52Ancestors52Weeks Week 27 and 28 Themes Free and Transportation: ........ Anna and Emma King Took a Protracted Sojourn on the Majestic to Begin a New Life in California

 

Anna Levers King in front of her home (possibly the home in Grass Valley, California). Turn of the century.  The 1900 US Census lists the family as living on Auburn Street.  

      In my previous post I talked about why Charles John King (my Great Great Grandfather) left Cornwall England at the end of April, 1894.  He had felt the need to leave the country after landing in some financial trouble that he was not able to resolve under English bankruptcy laws.  America seemed his only hope. Once he arrived in the United States, he worked quickly to get his wife, Anna Levers King and their six year old daughter, Emma (my Great Grandmother) on a steamer ship to join him and start over in Northern California.  They would be free of their financial troubles in Cornwall, and would be able to start a new life.  Their "Protracted Sojourn" (an extended visit; a status for those immigrating) ended up being for the rest of their lives, as they eventually called the United States their new country and permanent home. 

  

   Ancestry.com New York, U.S. Arriving and Passenger and Crew Lists 1820-1857

  Mrs. A. King aged 32 Wife...Emma aged 6 Child...Citizens of England...Intended Destination, N.Y.....they were intending a Protracted Sojourn (abbreviated P.S.)....and were traveling in the 2nd Cabin (second class, also known by then as Cabin Class, was meant for travelers of the middle class.  First Class was on the uppermost top three decks.  Cabin Class was on the second highest deck, and Third Class, or Steerage, was in the lower decks and was reserved for immigrants). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Teutonic).  

  Anna and Emma came with either 4 or 5 pieces of baggage.  Inside their baggage were china plates and gold gilt frames that are still in the family.  They arrived in New York on September 6, 1894, just 3 months after Charles landed in the United States. 

The HMS Majestic (Public Domain)

  The Majestic was a steam ship built by Harland and Wolf and launched in 1889.  It  was a part of the British shipping company White Star Line.  The trip for Anna and Emma was  much nicer and faster than the one that Charles took just a few months earlier on the Guion ship Alaska.  As he recorded in his journal,  "I have been thinking a great deal about my darling wife and child and I have concluded that it will be very much better for them when they come to take passage on a fast boat for it seems to one that to save a day only of this dreary monotonous life is a distinct gain." Their trip was only 7 days long, compared to Charles' voyage which was two weeks long.   http://www.norwayheritage.com/p_ship.asp?sh=maje1. 

  In 1891 the Majestic had  made the crossing in 5 days, 18 hours and 8 minutes in the bid to win the Blue Riband for the fastest Atlantic crossing.  She held the honor for two weeks, as her sister ship, the Teutonic, recorded a faster time.  A year later, the City of Paris regained the Riband it had won earlier before the Majestic made her attempt.  The Majestic and the Teutonic were originally built for speed.  Eventually the company would build newer ships built for luxury and comfort. 

  An interesting side note:  In 1895 (just several months after Anna and Emma's voyage) the White Star Line assigned Captain Edward Smith to the Majestic, and he served as Captain for the next 9 years.  The end of his career came, of course, as Captain of the maiden voyage of the Titanic when he went down with the ship after it was hit by an iceberg on April 15, 1912. The Majestic, which had been in reserve at that time, was put back into service as a passenger liner after the Titanic was lost.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Majestic_(1889)

  I don't know how the Kings got from New York to San Francisco, but it was most likely by transcontinental train.  I am also not sure how Charles King funded his trip to America, or Anna and Emma's trip on a newer, faster ship, as he was declared a "bankrupt" by the English courts in the spring of 1894.  Family or friends in Cornwall must have helped in some way.  Anna and Emma traveled in relative comfort in Second Class accommodations with other middle class citizens.  Once they were in San Francisco, Charles started his construction business.  He most likely needed capital to begin building.  I am pretty sure he did not engage in speculation building, as he did in Cornwall.  We just don't know the financial details as there are no records left.  Discussing finances was also not considered "polite" in our family.  But, in the end, the Kings lived a comfortable life as a result of Charles' success as a builder. 

Emma Lavinia King (right) as a young girl.  Unknown friend. Date around early 1900's. 

  The picture below is from the King Album and shows what must be Charles' construction crew at a work site, exact location unknown. Lester Hayes took the picture, so this was probably taken before or after he married Emma  (before 1910).  This picture was taken after the 1906 earthquake.  The building frenzy after the disaster would certainly have boosted Charles' construction business. 

Enlarged portion. C.J. King may be on the far right, bottom. 

The completed home; picture taken by Lester Hayes.  Photograph from the King Album. 

  Over the next several years, Charles and Anna would live between San Francisco  at 1900 Golden Gate Avenue, and  Grass Valley, California where Anna's sister Elfreda Levers George lived.  He built beautiful homes in Grass Valley as well.   They eventually moved to a small rural area in Santa Clara, California,  where they bought land that had fruit trees.  The 1930 Census lists their address as R1 220 Grant Road.  They called it "The Ranch".  

Anna Levers King "Granna" (pronounced Gran-ay) possibly at the Ranch.  Date late 30's.  

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

  

Emma Lavinia King and the Great San Francisco Earthquake April 18, 1906

Emma Lavinia King aged 16 or 17 (1904 or 1905)?

  The 1906 earthquake struck the coast of Northern California at 5:12 am on Wednesday, April 18. The estimated magnitude was 7.9.  Approximately 80% of the city of San Francisco was destroyed.  My Great Great Grandparents and my Great Grandmother lived through this event. 

  Emma Lavinia King was my maternal  Great Grandmother.  I called her "Nana".  She was born in St. Austell, Cornwall, England on April 13, 1888 and was the only child of my Great Great Grandparents  Charles John King and Anna Levers King.  She came to America in September of 1894, arriving with her mother in New York on the ship The Majestic. This steamship was built in 1890 for the White Star Line.  An interesting tid bit of information...in 1895 the Majestic was assigned  Captain Edward Smith who served as Captain for the next 9 years.  He later became notable as Captain of the Titantic.  But that is an entirely different story. 

  The King family settled in Grass Valley where Charles built houses.  By 1906, they were living in San Franscisco at 1900  Golden Gate Avenue where Charles continued with the house building trade.  Emma was 18 years old at the time of the quake.  The Golden Gate house was not consumed in the fire or badly damaged,  but the gas was turned off.  Nana told the story of taking the cook stove down in the yard to cook meals.  At that time she was a clerk at the Hale Brothers Department Store in downtown San Francisco.  The employees were told to report for duty when the dust had settled as the Hale Brothers people had salvaged a lot of things and had set up shop on boards over saw horses and were selling them on the street.  Emma washed out her white shirtwaists each day and ironed them with the flat iron heated on the cook stove out in the yard and reported for work downtown, selling salvaged crockery and household items. 

  An excerpt from San Francisco-A History of the Pacific Coast Metropolis, Vol. 2 by John Philip Young describes the department store after the earthquake..."The south side of Market street enjoys the distinction of having the two largest department stores in San Francisco, the Emporium and Hale Brothers..."  This building was rebuilt in 1912 and "adds another to the handsome structures lining Market street, which was almost entirely rebuilt from Ferry to Eighth street before the close of the year." They were some of the first "department" stores to "conform to the modern idea of making it convenient for the purchaser to find what he wants in one place."

  After the earthquake and fire many San Franciscans went downtown looking for "mementos", including the King family.   Nana found a silver tea set from the Colonial Hotel (formerly located at the southeast corner of Pine and Jones streets) that is still in the family.  

Silver Tea Set from the Colonial Hotel San Francisco

  There used to be a tray with the set (teapot, creamer and sugar) which had a large crack in it.  The crack finally separated and was thrown away.  The tray was just the right size for the tea set which was probably used for room service in the hotel.  Several years ago, I took this tea set to the Antiques  Roadshow when it came to Reno, Nevada.  It was appraised as less than $100. We also had a discussion with the appraiser about the many items that were "looted" after the earthquake.  I wonder what Nana would have said about that! 

  I love these stories that are unique to our family's history.  There is certainly more to Emma Lavinia's  life story, as she met and married Lester Hayes in San Francisco, had three daughters and eventually moved back to Grass Valley.  I thought I'd share her earthquake story today, the 114th anniversary.  

  

Emma Lavinia King at 2 1/2  years in Cornwall before coming to America. 

Emma VanDuzer with her Grandchildren Jim, Joan and Donald Holman and Margaret and Claire Hansen
in Grass Valley around 1944.