M. 17 Jul 1879 in Boston, Massachusetts2
Wife: Nancy Sophia French
D. 18 Sep 1923 in Tujunga, California3
The heritage of many people in England is one of poverty — generations of people barely scraping by, often the recipients of community charity. This was the story of the ancestors of George Henry Hewes, and from the way he lived his life, the stories of his predecessors made a deep impression on him.
The family of George Henry Hewes was from the southwest of England, but he himself was from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. He was born there on October 17, 1853 to Charles Hughes and Maria Bevan,1 and was one of six children. When George was 4 years-old, the family entered the United States at Boston, and by 1858, settled in Whitewater, Wisconsin.4 George's father died sometime between 1860 and 1864, when his mother was listed living back in Charlottetown as a widow.5
George and his siblings weren’t in Canada for long, and just after the Civil War ended, they came back to Boston via ship. They didn’t all travel together, and 14-year-old George arrived on August 18, 1865.6 Eventually, his mother came to Boston, too, and she got remarried.7 Records show that in 1870, George lived with his older brother Charles in South Boston.8 It's believed that about this time the family changed the spelling of the name from "Hughes" to "Hewes." George's brother was a carriage maker, and after he died in 1872, George took up that profession as well. He began to be listed in the Boston city directory in 1875, and the following year, his mother and younger brother James were listed there as well.9
George Hewes in about 1875
By the end of the decade, George met a young woman named Nancy French and they were married on July 17, 1879.2 Between 1880 and 1894, George and Nancy had five children. Nancy's father had been a minister, and her widowed mother was involved in city missionary work.9 Mrs. French became part of George's household and remained with them until her death in 1900.10 Nancy’s grandfather, Abel Kittredge, also lived with them for a short time.11
On October 14, 1880, George took the step of becoming a U.S. citizen.12 Within a couple of years, George took another big step and relocated his family out west. In about 1882, they moved to Le Mars, Iowa.13 On June 14, 1885, a tornado struck the town and damaged the Hewes house, moving it five feet off the foundation.14 The terrified family took refuge in the cellar, which was flooded, but nobody got hurt. This event had George rethink the decision to live in Iowa, and in November 1889, the family moved to Los Angeles.15
Nancy's brother Frank, who already lived in Los Angeles, helped George find work as a carriage maker.16 The family eventually settled in an area south of downtown Los Angeles, known as "The Neighborhood," and George began doing minister work in his off hours.17 There is no record of him ever having been ordained by any religion. On evenings and weekends, he devoted himself to the down and out residents living around him, inviting people of all races and religions to benefit from his charity. At first he worked out of somebody else's kitchen; then within a few years, he built a settlement house which he called "The Church of the Neighborhood." His interests were in providing a free kindergarten for young children, and counseling young men, particularly those who were drifters.17
George branched out into socialist politics and acquired some prominence in the city. In 1898, he spoke at a "mass meeting" of religious and socialist leaders. His speech was paraphrased in the Los Angeles Herald: "Competition must give place to cooperation. Socialism gives every man a right to live and work. If we do not change conditions there will come a revolution. People must have something to do. They believe there is no law for the poor and it must be true. The workingman must have a place or he must go down. Let us combine and make the Declaration of Independence a fact not a theory."18
George in about 1900
During this part of George’s life, he worked at Earl Carriage Shop, and he became quite a fixture there.16 In 1903, his political beliefs brought him up against the owner, J.W. Earl, and after nine years on the job, George was fired for union organizing.19 Soon after, George threw his name in the ring to be the president of the Carriage Workers Union, but he failed to win.20 As for Earl Carriage, they soon became Earl Automotive Works, gaining prestige as designers of custom cars; J.W. Earl’s son Harley went on to a career as head of design at General Motors, and is credited for being a pioneer in his field.21
George was involved in more than just labor unions. In 1902, he ran for the U.S. Congress seat in Los Angeles County as a Socialist candidate. He won 4.2% of the vote, a total of 1,261 votes.22 By the end of 1904, though, his political activities appear to have come to an end. That year, he also turned over his settlement house to the Episcopal Church.17
In 1905, George moved the family to Berkeley, where his only son, Charles, was a freshman at the University of California.23 George spent about 10 years in Berkeley. He watched as Charles graduated and moved away. The time in northern California ended in 1916 when George's wife Nancy died of cancer.24 Not wanting to live alone in his old age, he moved in with daughter Eleanor in Los Angeles.16
All during this time, George continued working, transitioning from being a "carriage maker" to a "car body builder."16 His grandchildren who lived with him recalled he had a slight English accent and kept a Union Jack on the wall of his room, likely due to his ancestry.25 It was also said of him by his granddaughter, Maude Elwood, "Grandpa was a gentleman, but a pretty raunchy one at times, especially when he'd had a snortful." This suggested he liked to drink, at least at this time of his life.25
In 1920, George began to have respiratory problems and sought a way to get out of the city for fresh air. So he bought a small lot in Tujunga, a hillside town just north of Los Angeles, and built a house for himself.26 The street where he lived became named after him: George Street (it was later renamed Wyngate Street when Tujunga became a part of Los Angeles).26 George died there on September 18, 1923 at age 69.3 The cause of death was described as "myocarditis," an inflammation of the heart. He was buried in an unmarked grave at Grand View Memorial Park in Glendale.
My genealogy beginnings
When George Hewes died without a will, his estate needed to be divided among his five children. The house where he lived wasn’t much, but it was to be split evenly between the five. My great-grandmother, Eleanor, was the only one who lived in the area, and since she was the most in need of the house, she asked the others to sign over title to her. Charles, Olive and Faith complied, but Gertrude wouldn’t do it to her dying day, which came in 1968.
Meanwhile Eleanor paid taxes on the property until her death in 1942, and after that, Eleanor’s daughter Maudie took over the payments. After Gertrude's death, Maudie wanted to straighten out the title on the now vacant lot, which was only worth about $10,000, so she turned to my dad. One evening I walked in on him trying to make a chart of all of George Hewes’ living descendants, who now collectively owned one-fifth of a tiny property in Tujunga.
It was the first time I had ever seen a genealogical chart, and I can say that this moment at the age of 11 sparked my passion for family history. Once you are bit by the bug, it doesn’t let go. And so what started as helping my dad with his project, has turned into this — a blog of biographies of almost 600 ancestors. It is my life’s work… and it all started with my great-great grandfather, George Henry Hewes.
In 1905, George moved the family to Berkeley, where his only son, Charles, was a freshman at the University of California.23 George spent about 10 years in Berkeley. He watched as Charles graduated and moved away. The time in northern California ended in 1916 when George's wife Nancy died of cancer.24 Not wanting to live alone in his old age, he moved in with daughter Eleanor in Los Angeles.16
All during this time, George continued working, transitioning from being a "carriage maker" to a "car body builder."16 His grandchildren who lived with him recalled he had a slight English accent and kept a Union Jack on the wall of his room, likely due to his ancestry.25 It was also said of him by his granddaughter, Maude Elwood, "Grandpa was a gentleman, but a pretty raunchy one at times, especially when he'd had a snortful." This suggested he liked to drink, at least at this time of his life.25
George with granddaughter Maudie's dog, Jack
In 1920, George began to have respiratory problems and sought a way to get out of the city for fresh air. So he bought a small lot in Tujunga, a hillside town just north of Los Angeles, and built a house for himself.26 The street where he lived became named after him: George Street (it was later renamed Wyngate Street when Tujunga became a part of Los Angeles).26 George died there on September 18, 1923 at age 69.3 The cause of death was described as "myocarditis," an inflammation of the heart. He was buried in an unmarked grave at Grand View Memorial Park in Glendale.
My genealogy beginnings
When George Hewes died without a will, his estate needed to be divided among his five children. The house where he lived wasn’t much, but it was to be split evenly between the five. My great-grandmother, Eleanor, was the only one who lived in the area, and since she was the most in need of the house, she asked the others to sign over title to her. Charles, Olive and Faith complied, but Gertrude wouldn’t do it to her dying day, which came in 1968.
Meanwhile Eleanor paid taxes on the property until her death in 1942, and after that, Eleanor’s daughter Maudie took over the payments. After Gertrude's death, Maudie wanted to straighten out the title on the now vacant lot, which was only worth about $10,000, so she turned to my dad. One evening I walked in on him trying to make a chart of all of George Hewes’ living descendants, who now collectively owned one-fifth of a tiny property in Tujunga.
It was the first time I had ever seen a genealogical chart, and I can say that this moment at the age of 11 sparked my passion for family history. Once you are bit by the bug, it doesn’t let go. And so what started as helping my dad with his project, has turned into this — a blog of biographies of almost 600 ancestors. It is my life’s work… and it all started with my great-great grandfather, George Henry Hewes.
Children:
1. Eleanor Mabel Hewes — B. 6 Jul 1880, Boston, Massachusetts;27 D. 21 Nov 1942, Los Angeles, California;28 M. James William Elwood (~1869-1925), 18 Feb 1898, Los Angeles, California29
2. Charles Edward Hewes — B. 12 Oct 1883, Le Mars, Iowa;13 D. 5 Apr 1950, Santa Monica, California;30 M. Anita Melgrave Winant (1884-1978), 19 Oct 1909, Tucson, Arizona31
3. Gertrude Elisabeth Hewes — B. 22 Sep 1885, Le Mars, Iowa;32 D. 18 Dec 1968, Alameda, California33
4. Olive Beatrice Hewes — B. 16 Jun 1887, Le Mars, Iowa;34 D. 6 Jan 1966, Los Angeles, California;35 M. Milo Joseph Markel (1883-1951), 31 Mar 1908, Los Angeles, California36
5. Faith Augusta Hewes — B. 11 Aug 1894, Los Angeles, California;37 D. 17 Aug 1974, Merced, California;38 M. Karl Milton Koch (1894-1955), 23 Aug 1918, Los Angeles, California39
Sources:
1 Family Bible of George and Nancy Hewes
2 Marriage record of George Henry Hewes and Nancy Sophia French, Massachusetts State and Vital Records, 1841-1925, FamilySearch.org
3 Death record of George Henry Hewes, California County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994, FamilySearch.org
4 1860 U.S. Census, Whitewater, Wisconsin
5 1864 Prince Edward Island Directory, including an early history and geography of the province
6 Passenger Manifest Lists (1848-1891), Massachusetts Archives
7 Marriage record of John Costigan and Maria Hughes, M.S. & V.R.
8 1870 U.S. Census, Boston, Massachusetts
9 City Directories of Boston, Massachusetts, 1866-1881
10 Death certificate of Sophia N. French, Los Angeles, California, 22 Dec 1900
11 1880 U.S. Census, Boston, Massachusetts
12 Naturalization certificate of George Henry Hewes, Boston, Massachusetts, 14 Oct 1880
13 Birth record of Charles E. Hewes, Iowa Delayed Birth Records, 1850-1939, FamilySearch.org
14 "The Wind's Work," The Evening Sentinel, Le Mars, Iowa, 16 Jun 1885
15 Letters written by Frank Emerson (nee James French) to Sophia French, Los Angeles, California, 1885-1889
16 Los Angeles City Directories, 1891-1921
17 Into the Streets and Lanes, Thomas C. Marshall, 1948
18 "The Mass-Meeting – The Los Angeles Theater Packed," Los Angeles Herald, 7 Feb 1898
19 “Carriage-Makers Force Issue,” Los Angeles Times, 1 May1903
20 “Jim Gray Steps Down From the Presidency,” Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan 1903
21 Harley Earl (Wikipedia article)
22 U.S. House of Representatives election results in California, 1902
23 Berkeley, California City Directories, 1908-1916
24 Death record of Nancy Hewes, California Death Index, 1905-1939, FamilySearch.org
25 Letters of Maude Graham to Thomas Milton Mitchell, 1965-1981
26 Family stories of Thomas Milton Mitchell, Maude Graham and Nancy Elwood, 1976-1999
27 Birth record of Eleanor Mabel Hewes (name written as “Helena” by mistake), Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
28 Death record of Eleanor Elwood, California Death Index, 1940-1997, FamilySearch.org
29 Marriage record of James Elwood and Eleanor Hewes, California County Marriages, 1850-1953, FamilySearch.org
30 Death record of Charles E. Hewes, C.D.I.
31 Marriage record of Charles E. Hewes and Anita M. Winant
32 Birth record of Gertrude E. Hewes, I.D.B.R.
33 Death record of Gertrude E. Hewes, C.D.I.
34 Birth record of Olive B. Hewes, I.D.B.R.
35 Death record of Olive B. Markel, C.D.I.
36 Marriage record of Milo J. Markel and Olive B. Hewes, California Marriages, 1850-1945, FamilySearch.org
37 Birth record of Faith A. Hewes, California Births and Christenings, 1812-1988, FamilySearch.org
38 Death record of Faith A. Koch, C.D.I.
39 Marriage record of Karl M. Koch and Faith A. Hewes, C.C.M.
