Hi Beth, Our predecessors were indeed a hardier bunch than we often give them credit for. Your Elizabeth had steel. This was not a uni-dimensional lady. Great photos. Jim glassbybeth@aol.com wrote: > To lay just a little ground work......... My husband's grandmother: > > Elizabeth WARREN HUMPHREY was born in 1876 Manchester, England. Uncle > brought her to SF when she was 16 to be Mistress of his home and he 3 > live-in maids... She was sent to Finishing School and to Manners From > Madam School. She was married to CF Humphrey in 1899. The home > and maids came as a wedding gift from her Uncle. The wedding was well > written about in the SF newspaper. She lived to be 94 years old. > > In a letter to her son many many years later, she recalls a story > about the "Chippies". > > "Last night I was trying to think back to make clear to myself what > made me act so idiotically in Maxine’s but to do that one has to > transport oneself to one’s state of mind at that time. > In S.F. the regular promenade after the theatre was from > Powell down Market to Maskey’s on the right side of the street – South > was the slum side of cheap shops and cheap people. No one ever went > there except for parades perhaps. When we passed Dupont St. we craned > our necks hoping to see the painted women beckoning to the men from > brightly lit windows. It will be hard to believe now when everyone > (but lazy me) uses make-up that that was their sign. There was never > any reason for going on Dupont St. because it was nothing but a center > of vice – no shops. There was a great to-do when the district was > cleared and the women scattered all over the town instead of being > confined to the one locality, But Grant Ave now is far removed from > Dupont St. as our minds were then from Shreve’s on it now. This night > in Paris was mild, the lights brilliant, and instead of taking a > carriage as everybody did in those days we walked down the Boulevard > de C’Opera. Then these three women walked behind us making remarks > about us and finally one of them came up and took my husbands arm. He > shook her off but they kept on following us until we turned into > Maxine’s. My head was full of Zola, Victor Hugo, Balzac with their > pitiful stories of how women landed in that sort of life but it was my > first experience of being in actual contact with a ‘chippie.’ We > entered this brilliantly-lighted room with a long, long, bar filled > with elegantly-dressed women – all with very elaborate hats, all > staring at me. I suppose I had on the usual bit of gauze on my hair > but no hat. These three women had no hats (a sign of their profession > at midnight on the streets) and as near as I can think what made me > drag my hand out of your father’s arm, pick up my train and run out of > the place was the fear of being taken for one of them. It makes me > laugh now to think of what those staring women and their escorts must > have thought about the scene – and my poor husband!!!" > > Thought you might get a laugh out of this Jim. > > <http://presence.webmail.aol.com/IM/?sn=glassbybeth&locale=en-us&pd=0> Beth > Out of the Attic .. > www.Beth-website.net > > Friends don't let friends get a DOG ! > Cats Rule ............ Dogs Drool ! > > > -----Original Message----- > From: James R. Smith <jim@historysmith.com> > To: Doug Urbanus <firstboy@pacbell.net> > Cc: Quenci Scott <quenci@sbcglobal.net>; casanfra@rootsweb.com > Sent: Wed, 7 May 2008 10:15 am > Subject: Re: [CASANFRA] San Francisco, Ca. 1848-1854 > >I can't vouch for this but... > >I saw a fascinating special on the San Francisco PBS station this past >week. It was called "Madams of the Barbary Coast," and told the story of >the prostitutes of San Francisco and the bawdy houses that flourished >during the Gold Rush era. > >I remember as a young child going through the area of town still called, >in the 1940s "The Barbary Coast." You'd be hard pressed to find it now, >as it is filled with designer warehouses and places to buy expensive >stuff for your fabulous apartment. But when I was a kid it had some of >the more seedy of the area nightclubs. Up on Broadway St. there were the >clubs that had not yet gone totally topless and were, in themselves, >risque, but a couple of blocks away whatever dubious quality existed on >Broadway disappeared. > >What I found funny in watching the special was learning that the names >of some of the streets I know so well came from the prostitutes who >worked the city in the late 1800s. Maiden Lane, for example, is now the >home of exclusive boutique shops, but was named for the "girls" of San >Francisco. I was amused to learn that Clementina St., on which was >located the sister convent school to my high school, was named for one >of San Francisco's prostitutes, as were Harriet St. and Clara St. and >probably several others. > >http://airypersiflage.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-naming-of-things.html > >Cheers, >Jim >-- > >James R. Smith > >Author: San Francisco's Lost Landmarks > >ISBN: 1884995446 > >www.HistorySmith.com <http://www.historysmith.com/> <http://www.historysmith.com/> > > >Doug Urbanus wrote: > >>This book may give you the information you need about Harriet St. You can find >it at the SF Main Library in the History Room. >> >> Nob Hill Street and Alley Names" by Michael D. Lampen, Archivist Grace >Cathedral, San Francisco, 1998. 979.461 L196n >> >>Quenci Scott <quenci@sbcglobal.net <mailto:quenci@sbcglobal.net>> wrote: >> I have just discovered a deed of sale from my g-g grandfather Col. >>Devereaux J. Woodlief to a Mr. Simons in 1849 in San Fran. >>The location was Bryant St. approx. near 4th St. >> >>Was that area a residential community at that time or commercial? Can >>anyone tell me anything regarding Bryant St. >>I did notice on the city map right in the area of Bryant and 4th, that >>there were several streets with Ladies names. Does anyone know when >>those streets were named.? I am interested in the Street named Harriet. >> >> >>Thanks for any information >>Regards, >>L.Scott >>300 Jacaranda Dr. >>Danville,Ca. >>************************** >>Visit SFGenealogy.com! >>http://www.sfgenealogy.com <http://www.sfgenealogy.com/> >>------------------------------- >>To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CASANFRA-request@rootsweb.com <mailto:CASANFRA-request@rootsweb.com> >with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of >the message >> >>************************** >>Visit SFGenealogy.com! >>http://www.sfgenealogy.com <http://www.sfgenealogy.com/> >>------------------------------- >>To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CASANFRA-request@rootsweb.com <mailto:CASANFRA-request@rootsweb.com> >with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of >the message >> >> >> > > ><http://www.historysmith.com/> > > > >************************** >Visit SFGenealogy.com! >http://www.sfgenealogy.com <http://www.sfgenealogy.com/> >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CASANFRA-request@rootsweb.com <mailto:CASANFRA-request@rootsweb.com> >with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of >the message > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Plan your next roadtrip with MapQuest.com > <http://www.mapquest.com/?ncid=mpqmap00030000000004>: America's #1 > Mapping Site. -- James R. Smith Author: San Francisco’s Lost Landmarks ISBN: 1884995446 www.HistorySmith.com <http://www.historysmith.com/>