#52Ancestors52Weeks....Week 34. Theme...Member of the Club...John Hansen Peels Potatoes For the Grass Valley Sportsman's Club

  Caption on the bottom right hand corner reads:

"Peeling Potatoes for Dove Stew July 16, 1913"

John Hartwig Hansen, my great grandfather.  He was 48 years old in 1913. 

   This picture was found in Vere Hansen's photograph album, pasted on the inside of the back cover and surrounded by several smaller photographs.  Why was John Hansen peeling potatoes for dove stew in 1913? 

 

  With a little sleuthing and some help from our local Facebook site You Know You're From Nevada County If You Remember...  I was able to put this photograph into context.  My great grandfather was photographed peeling potatoes at the annual Dove Hunt and Camp Stew put on by the Grass Valley Sportsman's Club.  This was a yearly hunt which began with breakfast and ended with dove stew dinner in the evening.  It was attended by many residents of Grass Valley (since 1880) and was a popular event. I suppose they needed quite a lot of peeled potatoes and John Hansen volunteered for the job!

 From The San Francisco Examiner July 5, 1891

Newspapers.com

Indian Springs was in the vicinity of Rough and Ready California. 

    The Grass Valley Sportsmen's Organization (formally the Grass Valley Sportsman's Club) has been in existence since 1880, according to their website, making them the oldest sportsmen's club West of the Mississippi. They were "pioneers in field and stream".  I don't know if John Hansen was an actual member of the Sportsman's Club;  he was a popular and  gregarious resident of Grass Valley and may have been invited to take part in this well known event by friends or neighbors.  At that time membership in the club was very large, so it could be possible he was a member.  Membership is now restricted to only 100 members and is by invitation only from an existing member.  Dove hunts are no longer on the club's events schedule; current and upcoming events are the beer booth at the Nevada County Fair, the annual Steak Feed, the Lyon's Lake Kid's Trout Derby and a Crab Feed.  Very different from over 100 years ago! 

  If you visit the Searles Historical Library online you can search their photograph archives (type "dove" in the search bar) for past pictures of dove stew get-togethers.  I learned that the Nevada City Gun Club had their own dove hunting and stew gatherings also!   I have added the Searles Historical Library as a favorite link on the right side bar, under labels. 

   

   Cooking dove stew over the fire? According to an archived photograph on the Searles Historical Library website this is how the club cooked their stew.  

  Dove hunts and gatherings for dinner afterwards are still popular around many parts of the country.  I'm sure John Hansen enjoyed the day with his friends and neighbors helping out the Grass Valley Sportsman's Club with this annual get-together.  It was fun discovering the picture and adding another piece of the puzzle to John Hansen's life story. 

Relationship Reference:

Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold Hansen->John Hartwig Hansen = Vere Burrows Hansen

#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 13...Worship.... It Happened on Church Street

 Emmanuel Episcopal Church 

235 South Church Street Grass Valley, California

Pen and watercolor  by local artist Loana Beeson 

This framed picture hung in my grandfather's house for many years. This is the church he and his family grew up in. 

 

 Grass Valley United Methodist Church

236 South Church Street Grass Valley, California

Pen and watercolor by local artist Loana Beeson

This framed and matted picture was a wedding present from the artist to my husband and I in June of 1981. This is the church I grew up in. 

 

    Emmanuel Church first opened its doors for worship on August 1, 1858. The Carpenter Gothic style building was built on land donated by the Gold Hill Quartz Mining Company and many pioneer families regularly worshiped there.  Directly across the street was the Methodist Episcopal Church which was formed in 1852 and began as a house with several additions before the grand new church was built in 1872. The steeple which housed the church bell was 125 feet tall. Cornish families worshiped there as they had done in their Cornish Chapels back in England. 

The 1872 church building.  

This church burned in a spectacular fire in August of 1936.  Luckily, Emmanuel Church, which was directly across the street, did not catch fire. The worry was the steeple would fall outward but it eventually fell back into the church itself and the entire church was gone in less than an hour. 

  This week's writing prompt is Worship....   I am not focusing on just one ancestor this week,  but rather a place that has influenced my family since the 1800's. When I think of  Church street (or more specifically South Church street) in Grass Valley, California I am reminded of the role it has played in my family history and in my continuing faith.   

    Church street was so named because of the  five original churches built on the quiet dirt road just one block up  from Mill street, which was the heart of town.  The Congregational Church (built by pioneers in 1853) was on the corner of Church and Neal streets.  St. Patrick's Parish Church (1855) was located at the intersection of Church street and Chapel street.  The African Methodist Episcopal Church (1854) was also located on Church street until 1894.  Even though my family did not worship at these other three churches, St. Mary's Academy, next door to St. Patrick's,  was where Uncle Jack took commercial classes as a young man and my grandfather took choral classes. Their Norwegian father John Hartwig Hansen was involved in drama productions there to learn to speak English.  My mother took piano lessons there from Sister Mary James. The building now houses the Grass Valley Museum where the Burrows family cradle is located. 

   My great great grandparents Alexander Burrows and  Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows attended the Emmanuel Church on Church street with their growing family in the  late 1800's. This is my great grandmother's original Baptism certificate from 1895 and her later confirmation card from 1899.

  There are only three documents that have Clara's name written as Clara Vere de Vere:  Her graduation diploma and these two religious records. She was named after Clara Vere de Vere in the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem!

  The next generation also worshiped at Emmanuel:

 Vere Burrows Hansen with her boys (l-r) Robley, Harold and Jack

 Harold was my grandfather. 

  Clara Vere Burrows married John Hartwig Hansen and together they had three boys: Jack, Robley and Harold (the youngest).  Vere made sure the boys were baptized and eventually  confirmed in the Emmanuel Church. The above picture was taken around 1912 and was found in Vere's photograph album. 

My grandfather's confirmation card from 1922. 

    The Methodist Church across the street was built by Cornish miners who came to Grass Valley to work in the gold mines. The church was heavily influenced by the preaching and music of John and Charles Wesley and became known for the Cornish Carol Choir, Pasty Bake Sales and the Cornish Fair (all of which continue on to this day).  

   My other great grandmother, Emma King Hayes VanDuzer, was a resident of Grass Valley from a young age when her parents immigrated from Cornwall to Grass Valley. They were staunch Methodists who had previously worshiped in the small Methodist Chapel on East Hill in St. Austell, Cornwall.  After living in San Francisco, Nana later made Grass Valley her permanent home with her daughters.  She was very involved in the church and was a very active member there for the rest of her life. She was known for heading up committees, singing in the choir, sewing drapes for Wesley Hall, and for her flower arrangements.  She started the "Friendly Club" and the quilting group.   Her daughters Dorothy, Fran and Margaret (Betty, my grandmother) were life long members as well. 

The new Methodist Church was dedicated on Palm Sunday, 1939.  The architecture style was California Mission Revival. All the solid oak pews with their red velvet cushions came from the Temple Methodist Church in San Francisco. The pipe  organ came from a theater in Chicago.  

   My grandfather Harold Hansen (of Emmanuel Episcopal Church) recorded his "life story" later in life, and told how Emma VanDuzer cornered him on Mill Street one day to ask if he could help with Easter music at the Methodist Church.  My grandfather had a beautiful tenor voice and sang at other churches in the area as well as  in San Francisco.  He crossed the street to attend choir practice at the Methodist Church,  met Betty (who was a soprano), and "took a shine to her from the start".  They were married on July 2, 1939.  They were my grandparents. 

 Jack Hansen, Harold Hansen and Betty Hayes Hansen , Dorothy Hayes in the new Methodist Church July 2, 1939.  Jack and Harold grew up in the Emmanuel Church, Betty and Dorothy grew up in the Methodist Church.  Nana made sure Grandma and Grandpa stayed Methodist....

Margaret "Betty" Hayes Hansen (my grandmother)

July 2, 1939.  The beautiful walnut woodwork is still in the church.

    My Dad's family came to Grass Valley in 1947 (a little later than my pioneer relatives on my Mom's side....).  My Grandmother (Nino) was raised in the Catholic faith but decided the Catholic ritual and teaching were not for her.  She attended Emmanuel Episcopal Church for quite awhile, because she liked the priest. She then switched to the Methodist Church across the street after the Episcopal priest left. Nino helped my sister and I memorize the Lord's Prayer at a very early age.  Her mother, Nonna, belonged to the Methodist Church in San Francisco where she worked in the church kitchen and was loved by all.  When she died new kitchen equipment was purchased in her memory and a plaque was placed designating the space as "The Caterina Brondolo Memorial Kitchen". Nonna attended the Methodist Church in Grass Valley when she visited Nino. Nonna was known to have a constant conversation with her Jesus who could help her with anything at all. 

 My Dad went to the youth group at the Methodist Church and later joined the Methodist Youth Movement at University of the Pacific in Stockton.  Both my Dad and Mom attended UOP, which was founded in 1851 by three Methodist ministers. When he and Mom were married, the Methodist Church became our family's place of worship, and our second home on Sundays. My sister and I would often spend the night with either Nana or Grandma and Grandpa and go to church the next morning with our quarters ready for the collection plate. 

Dale  and Margaret (Hansen) Boothby with Tersilla Boothby (Nino) in Wesley Hall after their wedding.  June 25, 1961

In front of the Methodist Church at my parent's wedding June 25 1961

I recognize: Nonna, Dottie, an unknown couple, Nino, Little Mary, Aunt Dena, Uncle Frank and ? Little Mary's husband?

   Growing up in the this church gave me many happy memories.  Worshiping with a large congregation of people who truly loved the Lord and each other,  singing hymns from the red hymnal (especially at Christmas and Easter) and hearing my own grandparents sing in the choir every Sunday will always stay with me.  Seeing the flowers my Nana and Auntie Dot placed on the altar every spring also comes to mind.  I can still smell the daphne and the daffodils. Sunday school songs and stories, Youth Group and Vacation Bible School. Church potlucks and picnics. Hearing both my Mom and Dad play two piano duets during the service. Playing in the handbell choir while my Mom directed.  

    Later on my husband and I were married in this church, as were my sister and her husband.  My Dad's funeral was held here with standing room only.  In fact, many family weddings, baptisms and funerals were held in both churches on Church street over the many years.  

 June 28, 1981 

Methodist Church Grass Valley, California

 

  

The large "Christ" window in the front of the church.  This is the view I had every Sunday growing up. Photograph taken May 21, 2023.

     

    I still visit the Methodist Church with Mom (who still attends) on occasion.  I love just sitting in the pews and meditating on the beautiful stain glass windows that all tell a story. The church my husband and I attend now with our children and grandchildren is nothing like the church I grew up in.  It has no stain glass, no wood pews with a smooth patina and history, no altar flowers, no homey feel.  The music is loud and the service is presented in multimedia. Change is inevitable.  But, the preaching is solid and from the Gospel. In the end, that's what matters the most. I still have my lasting faith which was handed down from all my relatives worshiping on Church Street. 

References: 

The Church With the Golden Past; A History of the Grass Valley United Methodist Church. By Don Alexander and Dorothy Peavy  October, 2006

Once again, thanks Mom, for all your help with this post!

 

#52Ancestors52Weeks.....Week 6...Earning a Living....Uncle Joe and the Empire Mine Explosion of 1934

  

The Morning Union Grass Valley, California  December 18, 1934

Joseph Holman was overcome by gas during an explosion at the Empire Mine

Newspaper clipping shared by JoanK.

  My Great Aunt Frances Charlotte Hayes married Joseph J. Holman on July 22, 1933.  Uncle Joe worked in the Empire Mine, one of the oldest, deepest and richest gold mines in California. He held a steady job that paid well during the depression years; he also experienced first hand how dangerous that job could be. 

   By 1933 the Great Depression was making an enormous impact on the lives of United States citizens. Bank failures, soup kitchens, Hooverville shanty towns and the Dust Bowl migrations come to mind.  What was happening in Grass Valley, California at that time? How were people earning a living? It turns out that the California Gold Country was experiencing a boom in gold production and northern California was actually a "bright spot in a dark country".  During the 1930's more than 40 mines were operating in the area and mine employment rose considerably.  Miners were able to earn a living wage that could support their families.  This in turn spurred on the economy of the area.  Grass Valley was the place to live and work during the Depression! (Gage McKinney in his book No Depression Here September 1, 2009). 

   Uncle Joe came to America from Camborne, Cornwall, England as an 11 year old.  Joseph's father Alfred James was an out of work tin miner in Camborne; he knew it was time to look for work where he could find it, and provide more opportunities for his family in a new country.  He had come to Canada earlier to work in the mines and eventually earned enough money to pay for passage for his sister and his two sons.  

Passage Order for Joseph James Holman, his brother Alfred John and his Aunt Bertha Holman to Canada. Aunt Bertha watched the boys in Cornwall while Alfred was in Canada.  Shared by JoanK. 

Michigan, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1903-1965 for Joseph J Holman

Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

Card

H

ALL

 Joseph Holman came into the United States through Michigan on November 1, 1923.  

    The 1930 US Census is quite interesting!  By this time the Holman boys were living with their father Alfred on the Old Auburn Road in Grass Valley California and Alfred worked in a gold quartz mine (the Empire Mine?).  His life reflected the stories of many Cornish miners who had lost work with the closing of the tin and copper mines in Cornwall and who had immigrated to America where mining was booming and jobs were available.  The Cornish brought with them centuries of skills and know how that they applied to the hard rock mines here.  The Holmans were a part of the Cornish diaspora that eventually settled in Grass Valley. 

  Also on the very same page of the census I found the George VanDuzer family with my great grandmother Emma King Hayes (who had remarried George VanDuzer) and her three daughters, Dorothy, Frances (later to become Joseph's wife) and my grandmother Margaret Hayes.  They lived off the Auburn Highway just a few short miles away from the Holmans. 

 

A young Joe Holman working as a professional boxer

Picture shared by JoanK

   Uncle Joe began working at the Empire Mine when he was around 18 and married Auntie Fran when he was around 21.  During this time he also worked as a professional boxer!

   

Newspaper article shared by JoanK.  From an unknown newspaper,  printed several days after the December 18th 1934 date. Continued below:

     Mining was probably one of the most hazardous jobs to have in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  The Empire Mine was proud of its long standing safety record. The Empire Crew was the champion rescue crew of the state in 1934.  All miners and workers were required to go through safety training. 

 Joseph Holman's First Aid Card issued  April 1933

Shared by JoanK

   On the afternoon of December 18, 1934, a terrific explosion rocked the mine as a powder magazine exploded at the 3,000 foot level.  Two miners were killed and four others were overcome by gas, including Joseph Holman.  His family saved several newspaper articles from that time that I have posted here.  The cause was never found, although the men (including Uncle Joe) thought that Frank Harvey went in that afternoon to the powder magazine with a cigarette. He did not survive.  Poor Clarence Dickerman, who was planning on getting married soon, also did not survive.  Uncle Joe was unconscious as he was pulled to the surface by the rescue team.  As a result of the accident he partially lost his hearing and had breathing difficulties for many years.  It was a difficult time for his family.  

From The Sacramento Bee December 1934. Shared by JoanK.

 Newspaper clipping shared by JoanK.  Unknown source. 

Newspaper clipping shared by JoanK.

 From the Sandusky Register, Ohio,  Wednesday December 19, 1934 Newspapers.com

The news had reached across the United States.  

Fran and Joe Holman with their son Jim around 1935 after the accident. Picture in my collection. 

    Uncle Joe continued working for the Empire Mine.  The 1940 US Census records his occupation as 'working in a gold mine', as does the 1950 US Census. 

The second page of his WWII Draft Card records his deafness. 

 Joe and Fran Holman sometime in the 40's? 

Picture shared by Joank.

  The Empire Mine was forced to close down in October of 1942 after being declared nonessential to the war effort (WW2).  During that time Uncle Joe worked in the shipyards in Oakland as did my grandfather Harold Hansen.  Joe Holman also worked on the trains between Colfax and Truckee to make ends meet. After the war there were shortages of skilled mine workers, workers' strikes and rising inflation costs resulting in the beginning of the end for the mines. 

 The Empire Mine 3,200 foot level

Pinterest

 The Empire Mine closed in 1956 after extracting 5.8 million ounces of gold from underneath the town of Grass Valley.  It was a sad time for the community. The booming economy based on mining that was seen during the Depression was over. 

  But, during that window of time Uncle Joe was able to earn a living and support his family when many were not so fortunate.  The job was dangerous as the events of December 18, 1934 show us.  Uncle Joe was very lucky to have survived.  One newspaper clipping said, "...Announcement of the terrible underground blast, bulletined by the Morning Union at Grass Valley and Nevada City, turned holiday shoppers, gay outside visitors and veteran miners gray and pallid, as details of the city's worst mine disaster in several decades became known...".  I can't even imagine how my great aunt felt at the time.  Uncle Joe overcame the accident, although he was hard of hearing the rest of his life.  He even served as Blasting Foreman for several road projects in the area later on. 

  I remember going to visit my Auntie Fran and Uncle Joe at their  home on Sunset Avenue in the 70's when I visited my cousins during the summer. Uncle Joe had his rabbits and later on his birds in the shed in back of the house.  He and  Auntie Fran loved their garden.  I remember our adventurous trips to the dump in the back of his truck.  What I remember the most is how LOUD everyone in that family was.  Auntie Fran was a tiny little thing but her voice could be heard for blocks. Especially if she needed to get Uncle Joe's attention.  For a long time I did not know why everyone spoke so loudly to communicate with each other.  I just thought that was the way this side of the family was!  

  

 Thank you Auntie Joan for sharing these newspaper clippings and pictures, and allowing me to tell a part of Uncle Joe's story.  

The way I remember Auntie Fran and Uncle Joe! Photo taken sometime in the early 80's. 

 

Relationship Reference:

Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen (sisters Dorothy and Frances)->Emma King Hayes VanDuzer

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