Charles King and Anna Levers.... Life in St. Austell Cornwall......

 These small dishes made the journey with Anna Levers King from Cornwall to America on the Majestic in 1894.  They came in the bottom of her trunk. There are six of each pattern.  They must have been of sentimental value to her; a reminder of home. 

 In the possession of Margaret Hansen Boothby. 

 

The marriage certificate of Charles and Anna King (original in the family collection).

   On the 20th of January, 1887,  23 year old Charles John King married 24 year old Anna Levers in the United Methodist Chapel in the Eastern Hill area of St. Austell, Cornwall.  The chapel's  official title  was the United Methodist Free Church, East Hill. 

 Left  hand side enlarged. 

 Right hand side enlarged. 

  The chapel is no longer standing, but was located somewhere in the East Hill neighborhood, possibly near the junction of East Hill and Eastbourne Road. The chapel was most likely a small and unassuming stone building, perhaps similar to the Bridge United Methodist Free Church of 1881, pictured below. 

 

Bridge United Methodist Free Church Clifden Road St. Austell, England

 Flickr image credited to Cornwall Memory 

  Anna and her family attended the East Hill Chapel as early as 1878.  This was one of Anna's books she brought with her to America.  It was given to her as a reward when she was 16 years old. 

 Christie Redfern's Troubles was printed in London by William Clowes and sons, Stamford Street and Charing Cross for the Religious Tract Society.  I could not find a publishing date in the book, which is now falling apart and in very fragile condition.  It may have been published in 1866. In the family collection. 

This book was brought to America  in Anna's trunk.  She and my great grandmother Emma Lavinia came on the ship Majestic in 1894. 

This is Anna's copy of the 1878 Methodist Hymnal, published by Nelson & Phillips in New York. At the time it was the official hymnal of the Methodist Church, and included 308 Charles Wesley titles and 29 John Wesley titles. She may have had this in her possession when she boarded the Majestic in 1894, or may have acquired it after she came to the U.S. 

"O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing";  the poem was written by Charles Wesley around 1740 to commemorate his renewal of faith after a time of extreme doubt. It was set to the tune Azmon written by Carl Glaser.  It is the first hymn in this hymnal. 

The Levers sisters

 St. Austell, Cornwall, England

iPhone photo of the original taken by Patti Alden 2023

 

Back of photograph.  The surname Michell comes up in King family Devonport research.  I do not know if this Michell & Michell studio has any connection to the King family.  

  The picture above was shared by JoanK; I have dated it to right around 1876 from the style of clothing and from when Elfreda married  John George and left Cornwall (1876).  It shows Lavinia Caroline Levers (left) around the age of 18, Elfreda (sitting) around the age of 25 and Anna Levers (right) around the age of 14.  These were the three Levers sisters.  They lived with their parents Francis Levers and Emma Craze Levers on Carvath Road.  Francis was a cooper and a grocer. 

 Francis Levers 

St. Austell, Cornwall, England

b. 1816 d. 25 January 1885

Francis had passed away before Charles and Anna were married. 

Picture shared by JoanK.

  

St. Austell maps

   This map is from 1880 and shows the relationship of Holy Trinity Church (top left) to East Hill and what was Carvath Road at that time.  Carvath Road was later named Eastbourne Road.  The area between East Hill and Carvath Road was called Carvath and was listed as such on the 1881 Census.  The Methodist Chapel looks like it was near the junction of East Hill and Carvath/ later Eastbourne Road. 

   You can see the imposing medieval tower of the Holy Trinity Church (the parish church of St. Austell/Church of England). This picture was taken from East Hill.  The church itself is from the 15th century and was restored in 1872. From the Francis Firth Collection

Overlay map of above map and a fairly recent satellite image.   Some green spaces remained the same, but you can see the amount of building that occurred changing the rural landscape over time. 

   Witnesses to the marriage were Lavinia Levers (one of Anna's sisters) and George P. Bunt.  George Petherick Bunt can be found in the 1881 English Census. He  was living on East Street and was working as a solicitor's clerk.  He would have been 25 years old when he witnessed the marriage.   When Lavinia and her husband Harry Trist died in 1936 and 1937 an Alfred James Bunt was listed as solicitor clerk in their index of wills.  I could not  find a connection to Geo. P. Bunt, but the two men may have been related and had the same occupation. 

  George P. Bunt must have been a friend of Anna's as he wrote in her autograph book, which also came over on the Majestic....

 Anna Levers King

Autograph Book (in the family collection). 

Signature of George Petherick Bunt, witness to Anna's marriage to Charles John King in 1887.  Date of this entry is unknown. 

  

 C. J King, R. E. also signed Anna's autograph book! There is no date attached to the entry, but it must have been while he was still with the Royal Engineers. He left the army in the late spring of  1886. 

These Medal and Award Rolls were shared with me by the author of Pharaoh, David Gibbons, in 2022, and were much appreciated! 

 Can you find Sapper King, C.J.? 

Top of above form, enlarged. 

 

 Charles King must have seemed very dapper and exciting to Anna after his service in the British Army and his trip up the Nile in 1884-1886. They were married shortly after he came back from Egypt. His Nile Expedition adventure and pictures of his medals can be found in a separate blog; see the right sidebar for the link to My Trip to Egypt and Back.... 

  I don't know how or when Charles and Anna met; they were most likely second cousins so may have known of each other or visited family back and forth from Devon to Cornwall before his service.  They shared John Levers and Catherine Rowett from Cornwall as great grandparents.  I am still working on proving this relationship.  Charles' sister Laura and his father William King had moved to St. Austell sometime between the 1881 and 1891 censuses and were also living on Carvath Road just a short distance away from the Levers. 

 

 Emma Lavinia King 

 Emma Lavinia King was born April 13th 1888 in St. Austell Cornwall. My great grandmother! 

  The 1891 England Census shows that Emma Levers (Anna's mother) was living as head of household with her middle daughter Lavinia (oldest daughter Elfreda had married John George in 1876 and was in Grass Valley by this time), her youngest daughter Anna Levers King and her son-in-law Charles King.   My great grandmother Emma was 3 years old. 

   Emma Levers was a grocer; her husband Francis was a cooper/grocer as early as the 1871 census, and they were on Carvath Lane at that time.  After Francis' death in 1885 Emma continued to run the grocery store. Daughter Lavinia worked as a tailoress and was 32 years old.  Charles worked as a builder/contractor.  The Carvath Lane name was changed to Eastbourne Road by 1911 when Lavinia was living there with her husband Harry Trist and they continued to run the grocery store. Emma Levers passed away in 1899. 

Photograph on cardboard of the Eastbourne Road grocery store.  These pictures were with Anna King's belongings. 

Picture enlarged.  This was taken in the early 1900's from the style of clothing. I am not sure if these are the Trists or not......

A postcard of the Eastbourne Road grocery store.  A set of different people are out front. Written on the back: "These are the pictures Uncle Harry sent me so please send them back when you & papa see's them".

Written in Emma's handwriting to her mother Anna? Harry Trist passed away in 1937 so this was written sometime before then. 

Another postcard picture.  This appears to be a side or  back entrance? Unknown woman. No writing on the back of this one.

 I have shared these pictures before; they were in with Anna King's belongings and pictures.  They are of the Eastbourne Road grocery store.  It is most likely the store that belonged to the Levers and Trists.  The top picture was also shared on the Facebook site St. Austell History Group, so there are copies of that version in circulation.  The current location looks like this:

Google Street View 2021

Harry and Lavinia (Levers) Trist were married in 1897.

  In the 1891 Census Charles King's sister Laura was living with their father William King and were the 155th household enumerated on Carvath Lane.  The Levers and Kings were the 137th household enumerated on Carvath Lane, so they were in close proximity to each other. 

 

Emma Lavinia King aged 2 1/2 years.  This was taken a few months before the 1891 Census. 

  

An enlarged copy of the above original.  

  In 1892 Laura King married Richard Corey and they were living on Eastbourne Road by the 1901 census with three children.  They were living several doors down from the Trists who were running the grocery store.  They may have lived on Eastbourne Road at the time of Emma's birth; she would have had  doting aunts, uncles and cousins within walking distance! 

 Emma Lavinia King with unknown girl; she may have been a cousin or a daughter of a family friend. Taken around 1894. 

   Since his discharge from the army, Charles King worked to get his builder/contractor business off the ground in St. Austell.  His apprenticeship with his father and his time spent with the Royal Engineers prepared him for a career as a builder.  He also became a master woodworker. 

 

A blank invoice from Charles King's  business. He wrote parts of his memoirs of his trip to Egypt on the backs of these blank pages. 

  Unhappily, by April of 1894 Charles King  found himself a victim of poor financial and business  decisions  and as a result he was declared a bankrupt by the Truro Bankruptcy Court.  He felt he was not in the wrong, but he also decided that his only recourse was to leave the country under disguise and move to America. You can read more about the mystery surrounding these chain of events in this previous post from July 4, 2021 The Mystery is Solved....Bankruptcy At St. Austell and Claims By the Relatives .   The complete transcription of his journal describing his trip to America can be found in the post from January 24, 2023.   Anna and Emma's  separate trip aboard the  Majestic  is described in this previous post from July 11, 2021 Anna and Emma King Took a Protracted Sojourn on the Majestic to Begin a New Life in California.  Or just click on the links for Charles J. King  and Anna King on the right sidebar. 

  With the decision to go to America and start fresh Charles and Anna's life in St. Austell was over.  But, they always kept in touch with family members, snipped stories of the Royals out of the newspapers, and sent postcards back and forth. Many Cornish traditions were passed down in California as well as an ongoing practice of faith through membership in the Methodist Church.  They made the best of their new lives and Charles became a successful builder in both San Francisco and Grass Valley, California. 

  Even though Charles and Anna lived most of their lives in and around San Francisco, their time in Grass Valley made a lasting impression on my great grandmother, which in turn  gave me my link to all things Cornish.  

  

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

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

 

 Memorial Park

Grass Valley, California 

All Veteran's Memorial and Memorial Grove

City of Grass Valley.com 

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

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

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

John Hartwig Hansen (Grass Valley, Ca.)

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

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

Harold Lloyd Hansen (Grandpa) Grass Valley, Ca. 

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

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

Taken from the City of Grass Valley website: 

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

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

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

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

 

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

John Hartwig Hansen Spanish American War 1898

 Harold, John and Bob Hansen WWII

Jack Hansen (from the Bob Hansen Family Album) WWII

  

  

  

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

   

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

 Enlarged...quite the costume!

  

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

 

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

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

May 29, 1900 The Morning Union

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

The Review....

June 1,  1900 The Morning Union

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

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

Relationship Reference: 

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

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

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

 

 Gwendolyn Harriet Burrows 

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

Colorized picture using Ancestry.com edit feature. 

 18 November 1903 The Morning Union Grass Valley, Ca. 

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

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

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

  

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

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

 Cause of Death

13 June 1907 Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Evening Post-Record  12 June 1907 page 7

Newspapers.com

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

 

 Los Angeles Times 12 June 1907 page 13

Newspapers.com

  

 

 

 Los Angeles Evening Post-Record 14 June 1907 page 4

Newspapers.com

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

 The Morning Union 25 July 1907 

Newspapers.com

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

  And the verdict......

 Los Angeles Herald 10 October 1907 page 12

Newspapers.com

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

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

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

Relationship Reference:  

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

Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows m. Alexander Burrows