#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 8...Heirloom....Lester Franklin Hayes Now Hangs in the Dining Room

 Lester Franklin Hayes (April 2, 1882-April 5, 1969) 

San Francisco, California. 

The picture dimensions are  28" by 35". 

Lester's  portrait now hangs in the dining room of Margaret Hansen Boothby, Nevada City, California. 

   

This week's theme is Heirloom...This very large portrait in its original frame and glass has been handed down for several generations and now hangs in my mother's dining room.  Lester Franklin Hayes didn't always reside there...

  Lester Franklin Hayes married Emma Lavinia King in 1908 in post earthquake San Francisco, California.   They were my great grandparents.  Lester was the only son of Franklin Hayes and Sallie Crawford Hayes who lived at 3818 22nd Street in San Francisco.  Sallie lived in that home until her death in 1940.  Lester lived there until his death in 1969.  We have several furniture heirlooms from this home, but this portrait has the most interesting history.  I also ended up doing a little bit of research into the process of enlarging cabinet card photographs at the turn of the century to learn more about this picture. 

  

 Original cabinet card photograph of Lester Hayes, probably taken around 1885-86 at the New York Gallery on Third Street, San Francisco.  Notice the wonderful detail of his collar and boots. 

Original cabinet card photograph of Lester Hayes, back.  

   Sometime after this original picture was taken, the picture was enlarged, colorized and framed.  The process, known as a crayon enlargement or a solar enlargement, was a popular medium between the 1850's and the early 1900's.  

  This information is from the Indiana Historical Society and gives a short history of the process.....

In the earliest days of photography, the only way to produce a large image would be to use a large negative – generally made of glass – that would come into direct contact with the photographic paper. To satisfy customer demands for larger photographs without having to use big cumbersome negatives, solar enlargers were invented to project a small negative onto a larger sheet of paper using sunlight.

Photographic prints created with the enlargement process had a few problems. Flaws in the negatives were amplified, images tended to be out of focus around the edges and they were prone to fading. Because of these issues, nearly all enlargements were retouched with crayons and paints. Even as the technology and resulting prints improved, the colorful retouching had become a desirable trait in enlarged photographs and by the end of the 19th century, these types of prints were not considered finished until they had been hand-colored.   https://indianahistory.org/blog/painting-or-photograph-it-might-be-both/                          

  Franklin and Sallie doted on their son and must have hung this picture in a special place in their home on 22nd Street in San Francisco.  The coloring looks like it was done with  chalk or pastel and more attention was paid to the face than the background or clothing. The noticeable detail in the original photograph is not there. Lester's eye color changed from blue to brown. The original glass is very old and wavy, the gilded frame has a velvet surround and is very beautiful.   It must have been a statement piece, for sure. 

a close up of the portrait

a close up of the original photograph

   When Lester Hayes passed away, two of his daughters, Dorothy and Fran, took items out of the home they thought other family members might be interested in.  This portrait ended up in my grandmother's home (Lester and Emma's youngest daughter Betty), but there was one problem with it.  My great grandmother and Lester had divorced in 1924 and Lester was not spoken of after that in our family.  So, the picture was given to my mother with the proviso that  it wouldn't be hung anywhere where Nana (Emma) could see it. Lester Hayes stayed under my parents' bed in Nevada City, California, until the mid 70's.  

   At that time good family friends purchased a quaint Victorian home in Nevada City.  After their renovation of the home was completed, Lester Hayes was prominently hung in their back parlor directly over the antique square piano. He had found a temporary home and fit right in with the period furnishings.  He was often a topic of discussion when ever company came over, and had a much more interesting life there than under the bed. I can remember attending birthday parties and playing in that house, since I was close friends with the family's daughter.  At that time, I really had no idea who this boy was, essentially watching me grow up from his perch above the piano.    

 

The Victorian house at the top of Broad Street where Lester Hayes resided for many years...he certainly fit the time period for the home! 

(Google Maps Street View)

After Nana passed away, and after this home was sold, Lester finally made it back to my parent's home and was given the very prominent position of  hanging in the dining room. We all became reacquainted with Lester Hayes. He has been there ever since and has presided over many family dinners and celebrations over the years. We always marvel at resemblances to Lester that we see in his great great grandchildren. I am so happy that this heirloom stayed in the family even though my great grandmother didn't want anything to do with it (for her own personal reasons). Her daughters and granddaughter thought enough of it to make sure it stayed with the family (with a minor detour).  It is a part of our family history and will eventually be handed down to other family members.  Lester's story will continue on. And hopefully he won't be under any more beds. 

Relationship Reference:

Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Betty Hayes Hansen->Lester Hayes m. Emma Lavinia King Hayes (daughters Dorothy, Frances, Margaret (Betty)

  

   

 

#52Ancestors52Weeks...Week 7...Immigration....Tersilla Brondolo Boothby Wrote Her Own Ellis Island Immigration Story

 Caterina Bertonasco Brondolo with (l-r) Tersilla (aged 5 1/2), Agostino (aged 11) and Guilio (aged 8). 
 

  This week's theme of Immigration focuses on my paternal grandmother Tersilla Palmina Brondolo Boothby (Nino).  She was born in the tiny municipality of Vesime (Province of Asti, formally in the Division of  Alessandria) in northern Italy on March 31, 1911.  She was the youngest of six children born to Caterina Bertonasco and Pietro Brondolo.  During WWI she, along with her  mother and her older brothers Agostino and Guilio, boarded the Giuseppe Verdi and sailed for America and a new life.  It was an immigration story that she was very proud of. 

  Sometime before 1986 Nino received this letter in the mail.  In 1973 the Ellis Island Oral History project began preserving first hand recollections of immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. They must have done a mail campaign later on, probably when the Statue of Liberty was being restored.  She had made a donation for the restoration and may have received this flier with her tax deductible donation form.  

  The final restoration unveiling was scheduled for July 4, 1986.  My grandmother, who was an avid and enthusiastic traveler, had scheduled a visit to the festivities and to celebrate the fact that she too had come through Ellis Island 69 years earlier.  She responded to the flyer by writing to the Foundation on January 24, 1986.  She wrote down her own immigration story from the perspective of a 5 1/2 year old girl coming to a new country. 

 

 Caterina Bertonasco Brondolo's passport (cover).  Nino included copies of this passport with her letter to the Foundation.  

An inside look.....

Caterina's signature is at the bottom of the left page.  They were headed for San Francisco, California where the rest of the family were waiting. She boarded with $100, this passport, her children and probably very few belongings. 

 Caterina came with her youngest three children Agostino, Guilio and my grandmother Tersilla.  Her husband Pietro had come before the rest of the family beginning in 1913  with the oldest son Emilio, and then came Frank and Celestina, and then the rest of the family on the "installment plan". 

Original passport in our family collection

My grandmother's Inspection Card stamped by the U.S. Public Health Services Ellis Island February 13, 1917.  Original in our family collection.

   Caterina and her three youngest children  left Italy on the 23rd of January 1917.  The trip from Genoa to New York took three weeks. It must have been a relief to finally make it to New York, and also an anxious time as the family went through line inspections to determine their physical and mental health.  For most immigrants it only took several hours to go through inspections.  They were eventually  deemed fit to enter the United States and continued their journey to San Francisco.  I'm not entirely sure how they made that journey...possibly by train? Another boat journey? That information is lost to history. 

  I have several other documents pertaining to my grandmother's trip from Italy to New York. 

 

 "Qui accluso troverete biglietto"....an invoice will be sent with the tickets?  Preparations were made on September 27th, 1916. Original in our family collection. 

Everyone needed vaccinations before departure.  These were done January 1, 1917. Original in our family collection. 

 The Brondolo's third class boarding ticket on the Giuseppe Verdi from Genoa to New York. Original in our family collection. 

Wikimedia Commons

    Although the Foundation did not include my grandmother in the Oral History Project she made sure her immigration story was remembered. My grandmother's name is on the American Immigrant Wall of Honor.  Her Certificate of Registration was signed by Lee Iacocca.  She also had her parents' names added to the wall.   

  In  1997 our son (and future daughter-in-law) were able to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty as part of a school trip to the east coast.  Our son found his great grandmother's name, as well as his great great grandparents'  names and used a rubbing kit to take home a memorable souvenir. 

Tersilla Brondolo can be found on Panel 493.  Pietro and Caterina Brondolo can be found on Panel 494.  

 CaseyA. at the American Immigrant Wall of Honor in  1997. 

     Later in life my grandmother lived in an adult mobile home community in the beautiful town of Sonoma California (wine country), which she said reminded her of her home town of Vesime.  She was a very active member in the community, and loved dressing up during their many parties. She did indeed win prizes for her costumes, and was the Statue of Liberty a number of times.  She was always very proud of her immigration story and thankful for the opportunities  that coming to America brought her and her family.  

Nino dressed as the Statue of Liberty 

Shared by StephanieE.

Relationship Reference: Me->Dale Richard Boothby->Tersilla Palmina Brondolo Boothby

 

#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