Francis Pearce and Mary Baker in Montana
My great-grandfather, Francis “Frank” Pearce was born in 1864 in Redruth, Cornwall, England, the son of Thomas and Susan (Pryor) Pearce. His father Thomas was a miner, as were both grandfathers. But the mining industry in Cornwall was declining and in 1884, at the age of 20, Francis became one of more than 250,000 Cornwall residents to leave Cornwall for brighter prospects elsewhere. Many of these were miners drawn to expanding mining opportunities Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America. Francis’s destination was the West Coast of the United States and I believe he arrived from Liverpool at Ellis Island (New York) on September 10 after a 10-day voyage on the steamship Wyoming.
It was typical for Cornish immigrants to meet up with relatives already in the United States. Frank is said to have gone straight to San Jose, California, and the New Almaden Quicksilver mine. His brother John Pryor Pearce was already there. Frank also had a cousin, Eliza Jane (Paull) Argall living in Grass Valley, CA, a major center for Cornish immigrants. The Argall family will be heard from again as the story continues in Part Two.
By 1888 Frank had arrived in the Butte, Montana, area, which was known for copper, silver, and gold mining and was another popular destination for the Cornish miners. In 1888 he filed a declaration of intent to become a US citizen in Silver Bow, Montana, and in 1892 citizenship was granted in Deer Lodge County, Montana.
He worked in one or more of the several mines in Granite and it was there he met his future bride, Mary Priscilla Baker – family tradition says she was working as a waitress.
I have wondered for a long time how Mary and Francis met. If they met in Montana, how did Mary arrive there from her home in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin? I could not imagine that she traveled on her own as a young single woman from Wisconsin to a new town on the frontier – a trip of 1200+ miles.. Mary’s father Marvin Baker had abandoned the family and when her mother passed away in 1883, Mary found herself an orphan at the age of 12. It is likely she was raised by her maternal grandparents John and Lucy Corwin who also lived in Eau Claire County, but I couldn’t find any trace of a Corwin move to Montana.
On November 27, 1890, an article in the Philipsburg Mail described the “Biggest dance ever witnessed in the Flint Creek Valley” — right in the Granite area. Miss Della Castle and Miss Mary Baker are listed as guests at the dance:
Della Castle and her family lived near Mary and her Corwin grandparents in Eau Claire; the Castle family moved to the Philipsburg, Montana, area and I think it’s likely that Mary traveled with them. Mary and Della were about a year apart in age and Della was also a guest at Frank and Mary’s wedding (below):
On March 4, 1891, Frank and Mary were married in Granite, Montana. The following article from the Philipsburg Mail includes some delightful details:
The marriage was noted in the church records of the Presbyterian church of Granite, Montana. A month later on April 2 Frank and Mary were witnesses at Della Castle’s marriage. Della stayed in the Philipsburg area until at least 1950 (she died in 1959). I wonder if they stayed in touch…
Wondering about the “charivaris” reference? Here is a link to a Wikipedia article.
From: Views of Granite, Philipsburg and Vicinity by Chas. Weitfle, Granite, Montana, [1893?]
On January 25, 1892, Frank and Mary were blessed by the arrival of their first child, my grandfather, Earl Elwood. Pearce. OK, let’s unpack this… it is likely it was a home birth with a midwife. If there was a doctor it is likely they had no formal training. No pain meds, no NICU, no Pampers, and definitely no iPhones to capture that cute newborn pic or Instagram to share it. To say “how times have changed” is surely an understatement.
Moving along…the following year the price of silver crashed in what is known as the “Silver Panic of 1893”, the mines were closed and Frank, Mary, and Baby Earl went on to … Part Two!
The New North-West, 8 October 1892
Upcoming posts
The Hammond family’s move from Colorado to Southern California (1922)
Frank Pearce and family in New Zealand
Letters from Nettie (Labarge) Boyce in Colorado to her sister in New York
The Danielsens come to California
