#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 28...Trains....150 Years of Family History on The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railway. Woooo Woooo!

    Engine Number 5, an 1875 Baldwin steam locomotive that was

part of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railway from 1899-1940.

Photograph taken at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railway Museum's Second Sunday Steam-Up on  June 9, 2024 by AliA.

      This week's theme is Trains...Family on my maternal side has connections to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railway which span around 150 years or so and continue to this day! 

   

 Map of Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad

from Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad by Gerald M. Best Howell-North Books-Berkeley California 1965 Page 12.

    The Narrow Gauge Railroad ran between Nevada City, California and Colfax, California from 1876 to 1943.  It provided service between Nevada City and Grass Valley, as well as service to the station in Colfax which was a stop on the Central and then  Southern Pacific railway going east to west across the country.  The little railway provided passenger services, as well as freight, lumber and produce shipment services to the communities it served along its 22.64 mile route. It also began providing transportation for  Sunday School Picnics and Miners Picnics, where many a Cornish pasty was eaten! 

   Riding on the Narrow Gauge Railroad began with the Hurd family living in Virginia City, Nevada and the Burrows family living in Grass Valley, California.  The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, and passed through Reno, Nevada on its way to Sacramento, California.  Passenger service of the Virginia and Truckee  Railroad from Virginia City to Reno  began in late 1871.  The Hurds were in Virginia City by 1875 and their eldest daughter Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows was married to Alexander Burrows and living in Grass Valley.  If the families wanted to visit coming from Virginia City, it was just a small matter (!) of taking the V & T to Reno and then transferring to the Central Pacific line which took them over Donner Pass to Colfax.  From Colfax, they could then ride the Narrow Gauge line to Grass Valley.  The distance traveled was about 100 miles. It must have seemed like a modern revelation to be able to see family so far away in such a short time! Although, I'm sure the trip took the better part of a day or longer.  The train trip these days from Reno to Colfax is a short and relaxing three hours.  The drive from Reno on I-80 to Grass Valley takes an hour and a half to two hours depending on weather, traffic and never ending road construction.  Sometimes riding the train is still the way to go! Plus, it is still an affordable way to travel at around $30 one way. 

 From The Morning Union October 13, 1881.  Mrs. Burrows (my great great grandmother) and her children rode the train to Virginia City to visit her mother, Harriet Hurd as well as her sisters and brother who still lived there.  By this date Elizabeth Jane had 4 children; the youngest was just 9 months old.  My great grandmother hadn't been born yet. 

From The Morning Union, August 23, 1882

Harriet Hurd rode the train over the mountains to visit her daughter, Mrs. Burrows.  Trips and visitors were always hot topics in the newspapers of the day. 

   Also from The Morning Union, September 10, 1893: 

"Mrs. A. Burrows left for Virginia City about midnight of Friday, being summoned on account of the serious illness of her mother, Mrs. Hurd."  No doubt Elizabeth Jane rode the train.  Sadly, Harriet Hurd died that night on the other side of the Sierra Nevada mountains at the age of 59.  The train wasn't fast enough.  

    

Engine No. 5 at the Carson City Nevada Great Western Steam Up July 2, 2022. Photograph taken by PattiA. 

   Nevada County  Narrow Gauge Railroad Engine No. 5 was built in 1885 for the Carson Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company in Carson City, Nevada. It was named "The Tahoe".  In 1899 it was purchased for the NCNGR and renumbered the No. 5; it began service between Grass Valley and Colfax and was certainly one of the several  locomotives that transported family members at one time or another. 

This picture was found in the King Album, and may have been taken at a Sunday School Picnic or other function in the woods.  I would put the date at around 1900 when the Kings were living in Grass Valley.  My great grandmother Emma King is seated on the right, second from the front.  There may be George relatives in this picture also.  Cornish scones, clotted cream,  jam and tea were on the menu! 

 

There were cars just for picnic baskets, which needed to be dropped off the evening before. Was that car packed with ice and straw?  I hope so!

    No doubt we had relatives attend these picnics, riding the train to Chicago Park.  The Kings and Hayes were members of the Methodist Church, and the Burrows and Hansens were members of the Episcopal Church.  These picnics were a community tradition and were annual affairs. It must have been exciting to have the  train ride and picnic to look forward to every year. 

    Special picnic trains also took passengers on Fourth of July excursions;  moonlight excursions, and special event trains continued for many years. The little train even brought the circus until 1893 when the circus train derailed causing two deaths.  The circus played in Colfax or Sacramento from then on.  I don't know of any relatives that saw the circus, but it would have been possible! 

 In my post of January 14, 2021 (Her Patriotism Unbounded) I shared the story of  how my great grandmother Vere Burrows took the train to Colfax in 1903 to meet Teddy Roosevelt (and she shook his hand!).  

   My great grandmother took the President's Special to Colfax where she shook the hand of Teddy Roosevelt.  She paid 50 cents for the roundtrip ride. 

Vere Burrows is in this picture somewhere!  This was a wonderful opportunity for community members to meet the President in person, and the train brought them there. 

From Nevada County Narrow Gauge by Gerald M. Best

Howell-North Books, Berkeley, California 1965.  Page 84.

   Vere Burrows also rode the little train from Grass Valley to Colfax in 1904 very early in the morning.   She and her new husband, John Hansen, caught the Southern Pacific main line in Colfax to go the coast for their honeymoon!

   

  

    Enlargement of the original newspaper article

The Daily Morning Union July 3, 1904

     By 1940 No. 5 was relegated to helper service, having survived a fire in which its cab and running boards were burned off.  The tender still shows signs of the fire by the notable wavy pattern in its sheet metal.  The Nevada County Narrow Gauge ceased operations in 1943.  The automobile and better roads made travel to the main line faster and more convenient. 

     The No. 5 (the "Tahoe") was rebuilt and  sold to Hollywood where it starred in the movie "The Spoilers" in 1942, and appeared in over 100 movies and T.V. series. It returned to Nevada County in 2018 where the boiler was restored.  It  can be found at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum where it now operates. The No. 1 (The "Glenbrook") can now be found at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City.  Locomotives No. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9  were all eventually scrapped. 

  We  love to celebrate our Narrow Gauge Railroad history by supporting and visiting our local museums who have done such a wonderful job preserving the historical locomotives and continue to run them for the next generations.  What a treat! We also support and ride the steam train in Virginia City, but that's a  story for another day. 

 Our Grandson was invited to sit in the cab of the Tahoe No. 5! 

July 2, 2022 Carson City Nevada Great Western Steam Up

Photograph taken by PattiA. 

 Our grandson in front of No. 5, a piece of his history! 

July 2, 2022 at the Carson City Nevada Great Western Steam Up

Photograph by PattiA.

  

On October 5, 2023, I had the opportunity to take the train back home from the Colfax Depot.  I did not get to ride the train from Grass Valley to Colfax as my ancestors did, (we drove), but riding the train over the Sierra Nevada mountains to Reno was a wonderful experience.  I think my ride may have been smoother than theirs!

Photograph by PattiA.

 Photograph by PattiA. 

 My view out the back window of the Amtrak car.  We were coming into Reno in the late afternoon.  This could have been a Maynard Dixon painting.  Photograph by PattiA. 

 Our son, grandson and granddaughter at the NCNGRR Museum in Nevada City, California. Photograph taken June 9th, 2024.  The No. 5 was back home in Nevada City. 

Our daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter in front of the Tahoe No. 5.  Photograph taken June 9th, 2024.  

 Exploring Mill Street, Grass Valley, with Grandma Boothby.  Time for some ice cream after all the history lessons!

Photograph taken by AliA.  June 9, 2024. 

References:

Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

https://ncngrrmuseum.org/

Nevada County Narrow Gauge by Gerald M. Best Howell-North Books Berkeley, Ca. 1965 (in our family collection). 

Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_County_Narrow_Gauge_Railroad

#52Ancestors52Weeks....Week 11...Achievement....Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows, Pioneer Woman Lawyer

 

   

The Morning Union 20 April 1935

Mrs. E. Burrows, Pioneer Woman Lawyer, Passes 

  Mrs. J. E. Burrows, second woman to pass the state bar examinations and the second woman attorney in California, a member of the vanguard of succeeding generations of women barristers, who  have achieved fame and distinction for themselves and their sex in the matter of the legal profession, died at Oakland yesterday morning at the age of 81 years.  

  Mrs. Burrows was the mother of Mrs. Vere Hansen of Grass Valley and grandmother of the Hansen boys, a former resident of Grass Valley and mother of an original family of 12 children, all of whom were born in this city. 

 

  Her passing yesterday morning was not entirely unexpected by family members as her health had been declining in recent months and Mrs. Hansen and sons made frequent trips to Oakland to visit her in recent months.  With capabilities and vision engendered by a family of pioneer forebearers, Mrs. Burrows, herself a pioneer in the light of the present day period, completed a most remarkable life.

.....Brought Here in '56

  Mrs. Burrows was a native of Pennsylvania, but was scarcely two years of age when she made the trip over the Isthmus with her parents, and came to Nevada City in 1856.  Her residence in Nevada City and the state of Nevada, where the family became one of the most prominent in the state, was overshadowed by her Grass Valley residence.  She passed the state bar examinations in 1887 when women attorneys were few, but she reflected credit on her profession.  The late A. Burrows, husband of Mrs. Burrows, was also an attorney, serving as attorney for Grass Valley at one period. ........  

 From The Morning Union 4 March 1926

Jane's son Don Burrows passed the  California Bar Examination.  This article states that Jane was the third woman to pass the California Bar. 

      

     The theme for this week is achievement.   Elizabeth Jane (Hurd) Burrows was my great great grandmother, and I have written extensively about her life in the past. You can find her stories in the Labels section on the right side bar.  She "completed a most remarkable life" as her glowing obituary states.  

   On the surface, becoming the second (or was it third?) woman in California to pass the state bar and become an attorney seems like quite an achievement.  When you put it into historical context it becomes something quite amazing!  Did Jane Burrows really have the distinction of being the second woman lawyer and attorney in California? I think she came close!

  Clara Foltz (1849-1934) was California's first woman lawyer, passing the bar in 1878.  In 1876 Clara's husband abandoned her and her 5 children so Clara began to give public lectures on suffrage to make ends meet.  Her main aspiration to help support her family was to become a lawyer.  She  wanted to take the bar examination, but at that time the state of California allowed only white males to become members of the bar. She successfully secured passage of the Woman's Lawyer Bill in the California state legislature, changing the wording from "white male" to "any citizen or person" who was eligible to become a member of the bar. 

  Clara worked along side her suffragette friend Laura Gordon, the first woman to run a daily newspaper in the United States (the Stockton Weekly Leader) to get the wording of the law changed.  In September of 1878 Clara passed the bar examination as the first woman to do so in California. In December of 1879, Gordon was admitted to the State Bar of California as the second woman to do so.  She went on to become the second woman to be admitted to the bar of the United States Supreme Court in 1883. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Shortridge_Foltz  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_de_Force_Gordon. 

   Both Clara and Laura sought more formal law training but were denied access to Hastings College of the Law (because they were women and the rustling of their skirts might distract the male students). Both women filed a case against the school and successfully argued the case  before the California Supreme Court.  Neither woman graduated due to work, activism and family obligations.  Even though Laura Gordon was the second woman to become a lawyer in California, I believe that Jane Burrows was right up there with these women trailblazers. She would have been one of a small group of women to be admitted to the Bar between 1879 and 1887.  Her obituary states she was the second, but it would have been more accurate to say she was the third (as stated in her son Don's article).  Either way, both Clara and Laura would have been exemplary role models for Jane Burrows!

 

 The Morning Union 1 Oct 1887 Grass Valley, California

    A little snippet of information found in The Morning Union on 1 October, 1887 reads:  "Mrs. E.J. Burrows of Grass Valley has been admitted to practice in the Superior Court".  Clara Foltz' experience involved a 3 hour oral exam overseen by a committee of 3 judges in San Jose. I wonder if it compared to Jane's experience? This was such a small announcement for such an amazing achievement! 

    8 of Jane's 12 children had been born in Grass Valley, California by 1887.  Her husband Alexander Burrows had been a successful lawyer, mining law expert, and writer for at least 10 years by the time Jane was admitted to practice.  Where she found the time to study we will never know! She probably apprenticed under Alexander through his practice until she was ready to seek admission.  I do know that I have not found any evidence that she practiced her profession publicly, but she was probably a great help to her husband with his many cases, or she provided help with smaller legal matters. This was seen at the time as a more accepted way for a woman in a small town to practice law.  Jane even described herself as the "consulting council of the concern" (from A. Burrows biography published in Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California, 1891).  She went on to have 4 more children. 

  Jane Burrows' personal Rules For the Government of Practice in the Superior Court of the County of Nevada, State of California, adopted October 16, 1893.  Her name is imprinted in gold leaf on the cover. 

5"x 7"

In our family collection. 

 Title Page 

Page 1 of the Rules (there were 18 pages of rules)

Last page

Roll of  Attorneys

Mr. A. Burrows and Mrs. E.J. Burrows are listed.  No "Mrs. A. Burrows" for Jane! 

Jane Burrows' calling card.

Jane Burrows  1855-1935

Photograph taken around 1893 in Virginia City Nevada, probably when her mother Harriet Hurd passed away.  

Shared by the William Nankervis Archive on Ancestry.com

    Jane Burrows was a woman of remarkable intelligence, strength, and courage.  She was probably a little strong-willed as well!  She eventually divorced Alexander Burrows in 1894 (on charges of cruelty and the inability of the couple to live happily together); another life event that might be considered outside societal norms for the time. In 1907 her daughter Gwendolyn was killed in the Eagle Rock railway wreck, and a lawsuit was filed for damages.  We don't know if Jane personally filed the lawsuit, but she certainly had the skills and force to threaten the rail company.  She ended up with $3,000 in the settlement.  She was obviously a strong role model for her son Don, who also became a California lawyer. 

    I wish I knew more about Jane's desire to become a lawyer. What was her intrinsic motivation? She must have known of Clara Foltz and Laura Gordon and watched their work on behalf of women. Were they her inspiration? Or maybe it was a little competition between husband and wife.... I would also love to know her thoughts on suffrage for women and how much that cause played a part in her life.  

  Was she proud of her accomplishments?  Her family certainly was.  I know that she came from a pioneer family that was quite resilient and strong.  They highly valued education and learning; one sister became a nurse and several of her sisters became teachers in Virginia City and Reno, Nevada.  Her youngest sister became principal of McKinley Park Elementary school in Reno in 1925;  Edith Hurd was part of an exemplary group of women teachers and principals that had a tremendous influence on education in the Reno area for many years.  I'm sure Jane, as the oldest sister, was a major influence in her younger sisters' lives also.  

   Author Barbara Allen Babcock details how Clara Foltz felt the conflict between career and motherhood. At one point during an 1885 case she was emotionally torn as she left her children to travel out of town on a client's behalf.  Later on, she wrote about "time's treachery" as her children grew into men and women and what she had missed. She said "I have lost more for myself that I have gained for all women.  All the pleasure of my young motherhood I sacrificed for woman's."  I wonder if Jane experienced the same emotions.  Perhaps that is why she did not publicly practice, but rather remained in the background of her husband's career.  Clara had her mother's help with childcare and housekeeping; maybe Jane did not have the support system to have a career and motherhood at the same time. Her sisters and mother lived in Reno and Virginia City, Nevada and not in Grass Valley.  Maybe her husband wasn't as supportive of her efforts as we thought.  We just don't know. 

Valparaiso University Law Review (Vol. 28, No. 4 (1994) art. 4) 

  Jane Burrows' story continues to amaze me.  She struggled with many of the same issues that women still struggle with today; balancing motherhood and home life with a career, women's rights and finding an identity and a voice outside of social norms and expectations of the day.  Barbara Allen Babcock laments in her article about the lack of a complete, consistent chronology of the first American women lawyers.  Most women joined the bar with a "small flurry of publicity and then fell from public view as they practiced in the local, largely unchronicled, fashion of most lawyers."  Even though Jane's obituary may have gotten some facts a little mixed up, we get the idea that her pioneering achievement was of particular importance. I think Jane, Clara and Laura would have been good friends! 

 Clara Shortridge Foltz

Wikipedia

Laura de Force Gordon

Wikipedia

  *I highly recommend this article on Clara Shortridge Foltz.  It is a fascinating journey into California history and women's rights. 

Barbara Allen Babcock, Clara Shortridge Foltz: "First Woman", 28 Val. U. L. Rev. 1231 (1994). Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/vulr/vol28/iss4/4 

web address: https://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1917&context=vulr 

*Also recommended reading: 

Lady Lawyer, Clara Shortridge Foltz by MS Sharon C Avey    CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 3, 2015) (available on Amazon)

Woman Lawyer:  The Trials of Clara Foltz by Barbara Babcock   Stanford University Press; 1st edition (December 12, 2012) (available on Amazon)

Relationship Reference: 

Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold Hansen->Vere Burrows Hansen->Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows                 

                                                     

#52Ancestors52Weeks....Week #5... Influencer.....Elizabeth Jane Burrows' Convincing Testimony Sells Doan's Kidney Pills

  This ad appeared in the local paper The Morning Union (Grass Valley, California) in 1902.  Imagine sitting at the breakfast table with your freshly squeezed orange juice on a sunny September morning. You aren't feeling your best; perhaps your kidneys are the cause.  You open up the morning newspaper and see an ad for Doan's Kidney Pills.....and you read the glowing testimonial from your neighbor E.J. Burrows on Townsend Street! Not only did Jane Burrows recommend Doan's Pills for her kidney complaints, but her friend Mrs. Thomas Nolan on Bennett Street did too!  And to think, the pills could cure kidney trouble in three days.   Perhaps you should run down to Loutzenheiser's Drug Store and get yourself some of those amazing pills.  Yes, my Great Great  Grandmother was an influencer! 

  

  What is an influencer?  These days it is considered to be someone who has the power to effect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his or her audience.  We are very familiar with social media influencers these days. It is relatively easy for the 'average' person to have their opinions heard by thousands through Youtube, blogging, vlogging and other means.  Were there influencers that would fit that description in 1902?  Most definitely. Back in the day all you had to do was open up your hometown newspaper and base your purchase (especially of a patent medicine at the turn of the century) on the genuine testimony of a trusted neighbor.  As I was searching through local newspapers I was surprised to find these advertisements that featured my great great  grandmother. 

My Great Great Grandmother Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows (1855-1935)

  Elizabeth Jane (Hurd) Burrows was indeed a person with authority and position in her community of Grass Valley at the turn of the century.  Her husband Alexander Burrows was a prominent lawyer and City Attorney for Grass Valley from the 1870's into the 1890's and Jane herself was a lawyer, although she never practiced as she was the mother of twelve children. I'd say she was a perfect candidate for giving a believable testimonial for Doan's Kidney Pills. 

   Why did she lend her name and testimony to sell Doan's Kidney Pills?  I believe she did it to either make a little money or to make a point.  She and Alexander had divorced in 1894 and by 1900 his second wife had passed away and he was living with his "housekeeper" on Richardson Street.  Maybe she wanted the town to know what straights she was in due to her ex-husband's life choices.  Or she really believed Doan's Kidney Pills cured her ailments and wanted to let her neighbors know!  I did find a Mrs. Thomas Nolan living on Bennett Street in 1900, 1910 and 1920.  Did they really know each other? Hard to say. 

  Jane's original testimonial appeared again in three separate ads, one in 1903, 1904  and one in 1905.  

 The Morning Union Grass Valley, California Friday August 7, 1903

"Proof that you can't possibly doubt"

 

 The Morning Union Grass Valley, California Saturday August 20, 1904

"Endorsed by people you know"...

The proofreader didn't bother to check the text of the testimonial in this ad. 

The Morning Union September 20, 1905 

This advertisement is paired with celebrity Miss Odette Tyler's testimonial.  She was a prominent New York stage actress, author and patron of the arts in Los Angeles.  Celebrity influencers helped sell products also. Imagine being mentioned in the same ad as  Miss Odette Tyler! 

 I don't know how much Jane Burrows got paid for her testimonial or how she was compensated. She was part of a marketing strategy used by many patent (not patented) medicines during this time.  Most of these products contained unregulated and often harmful ingredients.  Paid testimonials for what we now consider quack medicines were also how newspapers made their money. Using the power of personal experience (provided in a very detailed account) by someone that lived in the very city or town as you  was a very successful way to sell cures for all kinds of ailments. These testimonials often followed a certain script, using people's names, addresses and a sad but relatable story that was cured by a certain product. Influencer marketing was going strong at the turn of the century!

A 1900 Advertisement from Tacoma Washington....

"They have helped thousands...they should help you."

     Doan's Pills are still sold today, although with a different formula and a different marketing strategy. The company still relies heavily on believable customer and celebrity testimony.  Think celebrity influencer Joe Garagiola (the baseball player) in the 70's and his nagging backache from over exertion.  He recommended Doan's Pills too! 

.....(The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 was the beginning of the end for fraudulent advertising claims and dubious ingredients of patent medicines.  Doan's eventually changed its ingredients from a questionable diuretic (potassium nitrate, pitch and oil of juniper)  to a common analgesic and remarketed their product  specifically for backaches and muscle aches brought on from over exertion.  They were ordered to cease using the claim that their brand was superior to other analgesics on the market in 1996 by the Federal Trade Commission). 

https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/patent-medicines/

  

  Relationship Reference: Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold Hansen->Vere Burrows Hansen->Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows

  

The Hurd Burrows Cradle Finds a Home at the Grass Valley Museum (and Other Business Taken Care Of) ......

Our visit to the Grass Valley Museum, August 25, 2023.  Pictured are Patti (Boothby) Alden, Margaret (Hansen) Boothby, Stephanie (Boothby) Efstratis.  Picture taken by BettejeanS.  

  I am happy to report that another genealogy project on my "to do" list was checked off several weeks ago!  My Mom, sister and I visited the wonderful staff at the Grass Valley Museum located at the St. Joseph's Cultural Center on May 25, 2023 and made two donations to share with the community.

 

  Back in May a picture surfaced that was found in the archives at the Grass Valley Museum; it was posted on a local Facebook site and I immediately recognized it as we had a photograph just like it that was in our Hansen family picture collection.  I wrote about what discoveries were made that explained the picture on May 6, 2023 (John Hartwig Hansen and the Last Days of Pompeii...May 1900).  The museum reached out to me and asked for help to restore the badly damaged picture they had; I ended up having our copy  digitally saved and then reproduced at a local stationery business.  The nice young man (with a man-bun) that helped me was very intrigued by the picture and the story that went with it and we had a  great conversation about my Great Grandfather John Hansen.  It's always nice to share family history with strangers!  And I was glad to help the museum out.  They will frame the copy to present to the public. 

The museum copy above, our copy below. 

Pictured: Patti (Boothby)Alden, Margaret (Hansen) Boothby and Stephanie (Boothby) Efstratis.  Photograph by BettejeanS.  August 25, 2023.  Grass Valley Museum.

  Our next donation was something a little larger....

   Back (way back) on January 2, 2021, I posted about the Hurd cradle and the story of my great great grandmother Elizabeth Jane Hurd's trip with her family from Pennsylvania to Nevada City, California in 1851.   Elizabeth Jane took  one more trip back to Pennsylvania with her family before she came out west for the last time, settling in Grass Valley around 1875.  She  married Alexander Burrows and he taught school  "on the ridge" (North San Juan) before becoming a lawyer.  It is believed that this cradle was made in either North San Juan or French Corral per family stories.  Initially I thought it may have been used by Elizabeth Jane's mother, Harriet Hurd, which is entirely possible as she had 5 children born in Nevada City from 1857 to 1869,  but after researching and comparing dates I believe it was made  for the Burrow's children beginning in 1875 when Alexander was teaching.  (January 2, 2021 Gold Country Stories Unverified Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows Surviving Panama)

  The cradle had been kept in a crawl space at the home of my great grandmother Vere Burrows Hansen on West Main Street, probably since her mother Elizabeth Jane moved from Grass Valley to the Bay Area after 1900.  It quite possibly was used for Vere and Jack Hansen's  children Hulda,  Jack, Robley and Harold.  

  After WWII my Uncle Jack lived with "Grandma Hansen" at 418 West Main Street until she passed away in 1974 and he continued to live there until his death in 1986.  Mom (Margaret) began to clear some items out of  the home in the late 70's  and the cradle was rediscovered. It was identified by her father, Harold Hansen as the family cradle.   Also found was the little handmade black child's rocker (happily now in the possession of JackF.)  and a black valise belonging to Alexander Burrows (now in my possession). 

  The cradle has been at Mom's home on Banner Mountain since then.  I do remember using it in my bedroom to hold all my dolls and stuffed animals for a few years.  I was just a geeky kid interested in antiques and pioneer history and the cradle fit the bill.  It went with the Victorian iron bed and antique dresser in my room. After I moved out the cradle got moved to the laundry room and held all sorts of odds and ends (and dust) for years. I declined to use it for my children when visiting, as it was "not up to code". I wish I had known its history at the time! 

  In the process of writing down our family stories over the last few years I began to make connections to objects that I had grown up with.  This cradle was one such object.  The only history passed  on was that it was made in either North San Juan or French Corral and was the family cradle.   As I went further back on the family tree I became fascinated with the story of Elizabeth Jane and her life; fleshing her story out with research, pictures, newspaper articles, timelines and DNA matches became an obsession for about a year.  Her daughter Vere had literally kept everything and thankfully took lots of photographs.  My Auntie Claire lovingly began to organize these items as they were handed down to her, and then they eventually came to reside at my house where I continued piecing together this part of our family history. Things were coming into focus. The cradle had a history.  

  I began researching in earnest during the pandemic.  This is what I discovered about my Great Great Grandmother and her connection to the cradle....

      Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows led a remarkable, complicated life.  She lived during a time of  intense change in the country; she traveled from one end of the United States (Pennsylvania) to the "west" not once, but twice,  lived in the newly formed town of  Nevada City, California as well as the newly formed town of Virginia City, Nevada during the gold and silver rushes, waited as an Uncle fought in the Civil War,  earned the right to practice law as one of the few women to do so in California in the mid 1800's, had a total of twelve children (all born in Grass Valley, Ca.),  experienced the deaths of 6 children as well as the institutionalization of one son, divorced her husband and continued to provide help and support to her remaining family as she aged.  

   In my blog post from November 8, 2020 (The Life Story of Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows) I go over my research on her life. If you are interested in what living in Grass Valley and Virginia City was like at the turn of the century, I added many articles from The Morning Union which were valuable sources of information and helped flesh out her early life raising her children in a small town.  I was also fortunate to gain access to the following pictures of a young E.J. as I did not have these in our family collection. 

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Jane Hurd taken around the 1870's.

Picture shared by MimiS on Ancestry.com

    

 Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows 

Picture taken in Virginia City probably at the time of her mother's death in 1893. 

Shared by the William Nankervis Archive on Ancestry.com

Alexander Burrows (picture taken sometime in the late 1880's in Grass Valley, California).  Original in our family archives. 

  My post from July 26, 2020 (A Hurd of Burrows) details the lives of  Elizabeth Jane and Alexander Burrows' children.  There were twelve of them! 

  I think E.J. became the strong woman she was from watching her mother Harriet traverse the country twice, endure her husband's death in the Ophir Mine in 1876, forge ahead as a widow with 7 children under the age of 18 and continue to live in the community of Virginia City until her death.  Several of E.J.'s sisters became teachers at the Fourth Ward School to help support the family after their father's death.  There was a strong emphasis put on education in that family, especially for the girls. It was fun to discover how many teachers we have had in our family and how we continue to put a high emphasis on education. Elizabeth Jane's daughter, Vere Hansen, put a high priority on education; she did sign for my Mom's first library card which Mom took great advantage of by reading as many books as she could.  I did not know that residents outside of the city limits were not able to obtain a library card unless someone inside the city limits signed for them in the 40's. I'm sure that has changed by now!   Mom became a teacher, as did  her sister and myself.  I think Harriet and Elizabeth Jane would be proud of their legacy.   

  Why did we decide to donate the cradle?  Once I discovered its history and context, it was an object that became important. Yes, we had some memories of it, but it wasn't something that was treasured per se.  It was big, bulky, and it collected dust and SPD grocery bags.  No other family member wanted it in their home!  But looking at the hand hewn boards and square nails, you could almost imagine someone lovingly piecing it together to give to a new family.  There was a bigger picture and story to tell.   It was made in Nevada County by an unknown craftsman when many new families, including the Burrows,  were making this area their home.  We realized its history was woven in with our local history and we felt it should stay in the area and be shared with the community.  To me, its legacy represents family, resiliency, building of community, and gives all of us a unique sense of place. 

  Grass Valley was a town that grew together as a community in the 1800's; it grew together from many different cultures, languages, traditions and religious backgrounds. It was primarily a working town from the miners to small business owners and to people who provided needed services such as Alexander Burrows who became a prominent lawyer and eventually Grass Valley Attorney.  But it also grew as a community by the very hard work of many mothers who raised their children and kept their homes while serving in the church or doing other important service work in the community.  I think the cradle represents those mothers whose work and influence was just as important, or maybe even more important.  What do you think?  

  Grass Valley continues to be a strong knit community.  While mining is no longer the primary economic driver it is still a community of small business owners, service providers and now artists, thinkers and creators.  It is a community I love coming back to visit often. 

  I would like to thank all the staff at the Grass Valley Museum for working with us and letting us share our wonderful family history with the community.  Because now it is the community's history! 

Margaret (Hansen) Boothby on the left sharing stories of Grass Valley with the staff.  Picture by Patti Alden August 25, 2023. 

August 25, 2023 Grass Valley Museum. It was such a fun afternoon!  Thank you all. 

Picture by BettejeanS. 

  Relationship Reference: Me->Margaret->Harold Hansen->Vere Burrows Hansen->Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows