Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog number |
1997.2.1830 |
Object Name |
Clipping, Newspaper |
Description |
TITLE: Old Memories Stirred AUTHOR: Dick Barrett PUBLISHER: [San Jose Mercury News] Those recent items about New Almaden here have stirred up an unusual amount of interest among oldtimers. There are still a few of the performers from the school extravaganza around. Leona Prout Davis, 200 S. Union Ave., Campbell, writes: "In reference to your article about "All In a Garden Fair," the extravaganza at New Almaden, it delighted my parents as well as others. "My parents are James Prout and Charity Le Warne Prout. "My grandfather, John W. Prout in 1876-78 was at Virginia City. He was shift boss at the age of 21 years and had 26 men under him. Grandfather Prout and Richard Jose gave concerts at the Virginia City Opera House. They were school-mates in England. "Grandfather Prout and his brothers came to the United States and later were joined by Richard Jose, the English tenor. Grandfather moved to New Almaden, where he met and married Hanna Smith Thomas. My father, James Prout, was born Aug. 8, 1882. "Dad estimates the approximate date of this extravaganza as about 1894, and it probably was the last one that he was able to participate in as he went to work in the mines at the age of 12, following the death of his mother and during the severe illness of his father. "Dad's cousins, Howard and Albert James, were also in the cast. The date 1894 would place Albert James in the 5-year age group, the age they were admitted to the New Almaden School. "My great grandfather, John Truscott, was superintendent of the Randall-Pioneer mine, was a 33rd degree Mason and trained many young men to become Masons. He also was noted for his musical ability, being choirmaster in the Church of England in London. "We, the James Prout family, were the last English family to leave New Almaden - 1912. There were several Spanish families still living in the Spanish settlement at that time. "My parents were married in the Methodist Church of New Almaden on Feb. 2, 1905 and there were five of us children born in New Almaden. Of this we are very proud." The New Almaden stories also rang a bell with Mary Hodge Hall, only survivor of the family of seven of James Hodge St.; and now 83: "Yes, I sure do remember all but three of the names in the extravaganza in the Hill Top School, New Almaden. It must have been either in 1891, 2 or 3. My brother; Bird Hodge, would have been six in 1891. Any of those years he could have been a `Brownie'. My sister, Nellie Hodge, would have been 14 years old. "Thank you, Dick Barrett, for such a feast of well-remembered names. `With a memory the past need never be the past.' "I, Mary Hodge Hall, was taken to New Almaden Aug. 1885 at six years of age and was there until near the closing of the mines. "Naturally we knew of the Barretts in the Hacienda. The Stiles were then near neighbors and Tom Stiles became my brother-in-law; I knew all of the family." Guess I'd better answer a question that arose in an earlier letter. I'm not connected with the New Almaden Barretts. Understand I erred in referring to Bird Hodge as the uncle of Alvin Hodge. Bird was Al's father. Leo Sullivan, the retired musician, says he is sure the Louis Lieber who took part in another Almaden production was the one who later was a well-known sign painter. He recalls that Fred Brohaska worked in the New Almaden store and he, Lieber, a guitar player named Espinosa and a man named Hinklebein had a quartet. "There was a good story about Lieber," Leo adds. "In the early years, when he was young, he went to New York and went into a shop and asked for a job. The head man could readily see Louis was from the sticks, winked at the other fellows and said, Just go over and work on that lacquered sign. It seems that painting on lacquer was the toughest job there was for a sign painter. Louis knew this, of course, and turned out a wonderful job. They all felt sheepish. He got the job but didn't like New York. It was too big." |
People |
Prout, James H. Prout, Charity Le Warne Prout, John Prout, Hanna Smith Thomas Davis, Leona Prout Hall, Mary Hodge Hodge, Bird Hodge, Nellie Hinklebein, (?) Sullivan, Leo James, Howard James, Albert Jose, Richard Lieber, Louis Leiber, Louis Stiles, Tom(Stile, Thomas) Truscott, John |
Cataloged by |
Boudreault, Art |