The Cornish Crier, Volume 13, Number 2
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007

The Repair and Restoration of Cornish Crosses
By Andrew Langdon
Truru, Cornwall
http://www.oldcornwall.org/new.htm
The humble granite wayside cross is seen as an iconic symbol of
Cornwall and Cornishness, and is one of the county's most distinctive
landscape features. Today, it is seen as much a cultural symbol, denoting a
'Celtic' identity, as a religious one, with many modern examples being set up
throughout the county.
There are over 400 standing medieval crosses in Cornwall, with at
least another 200 fragments and documentary references to many more that
have been lost. These medieval crosses date from between the late 9th and
the early 16th centuries.
The earliest of our Cornish crosses are the churchyard crosses that
mark a Christian burial ground, and often pre-date the fabric of the existing
church. Elaborately decorated with interlace, key patterns and plant scrolls,
they are highly accomplished pieces of sculpture which reflect much skill in
design and execution. By the 12th century many wheel-headed wayside
crosses were erected to guide the faithful to the parish church, and during this
period boundary crosses were also set up to mark the boundary of the glebe or
parish. By the 14th century Gothic style Latin crosses octagonal in section
begin to appear and by the end of the 15th century several churchyards
displayed lantern crosses.
Although there is no one organised program of restoration and
maintenance for these monuments, no year goes by without at least one 'cross'
project. Some projects have been organised by the Cornwall County
Council's Historic Environment Service, while others have been arranged
locally by Old Cornwall Societies, Local History Groups, parish councils and
interested individuals.
There are many reasons for this practical work. During the last
twenty years the remains of 25 crosses have been discovered, often in use as
gateposts, built into stiles or buried in hedges and garden walls. Most of
these crosses have since been restored and re-erected. There are a large number
of wayside crosses beside country roads, some of which have needed repairs
after being hit by vehicles. Sometimes crosses need to be re-sited due to road
alterations or developments. Sadly, mindless vandalism and deliberate
damage have been the reasons for some restoration projects. There have even
been several attempts to steal wayside crosses, where they have been pulled off
hedges and left lying in the road or left leaning at an acute angle. Victorian
antiquarians were responsible for restoring many Cornish crosses, using iron
pins to repair fractures, one hundred years later some of this ironwork may
have corroded, expanded and ultimately may crack the granite so gradually
these Victorian repairs are being replaced using stainless steel rather than iron
dowels. The Gothic Lantern crosses have often been ignored or poorly
recorded as they do not fit in with Cornwall's image as a 'Celtic' nation, but
are rare and vulnerable monuments. Repairs and restoration to these have
usually involved cleaning and recording of the sculptured images.
In 2006 alone, a pre-Conquest cross-shaft was discovered built into
the wall of a parish church, a wayside cross was damaged by a vehicle and
subsequently repaired. A Latin churchyard cross had its iron pin replaced by a
stainless steel dowel, while a lantern cross was cleaned and recorded. In
addition a project to microchip 100 wayside crosses was also completed as a
deterrent to would be thieves. This year (2007) one wayside cross has been
slightly damaged by a vehicle and there are plans to restore further crosses.
In September 2005, the fragments were set up on
the wall of the north aisle of Pelynt parish church
and later re-dedicated by the Vicar and
Archdeacon.
The remains of this 11th century decorated
cross-head were discovered built into the
garden wall of an old abandoned 17th century
farmhouse in May 2004.
THE PROCESS
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Volume 13, Number 2 Page 3
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
CHARLES MORTON - Cornish Colonial Pastor and Physicist at Harvard
By Barry E. TRACY
Continuing our series on notable Cornish in the colonial northeast, we will learn more about a remarkable Puritan leader in
both Cornwall and in Massachusetts in the Seventeenth Century. He was briefly introduced in our last article about Samuel Penhallow
of colonial New Hampshire, upon whom he had deep influence. This outstanding clergyman and physicist was Charles Morton, who
was descended from Thomas Morton, the secretary to Edward III.
Charles himself was the son of a parson, and his mother was the heiress Frances Kestle of Pendavy. Charles was born in
Egloshayle in 1627. He was most studious and became the rector at Blisland. He became a fervent follower of Puritanism and lost his
position after the Restoration, when Dissenters no longer held sway. He removed to London and founded Newington Academy, which
attracted such famous personalities as Daniel Defoe and Samuel Wesley (the father of John and Charles, founders of Methodism).
Puritans, even those of such scholarship and eminent qualifications, were made unwelcome in
England and many sought their future in the Massachusetts Bay colony to build their "City on
a Hill" as an inspiration to those back across the sea. He went there in 1686 with other family
members and collegues, and he had expected to have been offered the presidency of Harvard, but
royal politics intervened.
Though he was disappointed in not becoming president of Harvard, he did teach there
and became pastor the the First Church in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He refused to
remain silent at the usurpation of Royalist power under the hated Governor Edward Andros,
and was even tried for sedition, but was acquitted by the anti-government sentiment in the
local court. He was at the forefront of the searing issues of his time. Unfortunately,
however, he also followed the deluded Puritans in the stain of the Witchcraft Hysteria at Salem in
1692. It is impossible for us to judge our forebears during that horrible time, but then
again, most of us cannot conceive of the threats they faced to their existance from the Royal government, the recent King Philip's War,
the fear of the French colonies not so far away and also from other Dissenters within their midst, who often held a milder and more
incompassing view of God's love and instruction to his children.
Perhaps Charles Morton's most enduring legacy was his publications on natural science and philosophy that were studied for
decades by students at both Harvard and Yale. He also wrote about the impovements to agriculture in Cornwall, by suggesting that
sea-sand be used as a manure to enrich the soil. Among his notable works were "System of Logic" (Charlestown, 1693), a popular
textbook used at Harvard, "A Complete System of Natural Philosophy in General and Particular," and his "Compendium Physicae" or,
in English, " A Sytem of Physicks." He ended his life in Boston in 1698, and left a proud legacy for other Cornishmen to admire.
This man was remarkable in his own time, and, though not as widely known today, should be placed on the list of the most
influential Cornishmen throughout history.
NEWS FROM CORNWALL
A statue of St. Piran for Perranporth.
There is a new project to create a bronze lifesized statue of the saint which will be placed as a point of interest for all
Cornish people and as a perfect cultural and historic focal point. The sculpture project has the support of the parish
council. However as Perranporth is a small town, they are unable to fund this. Therefore as the sculptor creating the
work I have come up with two funding methods for the project.
I have already made a 1/3 life model of the statue design which has been approved by the council. We are selling
copies of this model, cast in bronze, with all profits going to the statue fund. This is limited to 80 copies worldwide.
We are also doing a sponsor scheme, where by individuals sponsor the project minimum of Ł25. This goes into the
funding pot. For this the sponsor has their name included on a bronze plaque at the base of the statue. It will therefore
be a wonderful permanent reminder of the sponsors support of the project and potentially a record of Cornish of the
early 21st century. There will be spaces for 1000 names.
PETER WALKER a.r.b.s. is creating this statue. He can be reached at:
walkharp@supanet.com
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 4
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
From the internet
FOR ALL THE GENEALOGISTS OUT
THERE, I NEED YOUR HELP!!!
Please keep a lookout for this guy - he's
everywhere on my tree!!
1852 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS TO SOLVE
GENEALOGICAL MYSTERIES.
It is New Year's Eve 1852 and Henry TREMELLION
sits at his desk by candlelight. He dips his quill pen in
ink and begins to writes his New Year's resolutions.
1. No man is truly well-educated unless he learns to
spell his name at least three different ways within the
same document. I resolve to give the appearance of
being extremely well-educated in the coming year.
2. I resolve to see to it that all of my children will
have the same names that my ancestors have used for
six generations in a row.
3. My age is no one's business but my own. I hereby
resolve to never list the same age or birth year twice
on any document.
4. I resolve to have each of my children baptized in a
different church -- either in a different faith or in a
different parish. Every third child will not be baptized
at all or will be baptized by an itinerant minister who
keeps no records.
5. I resolve to move to a new town, new county, or
new state at least once every 10 years -- just before
those pesky enumerators come around asking silly
questions.
6. I will make every attempt to reside in counties and
towns where no vital records are maintained or where
the courthouse burns down every few years.
7. I resolve to join an obscure religious cult that does
not believe in record keeping or in participating in
military service.
8. When the tax collector comes to my door, I'll loan
him my pen, which has been dipped in rapidly fading
blue ink.
9. I resolve that if my beloved wife Mary should die, I
will marry another Mary.
10. I resolve not to make a will. Who needs to spend
money on a lawyer?
From the newsletter of the
London Cornish Society
WEBSITES FOR YOU TO VISIT
We all know how beautiful Cornwall is, so it is nice to
see websites which celebrate that beauty. The following
websites do just that:
www.jacquiewilkes.co.uk
This Website has some amazing pictures-and you can
purchase greeting cards which have some of the views
on them.
Family historians might be interested in an offer from
Jacquie to photograph places,, buildings graves, etc.
which link to their research interests. More
information on this offer and contact details can be
found on the WEBSITES.
www.lookaroundcornwall.com
An interesting WEBSITES with panoramas of various
sites in Cornwall. The ability to pan left and right or
up and down as well as zoom in and out, enables you to
really zoom in on the detail. I particularly enjoyed the
underground views of Carnglaze.
www.cornwallcam.co.uk
Beautiful scenes of villages and the coast. Purchases of
CDs, DVDs and calendars can be made on this
WEBSITES.
www.videoportraits.co.uk
Makers of DVDs of various parts of Cornwall or
Devon. DVDs are available to purchase and watch at
home or give as gifts.
And one for family historians...
If you are doing your family history and are interested
in the distribution of surnames in the UK, visit:
wwww..spatial-litracy.org
Here you will be able to compare the results for 1881
and 1998. You never know what you might discover
about the movement of your ancestors!
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 5
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
West Briton newspaper transcripts at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wbritonad/cornwall/intro.html
Transcribed by:
Julia Symons Mosman, OPC for St Austell and Rita Bone Kopp, OPC for St
Stephen In Brannel, along with Isabel Harris, William Kemp and LaVelda Faull
TRURO POLICE
JAMES DAVEY, alias the GOLDFINCH, was charged, on
the 8th instant, with having stolen a handkerchief of one
WILLIAM TONKIN. The property was found on the
prisoner when apprehended by HARE the policeman, but the
magistrates admitted him to bail in his own recognizance, till
the following Monday, when, of course, he was not
forthcoming. A warrant has been issued for his apprehension.
FRANCIS RICHARDS, of the Blue Anchor, was fined on
Monday, 10s. and costs, for assaulting a shoemaker named
THOMAS JACKA.
ROBBERY AT HELSTON
On Monday last, JANE JOHNS of the parish of Breage, was
charged before JOHN SILVESTER, Esq., mayor of
Helston, with having stolen from the dwelling-house of MR.
A. ROGERS, solicitor of that borough on the 4th instant, a
pair of ladies boots. The charge being fully proved, she was
committed to the borough gaol for trial at the next sessions.
FALMOUTH - DARING BURGLARY
On Sunday evening last, during the hours of divine worship,
some person entered the house of MR. R. WHEELER, on the
Backhill, and stole GBP50 out of a chest of drawers. That
evening, Mr. Wheeler, whose wife keeps a small grocer's
shop, went to chapel with his family, and on his return, he
was unable to open the fore door. He then went to the back
door, and found it open. It at once occurred to him that some
one had been in the house during his absence; and his
suspicions were immediately confirmed upon going up stairs.
He discovered drawers open, and the money, principally
notes, abstracted. The fore door was barred, a precaution
taken by the depredator, and he also took a rush candle from
the shop and lighted it to assist him in his plunder. From
these circumstances, Wheeler thinks the party must have
secreted himself on the premises whilst the family were
preparing for chapel, as no locks were broken to get an
entrance, and the back door, which he fastened, was unbarred
to obtain an egress. Strong suspicions exists against an
individual, but he has not been apprehended, Wheeler, from a
false feeling, refusing to give the police his authority
Nevertheless, Mr. Wheeler has had the benefit of TAMMY
BLEE's cabalistic agency, but with what success we have not
heard.
NOTE: Tammy Blee, the celebarted 'Witch of the West”
was the greatest of the Cornish cunning-folk of the nineteenth
century. Besides witchcraft, love magic and fortune telling,
she also offered the services of theft detection. Ed.
HEROISM REWARDED
On Monday last, the Royal Humane Society's Medal was
presented by J. J. A BOASE, Esq., to MICHAEL
ROBERTS, at the Guildhall, Penzance, for saving a fellow
creature from drowning, the particulars of which we stated
some time ago. ROBERTS expressed his thanks for the
present, and was greeted with three hearty cheers.
LECTURES AT THE POLYTECHNIC HALL,
FALMOUTH
On Tuesday last, the 11th instant, MR. TREGELLAS
delivered one of his highly amusing and interesting lectures on
Peculiarities and Mannerisms, before one of the most crowded
audiences which have attended any lecture given at the
Polytechnic Hall. The happy manner in which this gentleman
illustrates the various topics of which he treats, and the humour
and point of all his illustrations, are well known; and, if roars
of laughter be any test of their merit, this was amply afforded
by all present. We would, however, call particular attention to
the pervading good feeling of Mr. TREGELLAS's addresses;
he is evidently a laughter-loving philosopher, without, we
believe, one grain of the bitterness of satire in his composition.
All that he says, and even the most forcible of the illustrations
which he gives,-and these, it may be,"showing up" some of our
weak points, are so imbued with the sweetness of a charitable
spirit, that no one can feel offended. A general roar of
approbation was given in echo of the chairman's
acknowledgments to Mr.TREGELLAS. Next Tuesday, MR.
OSTER will lecture on Destructive Agents.
EMIGRATION
The spirit of emigration continues active in the neighbourhood
of Stratton. High rents, heavy rates, and obnoxious and
impoverishing taxes are driving some of the best of our
agriculturists to climes where these demons of robbery and ruin
are unknown. Upwards of 280 are said to have taken their
passage by the "Spermaceti" of Plymouth, CAPT. MOON,
and several other ships of large burthen are rapidly attaining
their compliment.
ORNITHOLOGY
A very interesting discovery has within the last fortnight
enabled the county of Cornwall to add to her fauna, one of the
most rare British birds, which, of late years, in this county, has
been almost an extinct species The specimen referred to is that
of the GREAT BUSTARD, (female), which was shot at
Goonhelly Downs, between Helston and the Lizard Point. The
bird has been preserved.
West Briton, 17 September 1843
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 6
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
Today a client told me about the scary neuro-surgery
she will have on May 8th. I immediately related to her the
importance of that date, and described the Helston Furry Day
and it's meaning: the end of the winter darkness and the
coming of spring with it's new light & new beginnings. I
described the dancing in and out of the houses, the dress, and
even 'sang' the melody to her and told her that my Lily of the
Valley, the flower of the Furry Day, have sprouted in my
Jersey City garden and will surely bloom by May 8th. Her face
lit up, as she described new confidence in the procedure she is
facing. She understands the auspiciousness of the date!
Cornwall, my birthplace, is and has always been, my
heart's home. It worked it's magic on my senses before ever
my intellect took over. My father, Leonard Carne, led me by
my little hand into the enchantment of that world. It was his
passion too.
In 2005, when it came time for me to express my
thanks and pride in being recognized by my peers, the National
Association of Social Work - NJ as Social Worker of the Year,
and six months later for my service to the International
Institute of NJ, I was asked to talk about the influences that
brought me on my journey to social work. I wondered myself
how I had evolved from that little golden haired Cornish maid
whose education began in Pool School, later went to
Camborne County School, but most of all loved to roam Carn
Brea, and the cliffs and beaches, pick primroses, bluebells,
campions, and put foxglove blossoms on my fingers. A great
excitement was to go with my father to search for the white
heather he'd heard was growing in Chapel Porth (we pressed a
sprig in my wildflower book), and discover a patch of fresh
watercress in a stream en route. The air of the north coast
invigorated us like wine.
In 1940 when the Battle of Britain was raging, our
Quaker pacifist parents decided to evacuate my 6 year old
brother Robin and 7 year old me to Butler, New Jersey to live
with our grandmother who had emigrated in 1936. We were
among the thousands of British children sent overseas to
safety, although we had to risk the dangers of the London
Blitz and German U-boats in the north Atlantic in the process.
Our ship, the single-funneled Cunard 'Andania' sailed north to
avoid the enemy but encountered nature‚s threat, icebergs.
There was great excitement that morning when we were called
out on deck to behold a floating mass of greenish ice, shaped
like an alp hollowed on one side, but did not comprehend the
danger. Our volunteer escort, Miss Nancie Tresawna, wrote to
our parents t o reassure them after her return to London: "We
had three films given by some people of Glasgow. They were
shown backwards and upside down too, and were a great hit
either way. There were some Royal Navy Officers on board
who gave talks about ships and the sea. We had Sing Songs
on the after deck with a violin and a concertina for our band.
Everyone came and joined in with the children, a lot of
Canadian Lumber Jacks, some Fleet Airarm men, bits of the
navy: stewardesses, and stokers with the children in the
middle. Really it was rather lovely, and gave me a lump in
my throat to hear all the old English ballads and sea shanties
sung at a time and place like that." I recall the cats -all
without tails. I was missing my Fluff and Robin's Friskie!
Clearly there was every effort to keep the children happy.
We reached land via Canada's St. Lawrence Seaway.
Walls of massive grey ships were docked on either side, their
sailors sitting on deck with legs dangling, waving and
cheering us on! We were the lucky ones, for not all the
evacuee ships reached safety, and ours was one of the last to
try.
After a royal welcome in Canada we traveled by train
along the Hudson River to a 3 day quarantine at the old
Seamen's Institute in New York before family arrived to take
us to our new lives in Butler where we were showered with
attention and gifts the likes of which we had never seen. My
brother fell in love with baseball, I with my new dolls.
Journalists wrote stories. In New York, a one-way short wave
radio broadcast was arranged giving each of 20 children 3
minutes to speak so that our parents could hear our voices.
There was no trans-Atlantic telephone, and letters took 4 to 6
weeks, sometimes arriving with sections neatly excised by the
censors who I imagined must have worked on board during
crossings. We were caught up in whirlwinds of attention and
and American generosity.
October 1944, our parents, like many who had agreed
to evacuation, could no longer bear the separation. They were
missing out on our developing years; I was a homesick child
longing to return. In spite of hazard warnings by the
Children's Overseas Reception Board, the complexities of our
return were arranged. 'One suitcase per child, with a list of
contents pasted in the lid.' Amazingly, I was permitted to take
my American bicycle, it's balloon tires quite useless on the
Cornish hills. Like the secrecy of the outward bound trip, we
had to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, and separately.
Since the loss of the Sullivan Boys on one ship, families were
urged to travel apart. I was called first, assigned to a banana
boat, the 'Umgeni.' The trip lasted 2 weeks, in the largest
convoy of WW 2. There were 64 ships in all, sailing
majestically and bravely across the pond. Two weeks at sea on
a cruise is one thing, but our liner was setting down depth
charges with regularity. The sound reverberated thru the ship.
Everyone was restricted to indoor activity during two daily
gunnery practices out on deck. Each passenger had a Mae West
(life jacket), but only had to wear it once during an
emergency. We were crowded in below deck waiting, for what
my 11 year old mind had no idea, a bit like an air raid until
the All Clear sounded. We were safe, but a ship alongside
ours took a torpedo and lost a couple of seamen.
Continues on next page
From Cornwall to the United States
By Margaret Carne, CHSE member
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 7
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
We returned to Cornwall by train avoiding the buzz
bombs that were flying into London. Our mother was working
24 hour shifts as a maternity ambulance driver. Aunties and
uncles and friends were affectionate. Fluff and Friskie had
waited for our return, but our toys had been given away to
“other children who couldn't have new toys due to the
shortages”. My friend Una Reynolds from Pool and I rekindled
our friendship. We were too old by then to play at Queen of
Sheba, but running up to the top of the Carn (Carn Brea) and
clambering over the Crocks and Kettles, sliding down the
sliding rock on bunches of bracken, and eating wortleberries
filled our free time.
I felt no lack of things, but as Christmas drew near,
our father worried that we would draw comparisons to the
home we had left behind in the US.
He worried about how to make our first Christmas
happy without much in the way of gifts. Always an ingenious
man, did what he always did-he thought of what we could
do for others: with his black market connections, he obtained
tobacco, sugar and tea. First thing that morning, he took us,
carrying the little tissue wrapped packets we had made, to the
Barncoose Workhouse in Redruth, just a mile walk from hour
home. I remember the damp chill, the smell of coal fires from
the chimneys, and the comfort of holding his hand as I
wondered where we were going.
Next thing I recall is a room with dirt floors, rough
wood furniture, ad several frighteningly unkempt scraggly men
and women. We gave them the little treasures, and I heard
him asking a person in charge “have you seen so and so, and
has someone else had her baby, and what about this one or that
one?” In truth, he was giving me the inspiration for my
future career, even if I was slow to make it a reality.
Leonard Carne, my dad, was a designer of women's
hand frame knitwear. He managed the Agar Knitting Factory in
Illogan Highway near Redruth and sold his designs to shops in
major cities in England. Perhaps his interest in caring for
others came from being the eldest in a family of eleven
children. We never talked about it, he
just showed me the way. Sometimes
he took me to visit the homebound
people who he had set up with
knitting machinery and yarn so they
could earn at home. I had heard
stories of his going to London during
the blitz to feed the bombed-out
homeless, and of volunteering in
orphanages while we were away. On
Saturdays we as a family would go to the local Italian POW
camp, in a converted chapel on Chapel St, Redruth, to sit and
hear the men talk about their families in Italy, doing our best
to overcome language differences.
We would sit around the pot bellied stove sharing
their food, and on holidays some would get permission to
come to our home. My brother and cousin also visitied the
Germans, but their camp was less easily accessed. We would
stuff their pockets with oranges or other treats, and they used
their wiles to sneak through the barriers.
Born in Newquay, my father died in 1956, at the age
of 54, but he had left his mark on me.
My mother, nČe Audrey Kneebone of Lanner, and I
emigrated to the US in 1948. There was no money for
college, so I did the traditional thing, married and raised two
children. But those seeds planted at the workhouse were
taking root and beginning to grow-slowly. In 1965, I met
people who were involved in the Fair Housing Council of
Morris county where I lived. I joined and learned about
defacto segregation and how I could participate in the effort to
change housing patterns. My children were growing into
teenagers and I carried years of regret at never attending
college. I was, quite frankly, afraid that I couldn't do the
work. However, my strength was that if something frightened
me, I usually took it on! I enrolled in an adult B.A.degree
program at NYU and continued on to the School of Social
Work. It wasn't easy, but it was wonderful. For me, a good
class was equivalent to a good night in the theater.
At 51, the MSW was mine! I could hardly believe
it. My mother left school at 13 to take over the milk route in
Lanner Hill, near Redruth, when her farmer father died of
tetanus poisoning. My father said he was put out to tend his
Newquay school garden when he was 12 because he wouldn't
sit still. We know he had ADD! And here I was in a cap and
gown with that beautiful yellow hood.
So you see, the seeds of my social work career were
planted in Cornwall and have since grown and blossomed.
In 2002, I returned to the Cornwall of my
childhood with my two grandsons. For the first time I went
to check up on the old workhouse. Today, it stands there,
beautifully renovated into a community hospital, surrounded
by the grandest flower gardens, tended in legendary English
style, that you would ever want to see. The workhouse has
been transformed and so have I, but as our song says,
”…though we may roam, Cornwall's our home, that
grand old county of Cornwall.”

Margaret Mary Carne lives in Jersey City N.J. She completed her MSW in 1984 and continues
to work in her psychotherapy practice and volunteers time meeting with asylum seekers in the
Elizabeth Detention Center. She is married to Pradeep Thapa Magar, a Nepali
journalist/poet/web designer. She has two sons and two grandsons who live in Connecticut.
MARGARET AND ROBIN
Margaret Carne
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 8
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
Some time ago my first cousin, Barbara Flannery
Fernandez, born and raised in Ishpeming, Michigan, informed
me that we had paternal Bolitho relatives in the Dover (Morris
County) New Jersey area. My dad never mentioned them and
that is probably because he didn't realize it himself.
I've been waiting for additional information to come
my way so I would have a more complete history to tell you
about this Bolitho connection of mine. I still have requests out
for information on two of them, but decided to share with you
what I now have.
Thomas is the first great granduncle I'd like to tell you
about, because he was the local one and the one I have the
greatest amount of information on. Thomas was the seventh of
eight children born to Simon
and Elizabeth Jeffrey Bolitho.
All the children were born in
Halabezack, Wendron parish,
Cornwall. There was another
older brother in that count,
named Thomas also, born in
1832 who died that same
year.
Thomas was 18
when he arrived in New York,
NY on July 30, 1854,
accompanied by his brothers,
Simon, 22 and Sampson, 15.
The passenger ship that
carried them here from
Liverpool was called the
Tornado. The spelling of
their name on the passenger
list was B-O-L-T-H-A.
After the death of his wife Elizabeth on Dec. 25, 1840
in Cornwall, their father Simon remarried, this time to a Mary
Roberts. From this second marriage came five children; James
was the youngest, born November 30, 1847 in Wendron.
The earliest information I found on Thomas was in the
1870 Federal census. He was living with his half brother,
James, a miner. They were living in the Dover area of
Randolph Township (Morris County) NJ. The census lists his
age as 32, his occupation as a restaurant man.
Thomas married Margaret A. Yeomans, daughter of
Richard and Mary Croon Yeomans, on January 31, 1871 at the
Mt. Hope Methodist Church, Rockaway (Morris County) NJ.
(Thank you “Crier” of March 2006, for that information). He
and Margaret had six children. Their first child, William, was
born in N.J. about 1871. I believe he was the father of two
adopted boys who were adopted by Iowa families.
The next two children were born in New York State.
Thomas Richard Picksley Bolitho was born March 20, 1874
in New York City. When I found his baptismal record, I saw
that the name of the pastor at the St. John's Episcopal Church,
Dover (Morris County) N.J, was named Picksley. The lady
that helped me with my research thinks that is where Thomas
got the addition to his name. Thomas died of tuberculosis on
June 14, 1901, in Dover and was buried in the Bolitho plot in
Locust Hill Cemetery in Dover, as are all the other Dover
Bolithos, with the exception of William.
Frank, the third son, was born in Middletown, NJ
about 1877. He, too, suffered from tuberculosis and died on
May 28, 1902 in Phoenix, AZ Harry Bolitho was born in NJ
about 1879 and died in Dover in 1881. The daughters, Mary
Elizabeth and Phoebe L.
Bolitho, were baptized at St.
John's Episcopal Church, on
April 1, 1893. Mary was born
July 27, 1881 in NJ and died
October 24, 1901 of
tuberculosis.
Phoebe Bolitho was born
September 19, 1883. I do not
know when or where she died.
Locust Hill Cemetery does not
show a date of burial for her. I
did find her living with her
mother, in a 1917 Dover
directory. I was made aware
that Phoebe was alive in the
early 1940s thanks to Robert
Bolitho of Australia. Bob was
kind enough to share with us a
copy of a letter written by
Phoebe's half cousin from the
Rockaway Bolitho family. Margaret Bolitho Force was
sharing her family information with her relatives in Cornwall.
In part of that letter, written in 1942 or 1943 she writes:
“William went to sea many years ago and we have never heard
from him again.” In regards to Phoebe, Mary said, “Phoebe, I
don't know anything about her. I do know she is alive, but I
don't know where she is.”
Margaret Yeomans Bolitho, mother of the children,
was born on August 2, 1852 in NJ. For several years,
Margaret had conducted a boarding house in Dover at the
corner of Blackwell and Essex Streets. After having visited her
cousins in Rockaway, she died July 25, 1918, on her way
home in a trolley car in Dover. The cause of death for
Margaret was a heart attack. Her obituary stated that Phoebe
and her son Lieut. William H. Bolitho, stationed in France,
were her only survivors.
By Russ Reed BOLITHO FAMILY CONNECTIONS
Morris County, New Jersey and Upper Peninsula, Michigan
continued on the next page
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 9
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
Thomas J. Bolitho died in his 46th year, on a
Sunday morning, at home on November 28, 1886, in Dover.
He was a member of the Royal Arcanum of Dover at the time
of his death and although a member, for just a short time, his
wife and family were given $3,000. by the Arcanum, for the
support of the family. Thomas died at home of cancer, a
short while after he was operated on in a New York City
hospital.
In addition to the obituary in the Iron Era, Saturday,
December 4, 1886 another notation of his appeared on
February 3, 1887 in a newspaper called, The West Briton
and Cornwall Advertiser. It told of a Cornishman in
America named Thomas
Bolitho, a native of
Halabezack, Wendron, who
died at his residence in
Dover, Morris County, NJ,
USA, on November 28th
last.
That wraps up
what I have on my Thomas
and Margaret Bolitho
family for now. I am still
looking for more
information on William
and Phoebe. For the most part the family spent their entire
time in Dover, NJ. Thomas was a restaurant man, the
proprietor of the Oyster Bar Restaurant on Blackwell
Street, Dover. Margaret was a boarding house operator and
son William became a WW1 Army Officer.
Of my three remaining great granduncles who came
to America, William, arrived here on a passenger ship called
the Ina, along with his wife Ann Bowden and their two
children, Elizabeth and John. William and Ann were married
on February 7, 1850. They landed in New York on
September 27, 1852, after leaving from Glasgow, Scotland.
After coming to America, they ended up in Detroit MI, where
they had three more children. William died in Detroit on
March 1, 1894 and his wife Ann died in Detroit on December
22, 1907. Their youngest daughter, Charlotte, was the
grandmother of Ray Shewfelt, a WWII Army fighter pilot
who retired as a Lt. Col.
Sampson spent the majority of his life in California.
He was born July 2, 1837, in Wendron and found living in
California in the 1870 Grass Valley census. He died in Grass
Valley on November 5, 1911. He had worked as a miner,
farmer, grocery store owner, and later as a night watchman.
He was 76 when he died. I cannot imagine the life he lived
on the trail to California, after having arrived in New York in
1854 as a 15 year old boy, with his two big brothers.
I cannot locate Simon after
his arrival to America yet.
But I will continue trying to
track him down.
James Bolitho, half brother
of William, Simon, Thomas
and Sampson, is another
Cornish Cousin story, well
worth the telling. In my
initial search of the local
Bolitho family, I discovered
that there were really two families, not one. Although James
spent some time in Dover, he moved to nearby Rockaway,
NJ, where he and his wife raised a large family. His one
son, James, became the Mayor of Rockaway Borough and
eventually Morris County Prosecutor. I found a great deal of
information on this Rockaway Bolitho family, and in the
process found that a Darren Moran, from New York City, was
searching this James Bolitho family, too. James is the great
grandfather of Darren. So, I figure that Darren, Bob Bolitho,
my cousin Barbara and I can put our heads together and come
up with a very interesting article about this other local
Cornish Bolitho connection. I think you'll find it worth the
wait
BOLITHO FAMILY, continued
A Mile Deep and Black as Pitch, by Carrie Papa
This is an Oral History of the Franklin and Sterling Hill Mines, with interviews with two of our members, Wasco
Hadowanitz and Genevieve Smith.
We now have a copy of this book in the CHSE library. And it is available through the Morris Area Library and on-
line at Amazon.com for $16.
It's a story of the two mining towns owned and managed by the NJ Zinc Company. both the towns and the mines.
Members Genevieve Smith, Sylvia Hadowanitz and Ginny Richmond grew up in Franklin, Wasco Hadowanitz grew up in
the neighboring town of Ogdensburg, where he and Sylvia now live. Since the September meeting is a trip to the Sterling
Mine Museum, this might be an interesting read for our members, either before or after the Sept. meeting. During this era
from starting at 1900, the Cornish were all management, shift bosses and foremen. This is long after my HONEYCHURCH
ancestors worked there as miners starting in 1865.
Reviewed by Anne Stephens
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 10
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
CORNISH CRIER
ARCHIVES
CHSE now has the first ten years of the
Cornish Crier Vol 1 through Vol 10 on a set
of 2 CDs. They are in the PDF format which
is compatable to most computers. The fee
for the 2 CD set is $5.00.
We now have Vols. 11 and 12, for the
years, 2005 and 2006 now available on a
CD for a fee of $2.00.
Special offer, purchase the first set, Vol
1 through Vol 10 for $5.00 and we will
include the newest CD, Vol 11 and 12 at no
extra cost.
Four New members
A big welcome to :
Shirley O'Brien Chris O'Brien
2 Rockridge Terrace 710 West 173rd St #31
Dover, NJ 07801 New York City, NY
10032
Jacklyn Gilbert All three are from the
13 Fern Avenue GILBERT family of
Wharton, NJ 07885 Wharton, NJ 07849

Amendment to CHSE By-Laws
At our September 9th meeting, the membership in attendance voted to present a change of
by laws to the total membership. Our present by-law in Article V-Board of Directors states in the last
sentence that “Each officer may serve only two consecutive terms in the same office”.
Instead we are presenting for change to Article V the following: Officers may serve more
than two consecutive terms if necessary.
This change will enable the group more flexibility in the election of officers. The vote on this
issue will take place at the March meeting prior to the election of officers.
Volume 13, Number 2 Page 11
Cornish Heritage Society East Newsletter Metheven/ June 2007
Twelfth CHSE Annual Meeting
Thirty eight members .celebrated our twelfth year
anniversary with Port Oram pastys from Rocky's followed
by a 'Cornish cream tea' prepared by Ann Dalrymple,
Ginny Richmond and Sylvia Hadowanetz. The program for
the day was a discussion “what does it mean to you to be
Cornish”, led by Barry Tracy. Many members participated
with several different responses. We wish we had them all
on tape. The editors requested written remarks from
those members who participated with the following
responses: from two of our members: Sylvia Hadowanetz
and Margaret Carne. See page 6 for Margaret's story.
Sylvia sent the remarks. listed below.
Additions to the
Connecting Cornish Cousins Program
Margaret Rudd
1616 Penna Ave, Unit 235
Vineland, NJ 08361-7577
Researching:
TREVARTHAN CROWAN
STEPHENS CROWAN
SHORT QUETHIOCK
SNELL QUETHOCK
Chris O'Brien
710 West 173rd St #31
New York City, NY 10032
Chris is family history ressearcher for himself, his
mother, Shirley O'Brien and aunt, Jacklyn Gilbert.
They are researching: GILBERT
Lunch with a Port Oram pasty from Rocky's
Sylvia Stephens Hadowanetz
My brother Russ and I grew up in Franklin, NJ, in
what was to us a very Cornish community. Cornish,
because our parents, relatives, and nearly all of our friends
had come from Cornwall, or had ancestors who were
Cornish. I have often thought that we must have had strong
Cornish accents when we entered school.
I vividly remember the summer picnics at High
Point, with parsley pasties, pickled onions and tea. Most of
the family were strong Methodists (later converted to
Presbyterians), so swimming was not allowed on Sundays.
Our celebration of Christmas began with the local Cornish
Choir coming to our house to practice Merrit's Christmas
Carols. Nearly every Cornish home in Franklin had a piano,
so the group met at differnt places each week. There were at
least eight singers, two for each voice range. They sang
mostly for the joy of it, but were pleased to be asked to
perform in several local churches and at the radio station in
Middletown, New York. Of course, each rehearsal ended with
a cup of tea and some Christmas cake. What wonderful
memories!