford was born in Wurttemburg, Germany, choosing a straw wedding may have been a reflection on Sarah and Sallie's German heritage. 

    What does straw symbolize? It may symbolize humble beginnings, or that straw can bend and flex (think compromise) or that straw is ready for the next phase of growth (the harvest is yet to come after starting out as shoots full of potential).  Just as humble straw forms the foundation of a mature wheat field, a couples' steady devotion during the early years establishes a field ripe for a lifetime of love. 

     I wonder what would constitute a gift relating to straw? A nice picnic hamper perhaps? A straw door mat? A rattan basket?  Per custom, all gifts were displayed for guests to see, and they were mentioned in the local newspaper along with the giver.  I wish I had been invited to the celebration at 10 Elgin Park to witness the event! Robert's parents Robert Hayes and Lillie Ross Hayes lived at 10 Elgin Park in San Francisco, and it looks like Robert and Sallie were living there at this time also. 

What to buy?

Taken from the Eureka Herald and Greenwood County Republican of Eureka, Kansas April 20, 1894

    What is interesting is that this appears to be a three year anniversary, not a two year anniversary.  Robert and Sallie were married in February of 1881, and their only son Lester was born April 2, 1882.  This "wedding" was held on February 21st of 1884.  There is some debate on what constituted an anniversary (as we use the term today) and a "wedding" after the initial marriage as it was used in Victorian times;  dates may have been calculated differently.  At any rate,  Robert and Sallie were married 37 long years, as Robert passed away in 1918.  

   Any way you look at it, using genealogical ephemera is a fascinating way to use items to help provide insight into the lives of our ancestors.  Sometimes the research is just as fun as holding and wondering about the actual object!

References:

 Victorian-American Wedding Anniversaries by Kristin Holt l Mar 6, 2020  https://www.kristinholt.com/archives/22267

 Traditional Second Year Anniversary Symbol-Straw  anniversaryideas.co.uk

 Now You Know: Why Are There Special Gifts For Each Anniversary Year? l Merrill Fabry July 6, 2017

 https://time.com/4771179/history-anniversary-gifts-paper-silver-gold/

Relationship Reference:

Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret (Betty) Hayes Hansen->Emma King Hayes m. Lester Hayes ->Robert and Sallie Hayes

    

    

#52Ancestors52Weeks....Week 24...Hard Times...John Washington Crawford Died In the Home of the Incurables

 

 John Washington Crawford

b. February 23, 1820 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

d. August 15, 1914 San Francisco, California

Picture kindly shared with permission by BCrawford 

      John Washington Crawford was my great great great grandfather.  I have been researching the Crawford family for the last several months and in that process I was able to connect with a dna cousin through Ancestry.  Our common ancestors are John Washington Crawford and Sarah Byerly Crawford, which makes us 3rd cousins (once removed)!   I shared pictures of the Crawford Family Bible and other documents with this Crawford family and they in turn shared the few pictures they had in their possession.  

   The above picture was shared with me; it can also be found on John Crawford's Find A Grave memorial which was added in April of this year.  It looks like it was taken sometime in the 1880's.  John Washington Crawford was in his 60's when this picture was taken and was still working as a teamster/drayman in San Francisco as of the 1880 census. His wife Sarah passed away in 1884. 

    By 1890 John was living on O'Farrell Street in San Francisco, working as a cigarmaker.  At the age of 70 this job was much less strenuous than that of a drayman, driving a team of horses delivering goods around the city. But, he was still working.  He could be found in the 1897 City Directory living on O'Farrell and working in the cigars and tobacco industry on Washington Street (2.5 miles from his home).  The O'Farrell address was not the home of any of his relatives, so he must have been living alone, possibly in a boarding house of some type.  

  The first decade of the 1900's was a time of loss and change for John.  His daughter Mary passed away in 1903.  He must have experienced the Great 1906 Earthquake in some fashion, along with the rest of his family. Did he loose his home?  His son George Byerly Crawford passed away in 1909 at the age of 58.  By the 1910 census John was living with his daughter Sallie and her husband Franklin Hayes on Twenty Second Street. He quite possibly had been living there since the earthquake.  He was in his 80's.  He had worked hard all of his life to provide for his family and for himself. It was time to let others take care of him. 

     John Crawford passed away in 1914 at the age of 94.  The last few years of his life were difficult, not only for himself, but for his remaining family.  A diagnosis of senility brought about circumstances that landed him in the Home for the Incurables where he died on August 15.  If John had been living in our modern times he might have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or some type of dementia.  Taking care of elderly parents can be one of life's greatest challenges, no matter if it was in the past, or if it is in the present.  My great grandmother Sallie Hayes watched this reality unfold as she tried to take care of her aging father. 

  I was lucky enough to come across several letters written to my great great grandmother Sarah "Sallie" Crawford Hayes in 1911 and 1914. 

  The envelope that contained the letters to Sallie Hayes. Unknown handwriting. Found in the papers of Lester Hayes. 

The letters were written by Sallie's granddaughters Emma Crawford Basney and Varena Crawford Pidwell.  They were the daughters of George Byerly Crawford, Sallie's older brother.  They give a sad glimpse of what John experienced and what the family was going through at this time.  For whatever reason, Sallie (or someone else) thought the letters were important enough to keep. 

  The George Byerly Crawford Family 

San Francisco, California 1890

George Byerly Crawford (left, seated) and Sarah Maddox Crawford (middle, seated).  Emma is standing, aged 16 and Varena is standing, aged 13.  George Dudley is seated on the right, aged 9.  Clarence is the youngest, standing between his parents aged 1 1/2.  

The George Byerly Crawford Family picture kindly shared with permission by BCrawford.  

    John Washington Crawford was found on the 1910 census living with Sallie and Franklin Hayes in their home on Twenty Second street in San Francisco.  Taking care of elderly parents was a common expectation of children years ago, so it is not surprising to find John in the home of his daughter by this time.  But, caring for an aged parent can become emotionally and physically draining fairly quickly.  The hard truth is that it can be challenging, stressful and at times overwhelming.  I believe Sallie was dealing with this situation, as by 1911 she felt the need to put her father into an institution of some sort in the city. She probably came to the conclusion that she could not care for her father at home.  Was his state of mind to difficult to deal with? Was he physically sick? Was he apt to wander? Did he become a danger to himself or the family? There are not enough clues in the letters! Her granddaughter Emma tried to visit Sallie to assess the situation which in turn caused tension in the family. Emma wrote two letters trying to mend fences with her grandmother. 

     Emma had visited her grandfather in this place (we don't know what institution he was in the first time), possibly without letting Sallie know first which immediately caused friction.  Emma was not invited to Sallie's home after that, so Emma wrote a letter relating what she experienced on that visit and what her concerns were...

 Letter written by Emma Crawford Basney October 6, 1911 to Sallie Crawford Hayes.  Page 2 front. 

 "Did you know he was about eaten up with body lice while out there.  I couldn't understand why Grandpa looked so shabby until they told me they had to burn his clothes on account of the lice.  They stopped me from sitting on his bed for fear I might get them.  My heart ached for him." 

   Emma went on to say she felt the grandchildren shouldn't interfere in the situation but that  her heart ached for her grandfather.  She understood that a complaint had been filed at the office (presumably at the institution where John was for several months) but she hadn't heard that anything had come of it. She hoped that Grandpa wouldn't be away for very long. She even offered to help if Sallie needed a break when he came back home. 

 Letter written by Emma Crawford Basney October 6, 1911 to Sallie Crawford Hayes.  Page 3.

  "I trust Grandpa is well and that he will give you no trouble.  If at any time you wish to go away and I am going to be at home I will keep him for you." 

 She ended her first letter with the sentiment that she hoped "You and Uncle Frank would never have to go through what Grandpa has in the past three months". 

  In Emma's letter written on December 18, 1911 it looked like John was back at home. Emma was still willing to "let bygones be bygones" and mend the relationship with her grandmother; it appeared that Sallie was not ready to talk things over. 

Letter written by Emma Crawford Basney to Sallie Crawford Hayes December 18, 1911. Back. 

    On July 19, 1912 John was admitted to the Home of the Incurables in San Francisco.  The home took its name from the International Order of King's Daughters which was an international Christian organization started in New York in 1886.  The home in San Francisco began in 1890.  A newspaper article from 1895 described the home and how it worked, as well as the high demand for services. (The high demand for elderly care still holds true today).   It may have been located on Francisco Street and then moved to Golden Gate Avenue until 1917.  It was described as a home for those suffering from "incurable diseases other than contagious". It was open to all denominations and when the family was able to pay they were charged $10-$14 per month.  We do not know the conditions John experienced in this home, but he died there in 1914.

 Lester Hayes provided information for John's death certificate. He was Sallie's son, and my great grandfather.  This document was ordered by my Auntie Claire in the 90's when she was doing her research on the family. 

  The feud between Sallie and her granddaughters continued, as the next letter, written by Rena, was written after John died.  Apparently Sallie did not inform Rena that her grandfather had died and Rena did not find out until she read it in the newspaper.  Rena wrote that "...it is a source of great regret to us all, that we were thus deprived of the privilege of at least paying our last respects".... That letter was written August 23, 1914. 

   

   When reading through these letters it appears that Sallie did not deal with her granddaughters in a very loving manner (hence I won't publish the letters in their entirety).  It was a very private and personal feud. Maybe Sallie did not like other family members interjecting their opinions on the care she was providing or with her choice to move her father out of the home. Did she feel guilt for moving him?  Fulltime caregivers sometimes experience burnout which can cause feelings of being overwhelmed, sleep disturbances, resentment or anger, loss of patience and social withdrawal. Was Sallie experiencing these symptoms? There are so many possibilities arising from this situation,  and we will never know all the details.  All we can do is extrapolate from the evidence and treat the situation with sympathy.  It is my hope that relationships were eventually repaired. 

 John Washington Crawford's Obituary.  This was glued to the top of Rena's letter dated August 23, 1914. 

    

These were in the possession of Lester Hayes, my great grandfather. John Washington Crawford was buried at Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California. 

https://cypresslawn.com/resources/memorial-park-resources/locate-a-gravesite/

https://cypresslawn.com/resources/memorial-park-resources/locate-a-gravesite/

  

     Researching ancestors who experienced hard times in their life can be emotionally difficult.  We feel sympathy for family members and can often relate to the situations they were in.  Many of the issues that occurred over 100 years ago remain the same today.  All we can do is work to analyze the data and interpret it in such a way as to understand the situation more fully.  And,  learn from the past.  It remains a part of our own, unique family history. 

   

    References: 

The Charities of San Francisco: A Directory of Benevolent and Correctional Agencies.  Prepared by C.K. Jenness, M.A. Published for the Department of Economics and Social Science, Leland Stanford, Jr. University, 1894  Google Books

The King's Daughters Home for the Incurables by Dan Brekke Nov. 29, 2011 Infospigit: The Chronicles.  https://infospigot.com/2011/11/29/the-kings-daughters-home-for-incurables/

Relationship Reference:

Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret (Betty) Hayes Hansen->Lester Hayes->Sarah "Sallie" Crawford Hayes->John Washington Crawford and Sarah Byerly Crawford

#52Ancestors52Weeks....Week 12...Technology....The Crawford Family's Cartes de Visite (That's Plural for Carte de Visite)

Three Crawford cartes de visite 

Each photograph measures  2 1/2" X 4" each. 

    The Crawford family made its way to Sacramento, California from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1852 by wagon (see my previous posts on the Crawford Family).  Along with the family bible and original marriage certificates I have nine small pictures that were with the Crawford possessions.  They are  carte de visite photographs; these became popular after the Crawfords moved to California.  They were made possible by evolving technology in the field of portrait photography and became the craze all over the world until the turn of the century. They are now considered an early form of social media.  The Crawford  photographs were taken in Sacramento and San Francisco, California, between 1863 and the very early 1880's. 

      The daguerreotype was the first successful form of photography in the early 1840's and by the 1850's most professional photographers took either daguerreotypes or ambrotypes. These new technologies drew on knowledge of chemistry and optics and as the photography craze grew the technique was refined. These forms of portraiture had drawbacks;  each picture was unique but  the sitter had to pose for long periods of time (3-15 minutes) and making copies was difficult and expensive. But, the science of photography was rapidly evolving and expanding. 

  

   A new technology was developed in Paris in 1854 which used a special multi-lens  camera to produce multiple small photographic albumen prints that were mounted onto cardboard. They were very affordable;  better yet, the sitter could have a choice of poses without having to sit for long periods of time. Copies were easily made.  The cards were as small as a calling card (hence the name "visiting card") and made portrait photographs accessible to a broader demographic.  It was introduced to the United States in 1859 and became popular with the start of the Civil War.  Carte de visite photography was the most popular photographic format in the nineteenth century and special albums were even patented so that people could collect and save their CDV's of family, friends, the famous and royalty.  It was the start of the family photo album. It was the Instagram of the times!

   The Crawfords must have exchanged these pictures with family and friends.  If there was an album, it has been lost to time. Sadly, there is no family identification on any of the cards......

  This is the only CDV that is dated, and is the earliest of the CDV's.   It is a proof of a small girl, probably around the age of 3 or 4 at most. She had blue eyes and was wearing a dress that would have been worn in the early 1860's.  Her hair was in ringlets.  She may have been sitting in a chair and holding a basket.  Who could she have been?

  

   The Crawford family was in Sacramento by 1852, and may have come with the Cummings family from Philadelphia.  I am still exploring the relationship between these two families.  This picture could not have been my great grandmother Sarah Elizabeth Crawford (born in 1856), which I previously thought. She would have been close to 7 years old in 1863.  It could have been Nellie Cummings, born in Sacramento in 1860.  She is the only family member to fit this timeline. Sadly, Nellie passed away in 1865 of typhoid fever.  

 A colorized version using the editing tool on  Ancestry.com.

Those blue eyes do not match my great grandmother Sarah Elizabeth Crawford's eyes.  This little girl's identity remains a mystery. 

  

 The back,  showing the photographer's stamp

  This picture was taken in Sacramento at the A. P. Bailey studio on J Street.  Mr. Bailey was listed in the 1868 City Directory as having a photography studio at 244 J Street.  The borders of this CDV (2 line border of different widths) date this picture to the second half of the 1860's.  This young man looks to be around 17 or 18. I believe it is George Byerly Crawford, older brother of Sarah Elizabeth Crawford. 

  This CDV was taken in Sacramento at the J. A. Todd studio (embossed at the bottom right).  Mr. Todd was also listed in the 1868 Directory as working at 117 J Street.  This particular vignette was popular between 1864 and 1867, and the border also dates it to the second half of the 1860's.  This may be Sarah Byerly Crawford, my great great grandmother, who would have been around 41 or 42 at this time.  It is entirely possible that this was Rebecca Byerly Cummings, who would have been close to 50 at this time.  Sarah and Rebecca may have been sisters or close relatives.  

 

 A close up taken in the same sitting

  This CDV has no studio stamps or markings, but looks very similar to the photographs taken in Sacramento.  The border suggests this was taken in the second half of 1860 also.  This young girl looks to be around 9 or 10.  This may be my great grandmother Sarah Elizabeth Crawford.  I was particularly interested in her cowlick, which appears in later photographs.  In this picture, she is holding a small purse and appears to have very short hair.  Was she ill at some point, or did she just prefer short hair? There were two copies of this picture in the collection.  

  

This CDV was taken in San Francisco at the Hoebel and Luther Photography Gallery on Third Street.  They can be found in the 1872 and 1873 City Directories.  The Crawfords had moved to San Francisco by the 1870 Census.  This may be Sarah Elizabeth Crawford, several years older than the previous picture taken in Sacramento.  She has the same cowlick and the same short hairstyle which is so mysterious to me.  This picture was most likely taken in the very late 1860's to the very early part of the 1870's. 

  The rounded corners scanned better on this image of the back. 

  This CDV was taken at the Peoples Art Gallery on Third Street in San Francisco.  The hairstyle, clothing, and oval frame with rounded corners date this picture to the late 1870's.  I believe this is Sarah Elizabeth Crawford, right before her marriage to Franklin Hayes in 1881. She looks to be around 19 or 20.  The cowlick is the same as the previous pictures, and her hair had grown out. The Peoples Art Gallery was in business from 1864 until the late 1890's.  John D. Godeus was  operating his gallery at 34 Third Street in 1880 per the San Francisco City Directory. 

The rounded corners did not scan on this photograph. 

  This CDV looks very similar to the above photograph, but has no photographer's stamp on the back.  The cheeks and lips have been tinted.  I believe this is George Byerly Crawford, but this may have been taken when he was in his early 20's, possibly at the time of his marriage to Sarah Christina Maddux in 1873.  The rounded corners date this to the 1870's, but perhaps a bit earlier than the above photograph. If so, it may have been taken in Sacramento. 

  Now comes the fun part...

     Comparison of these three CDV's of Sarah Elizabeth Crawford.  Same person? What do you think? 

 

The top picture is of Sarah "Sallie" Crawford Hayes taken around 1909; she would have been in her early 50's.  Same person?  What do you think? 

Comparison of these two CDV's of George Byerly Crawford. Same person? What do you think? 

  I feel so fortunate to have these wonderful pictures; the Crawford family took advantage of the new technology of the day, got dressed up and went to the photography studio!  What an experience that would have been.  These days an Iphone is all we need to capture any moment in our lives.  What would the Crawfords think of our technology? These cartes de visite are 160 years old and can still be touched, felt and pondered over.  What will happen to the thousands of images on our devices and how will they be accessed in 160 years? What new technology will be used? ....AI powered cameras,  3-D printing technology to create physical prints of digital images, as well as  virtual and augmented reality experiences with images are already being developed. It is almost mind boggling to think of.  Just as the first photographic portrait would have been way back when. 

https://www.spyne.ai/blogs/future-of-photography

 Relationship Reference:

Me:--Margaret Hansen Boothby--Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen--

I

The parents of Margaret Hayes Hansen were Emma Lavinia King Hayes VanDuzer  and Lester Franklin Hayes.

(they had three daughters: Dorothy, Francis and Margaret)

I

The parents of Lester Hayes were Sarah (Sallie) Elizabeth Crawford and Franklin Hayes 

I

The parents of Sarah (Sallie) Crawford were John Washington Crawford and Sarah Byerly of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, married in 1848. 

#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 9...Changing Names....The Crawford Wedding Certificates Provide Clues to the Name Cummings

   This week's theme is Changing Names...as I was going through files this week I came across two wedding certificates from the Crawford Family. Sarah Byerly changed her name to Sarah Crawford and her daughter Sarah Elizabeth Crawford changed her name to Sarah (Sallie) Hayes upon marriage. As I was looking closer at the documents, I discovered some valuable clues.....

   Wedding certificates are wonderful ways to find new clues when researching families.  The Crawford family not only kept two marriage documents, but recorded family marriages in the Crawford family Bible (see previous posts from January 2024). This was first time I had really looked closely at these wedding certificates. 

 The Marriage Certificate for John Washington Crawford of Philadelphia and Sarah Byerly of Philadelphia, February 23, 1848. 

10 1/2" X 8".  In our family collection. 

 Sarah Byerly became Sarah Crawford.    

 Their marriage was also documented in the records of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. They were married by J.A. Roche, Minister.  Ancestry.com

 This marriage certificate is the oldest original family document I have, and  dates from February 23, 1848.  It is still in good condition, and the ink has not faded much.  The embossing around the edges is beautiful.  I have just started researching the Crawford family, who lived in Philadelphia in the early 1800's. I can imagine how it must have been carefully folded up and put in the family bible when the family made their way west. 

  I found two names listed as witnesses on the certificate.  Since I had just gone through the family bible, these names sounded very familiar to me.  The first name was Henry Cummings. That name was familiar because John and Sarah's third child was named William Cummings Crawford.  Was Cummings originally a maiden name? Who was Henry Cummings and what was his relation to Sarah or John? 

  The second name was Cristian Byerly.  Was this a brother to Sarah? Maybe her father?  The spelling of Cristian is interesting also. The Byerly family was originally from Wurttemberg, Germany. Who was this Cristian Byerly?  John and Sarah's second child was named George Byerly Crawford. Sarah's maiden name was definitely used for his middle name.

  After some sleuthing,  I was found a Rebecca Byrley (spelled differently) on Ancestry.com.   She had married William Cummings in Philadelphia in 1839.  She and William came to Sacramento in 1849.  Together, they had 10 children.  One child was named Benjamin F. Cummings (keep this name in mind for later....).  Could Rebecca be Sarah's sister or another female relation? William's obituary states that his brother was Henry Cummings.  Could this be the Henry Cummings that signed the marriage certificate?    

 

 

Henry Cummings marriage registration for October 5, 1848.  He married Catherine Jeffries in the St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.  They were married by the same minister as Sarah Byerly and John Washington Crawford.  These two couples were married 7 months apart, in the same church, by the same minister.  Ancestry.com

The marriage license of Robert Franklin Hayes and Sallie Elizabeth Crawford February 19, 1881. (front)

Sarah (Sallie) Elizabeth Crawford became Sallie Hayes. 

The document measures 12" x 13 1/2".  In our family collection. 

  

The back of the marriage certificate provides some wonderful clues! 

     The back of this marriage certificate is a bit hard to read, as the ink is fading.  It states that the residence of Robert Franklin Hayes was 10 Elgin Park, and he was 26 years old.  Sallie Elizabeth Crawford lived at 40 1/2 Zoe Street and was 24 years old.  Then, we get to witnesses.....the first witness to the marriage was written as B.F. Cummings, who lived on Kearney Street, San Francisco.  I checked the 1880 census, and he did live on Kearney Street, and was a jeweler. He lived with his brother Louis B. Cummings who was also a jeweler.  B. F. was none other than Benjamin Franklin Cummings, son of William Cummings, who was married to Rebecca Byerly.  By the 1900 census, Benjamin was living with his mother Rebecca, who was born in Pennsylvania, and whose parents were born in Germany.  Sarah Byerly was born in Pennsylvania, and her parents were born in Germany (Wurttenburg). I believe Sarah and Rebecca were either sisters or close relatives. Sarah obviously had strong ties to the Cummings family through this marriage. 

  The next witness on the marriage certificate was K. McCorrick. She lived at 42 1/2 Zoe Street and was probably a family friend.  She was found living next to the Crawfords on the 1880 census as Kate McCorrick, and was 19 years old.  She lived with her mother.  

 This is William Cummings' obituary, shared by a Find A Grave contributor:

"Death Summons Comes to Another Pioneer--William Cumming the Latest Victim of the Fell Destroyer--"

"Death continues to knock at the doors of the old Pioneers, with a steady and relentless hand.  This morning the fire bell tolled out the news of the death of William Cummings, the pioneer jeweler, who passed away at his residence, on Eighth street, between H and I, at 4:45 A.M.  Deceased was born in Philadelphia on March 21st, 1821.  He learned the trade of a silversmith and pursued that vocation in Philadelphia and Boston.  During the gold excitement of 1849, however, he joined the William Penn Mining Company and came to California, arriving in San Francisco just in time to celebrate the Fourth of July, 1849. After spending a few days at the Bay he came up the Sacramento in a schooner and went to Willow Bar, where he engaged in mining.  The William Penn Company soon collapsed, however, and Mr. Cummings came to Sacramento, having but $50 with which to start in life.  He formed a partnership with a man named Hastings, and they were in the jewelry business together about two years.  Then Mr. Cummings went into the jewelry business for himself at 408 J street, where he remained for eighteen or twenty years. Mr. Cummings was married to Rebecca Byrley, in Philadelphia, in 1839.  They had a family of ten children, of whom only three are alive-William, Louis and Benjamin-all of whom are jewelers in San Francisco. Mrs. Cummings still survives.  Mr. Cummings retired from business some years ago, having an income that would keep him comfortable.  He was a member of the order of Red Men and an Exempt Fireman.  He always led an exemplary life, and was a most devoted husband and father, and true friend.  He was especially popular with his fellow Pioneer, and one of them said this morning, with tears in his eyes: 'William Cummings was in every respect a good man; I had as great regard for him as though he had been my brother.'  Mr. Cummings had been in failing health for some years, but death came suddenly and painlessly at the end.  His funeral will take place to-morrow afternoon at 4 o'clock.  The Pioneers will assemble at their hall at 3:30 0'clock, and march from there to the Red Men's Hall."

-Sacramento Evening Bee, 15 July 1891

  This memorial also links William Cummings to Henry Cummings, 1823-1891 of Philadelphia. He was originally buried at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and later moved to Fernwood Cemetery, along with his wife Catherine Jeffries.  

This was written on Rebecca's Find A Grave memorial:

"Rebecca (nee Byrley) and William Cummings were the parents of 10 children.  William traveled to California during the summer of 1849 to search for gold, leaving his pregnant wife and 4 young children living in Philadelphia with his younger brother Henry.  Rebecca and the children reunited with William in California within the next two years.  Eight of her children predeceased Rebecca, as did her husband."  

    I  wondered what brought John Washington Crawford and Sarah Byerly to California all the way from Philadelphia.  They were in Sacramento by October of 1856, when Sarah Elizabeth (Sallie) was born.  Did they come with Rebecca and her children before that?  That would be around 1851, 1852, right after the 1850 census that showed the family still living in Philadelphia.  Records show that Henry stayed in Philadelphia the remainder of his life.  Did these two families come together?  This seems very plausible to me! Of course there are areas that need more research. What was the family connection to St. Paul's Episcopal Church?  And who was Cristian Byerly? 

  Even though women changed their surnames through marriage, many times they passed down their maiden names as middle or first names in their children.  The surname Cummings was also used as a middle name,  and must have had a special significance to Sarah. Using the marriage certificates, the family bible, and a little sleuthing on genealogy sites I believe I have come up with another branch of this family.  They are buried in the Sacramento City Cemetery in Old Sacramento.  Time for another visit to the cemetery!

 William and Rebecca Cummings are buried in the Sacramento City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway, Sacramento, California.

Find A Grave

                      John Washington Crawford m. Sarah Byerly

                                                                    I

                     Sarah Elizabeth (Sallie) Crawford m. Franklin Hayes

                                                                    I

                                  Lester Hayes m. Emma Lavinia King

                                                                    I

                              Margaret Elizabeth Hayes m. Harold Hansen

                                                                    I

                                        Margaret Hansen m. Dale Boothby

                                                                    I

                                                                  Me