Heritage Roses: Myers-Burgard property, Centralia, WA

Photos of the "mystery roses" by the author

     I have written before, about having visited the site where the home of Isaac L. and Esther Burgard Myers was located.  It stood at the southeast corner of Gold and Locust Streets in Centralia, Lewis County, Washington.

     When I first began going to view the property, the house they had built around the turn of the 20th century was still standing, although in very bad shape.  On later visits, the house had finally been pulled down, the site cleared and put up for sale.
     Along the rear of the property was a fence, where a wild tangle of various plants grew unchecked.  Since I always visited in the summer, I was able to see that some of them were a few different varieties of roses in bloom.  Although I'm no rose expert, a couple of these seemed to have characteristics of roses first introduced many, many decades ago.  There was also a grape vine of some type, probably that of a table grape.

    Eventually, my husband and I managed to successfully take some cuttings off the various roses, and propagate them two states away at our home in California.  One is a very pale pink, with fragile blooms of the "old-fashioned" variety.  It blooms briefly in late spring.  The other is a vigorous plant that grows like a weed, wherever it puts down roots.  It's a very strong pink color, and has a long blooming season.  Sadly, the attempt to successfully grow a cutting from the grape vine was a failure, despite several tries.

     There is no way of knowing whether these plants were those known to, or planted by, Isaac and Esther Burgard Myers.  But, in my mind, I'd like to believe that perhaps, as they lived out their golden years at this location, they also enjoyed a chance to "stop and smell the roses."

Who Am I? Burgard Family Photos

   

  A treasure trove of photos have been passed down through my mother's family.  We are luckier than many, having images that stretch back into the nineteenth century.

     Among the earliest examples are the items pictured here, probable members of the Burgard family of Pennsylvania and Astoria, Fulton County, Illinois.  My ancestor was Hester Burgard, born to John and Susannah Hollinger Burgard in Pennsyalvania in 1844.  Hester (Hetty) married Isaac L. Myers in Astoria in 1865.  These photos may show several of her siblings.  This was told to me by my grandmother, who knew Hetty well.  My grandmother was an adult of 28 when Hetty died in 1932.

     Offspring though to have been born to John & Susannah Burgard, with births years, are:  Mary, 1828, John, 1830, Jacob Hollinger, 1834, Catherine, 1836, Peter Henry, 1837, Joseph E., 1838, Daniel 1840, Hester, 1844, Michael, 1846, and Susan M., 1848.

     The ages of Hetty's siblings, together with the style of dress and type of image, might give a hint as to the subjects.  Not being a photography expert, I can only guess at these being daguerreotypes, which were produced beginning in the 1840s, and on into the early 1860s.  The next process which came into use was the ambrotype, which appeared between 1854-1866.

     My examples are in fragile condition.  Some are missing their leather covers, or the covers have become separated from the side with the image.  The one on the upper left depicting a male can’t be seen with the naked eye very well.  It comes to life through the scanning process.  At first glance, it looks like a piece of old mirror.  You can faintly see a face when you hold it sideways in the light.

     An excellent resource for studying this type of question is found at phototree.com, which offers background on the types of photographic processes we are likely to encounter when researching our ancestors.  The have a large library of over 1,000 images for comparison to our own samples, and offer other tips for determining what kind of example we have.

     The Burgard family were members of the Church of the Brethren, which kept to a “plain” style of dress.  Because of this, the young woman pictured in this collection wearing the elaborate hat, and carrying a fur muff, seems to be an anomaly (unless she was the family rebel!).  Perhaps she's a friend or an in-law?  Or the image was mistakenly delivered to the wrong customer?  This leaves six other separate individuals in this grouping of images.  If the photos were taken at around the same time, one might assume that the older two men are among the siblings born the earliest, John, Jacob, or Peter.  Perhaps the beards indicate marriage?  The two younger males in the images might represent Joseph, Daniel, or Michael.  I have pictures of Hetty as an older adult, and I wouldn't say that any of these show the same woman.  This leaves Mary, Catherine, and Susan as potential candidates.  Or, perhaps some of these individuals aren't that close:  in-laws, cousins, or friends.

     This is a fascinating puzzle, and I'd love to know more.  Perhaps you have another copy of one of these images that you know is your ancestor.  If anyone out there can identify one or more of these people more definitely, please let me know at jfproots@gmail.com.  Images can be snagged or saved by right-clicking, and enlarged for further study.

All images in possession of the author, 2015

New Beginning: Isaac L. & Hester Burgard Myers

Isaac L. & Hester Burgard Myers in front of their new residence, about 1906.
The house was newly completed, and stood at the SE corner
of Gold & Locust Streets in Centralia, WA.

     Among my grandmother's collection, was this photo of her maternal grandparents, Isaac L. and Hester (Hetty) Burgard Myers.  They are standing in front of their house in Centralia, Lewis County, Washington.  The house was very neat and trim, and the background shows a rural flavor.  He would have been about 65 at this point, she 62.  They were life-long members of the Church of the Brethren.  

     One story I know of their time here is that Grandma Myers had a white cat named Pearl, with whom Isaac had a strained relationship.  My grandmother said she remembered as a little girl, when  the cat and grandpa would be in one room of the house glowering at each other.  Hetty would call out from the kitchen, "You're not bothering that cat, are you?"  Isaac would make my grandmother laugh, by adopting a sugary sweet voice and replying, "Oh, NO, dear!"  This was said with a wink at my grandmother.

     The house was very close to the north-south railroad tracks running through town.  Hetty was known as a "soft touch" to the men who rode the rails.  It's thought that they might have carved symbols into the fence, indicating to other nomads that this was a woman who could be counted on to provide something to eat.

     Fast forward to the late 1990s, when the house had fallen into a sad state of collapse.  In 1998, I took these photos of the exterior and interior.  My sister Mary is standing before the front door.  It had been moved forward, flush with the rest of the house, when the porch had been enclosed.  Ignoring the no entry signs, I climbed in through a side window.  Not smart, as part of the roof had collapsed, but when did that ever discourage a genealogist?  I had worn steel-toed shoes for the occasion.  I dug down through the layers of wallpaper to the first one.  While it may not have been chosen by the Myers, it was certainly old.

     By 2003, the house had been torn down, but a couple of nice trees remained.  On my last trip, in 2012, I saw that they'd been taken down.  For every new beginning, there's sometimes a sad ending.  However, I feel quite fortunate to be able to call on these memories, and to have seen the site of my ancestors' daily experience.

Love Over Coffee: Isaac L. Myers & Hester Burgard

     Among the more unusual items that have passed through the generations of my family is this 19th-century coffee grinder.  It's known to have belonged to my 2nd great-parents, Isaac L. Myers and his wife, Hester Burgard, who was called Hetty.  One theory is that he constructed it as a gift for her at the time of their Civil War-era wedding.  I'm not sure whether this part is true.  While there are certainly some elements of the piece which could have been built by hand, the mechanism probably wasn't.  There are some patches of glue on the back side of the drawer, perhaps it was repaired along the way.  I've seen similar items on eBay, so a coffee grinder from this period isn't especially rare.  

     Isaac L. Myers was born 4 April, 1841, in York County, Pennsylvania.  He served just over three months in Company B of the 1st Battalion, PA Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.  The timing of his enlistment, in June of 1863, suggests that fears of the Confederate advance toward nearby Gettysburg must have prevailed over the pacifist teachings of the Church of the Brethren, of which he was a member.  Or, perhaps he was restless for "adventure."  Whatever the circumstances, soon after he moved to Astoria, Fulton County, Illinois.  Hester Burgard, born 31 March 1844 in Cumberland Co, PA, was a member of the Brethren Church there.  Isaac had become the singing master of the church, and Hetty "set her cap" for him.  He never stood a chance:  they were married March 5, 1865. 

     The couple lived at various times in Illinois, Kansas, and finally in Washington state, farming and serving the Brethren community.   They became parents to two sons and two daughters, all of whom left descendants.  Isaac died in 1912, Hetty lived on until 1932.  I was able to visit their last home together shortly before it was torn down.  Today the site, on the corner of Gold & Locust Streets in Centralia, Lewis County, Washington, stands vacant.

     Whatever the origins or value of this old, beat-up coffee grinder are, the link to this hard-working, kind, and loving couple is priceless.