Street Family , Cabin #13

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I consider myself blessed to be a part of the Street Family of Graham, Texas. In 1955, my birth mother made a decision to give me to a family who wanted children but could not have any of their own. W.G. “Bill” and Dorothy Street adopted me and brought me home to Graham. Being a part of the Street family is an honor. Our story is one of adventure, hardship and optimism. I hope you, dear reader, will enjoy my little tale.

I have to thank my mother, Dorothy Street, my cousins, Louise Street Witkowski, Marjorie Street Cummings, and Spencer Street, Jr., my uncle Bruce Street, Sr. my grandmother, Bertha Graham Street, and my friend Dorman Holub for their stories. I especially want to thank Louise for allowing me to use parts of her book, From England to Canada to Texas, The Family History of Some of the Streets from Worcester, England.

It was Samuel Denny Street who brought the Streets to this continent. Mary Street, who helped compile The Street Genealogy in 1895, said this about Samuel Denny Street on page 253:

Samuel Denny Street was a Lieutenant in the Royal Fencible American Regiment, raised by the British government at the time of the Rebellion of the American Colonies, born in Southwark, Surrey, England, May 16, 1752; married February 22, 1778, at Amherst, Nova Scotia, to Abigail Freeman. Mr. Street was bred in the law. At the commencement of the American War he entered the navy under the patronage of Admiral Rodham and went to America, where he joined the army and gaining the confidence of his commander, was employed in all enterprises against the enemy. At the close of the war he received a grant of land in New Brunswick.

Samuel Denny and Abigail Street had twelve children, the seventh of whom was William Henry. William Henry was born April 11 1793, at the family home at Burton, Sunbury County, New Brunswick. He was educated in the public schools and became a merchant in Saint John, New Brunswick’s largest city and important seaport. William Henry was a prominent businessman in Saint John serving as mayor for two terms. He also served in the House of Assembly for 3 years.

His brothers were farmers, preachers, lawyers or served in the East India Company’s service. His sister, Marie Louisa Street married Nathaniel Hubbard, and his brother, John Ambrose Sherman Street, married Jane Hubbard, Nathaniel’s sister. The Hubbard’s and the Street’s land adjoined on the Saint John River, and the families were the best of friends.

On March 15, 1824, William Henry married Mary Bruce of Leith, the port city of Edinburgh, in St. Cuthbert’s Cathedral, Edinburgh. She was a descendant of Robert Bruce and of the House of Kennet. Her father was James Bruce, Esq. and her mother was Elizabeth Petrie.

Mary and William Henry had three sons: James Bruce, Robert Bruce, and Alfred Burnett Lee.

James Bruce was born in 1825 or 1826. He was married in Scotland to Alice Orr, second daughter of Major John Orr and Sarah Boyd, on September 10, 1846, at Dullatur House, Cumbernauld, County of Dunbarton, between Argyll and Stirling. After his marriage, he worked in his father’s business in Saint John. He and Alice had two sons, John Orr Bruce, born in 1847, and Spencer Boyd, born August 3, 1850.

For reasons we do not know, James Bruce, left his young family and went to the United States. The 1851 census had the two boys living with their mother and an Irish servant in Saint John.

James Bruce was living in Albany, New York, at the time of his father, William Henry’s, death in 1875, according to a letter he received from Edinburgh. The letter was from the agent of a judicial factor. There were trusts set up when William Henry and Mary Bruce married-a marriage contract. The estate was to be divided into thirds, with one third belonging to James Bruce. James had the agent send a letter to his older son, John Orr Bruce, with the following proposal:

We have just received from your father a letter in which he requests us to make to you and your brother, Mr. Spencer B. Street the following proposal. He says “please have a letter addressed to my two sons that it is my request to divide the money into three equal shares for our mutual benefit viz. James Bruce Street one third, John Orr B. Street, one third, Spencer B. Street one third and send each man his share. If this is not satisfactory to my two sons then send me the life interest as I never will divide again.”

The boys accepted the offer and the 200 pounds each came at a time when the brothers needed resources on the Texas frontier.

My father used to tell me that you had to be prepared to find the skeletons in the closet when you researched family history. I’d have to say that the story of James Bruce and Alice Orr is the “skeleton” of the Street family. We don’t know why James Bruce left his young family, nor do we know where or when he died or where he is buried. We have letters from Alice to her boys, written while she was very ill in the hospital in Washington D.C. She died in 1862 at the age of 35, and it is not known where she is buried. We don’t understand why she was alone and why she did not receive any assistance from her father-in-law, William Henry, or other family members. William Henry’s second wife was even Alice’s older sister. One can only speculate as to the cause of such a sad family situation.

When Alice became ill, her boys were about 14 and 11 years of age. They were sent to Richmond, Virginia, to live with their Uncle Robert Bruce Street. On January 27, 1862, Alice writes to her boys from a hospital in Washington, D.C. proposing a plan for the boys’ care until she became well enough to care for them again herself:

"My beloved boys,

I have been very ill and have only been up today, the first time for a fortnight, two doctors attending me. I am very weak, so much so that everything dances before my eyes and I can hardly see to write. Trouble upon trouble have come upon me lately so that I can hardly bear up against them. But be good kind boys to each other and love one another dearly and we will do the best we can.

I have decided that I shall take you both away from Richmond in about a fortnight. Johnny dear, you will have to work to help us all to get along. How would you like to go to work on a farm for a few months if you can have Spen with you? Write the moment you get this and tell me. Write the very day, remember, as I must decide at once. There are lots of horses and everything and the gentleman works himself. He is just married to a nice young wife; I cannot write more today as I am very weak. The farm is near Portland. (Maine) Now write right away and give my love to Uncle and aunty and Spenny and tell me just what you think. I will write to Robert in a day.Mr. Springer wrote that he was coming to Washington in a day or two. Show this to Aunty and tell her I had not strength to write more today. God bless you my boys, be good and affectionate to each other and think often of poor old Ma who loves you dearly.

Your Mother
Alice Street"

Alice died in 1862. The exact date is not known.

The boys both probably stayed for five years with Mr. Forbes, near Paris, Maine. Forbes, was not the guardian Alice had hoped to send her boys to work for. He treated them as slaves. John Orr left for Texas when he was about 20 years old. We know he was in the Jacksboro and Fort Griffin area when Spencer Boyd arrived in 1872. John Orr was a surveyor and was in great demand in this frontier country. Spencer Boyd, on the other hand left Forbes and went to Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, where he worked in a lumber firm and attended Foxcroft Academy for the school year 1867-68.

It was in Dover-Foxcroft that Spencer Boyd met his future wife, Susan Ada Hodgdon, daughter of a farming family of English descent. Spencer decided to follow his brother to Texas to seek his fortune. He promised that as soon as he was settled, he’d send for Susan Ada and they would be married. Spencer went to Texas in 1872 and it wasn’t until June 11, 1878, that he and Susan Ada were married. During those 6 years apart, Susan Ada would dress as if she were receiving a gentleman caller and sit in the parlor to read Spencer’s letters.

Captain B.B. Paddock’s History and Biographical Record of North and West Texas tells about Spencer’s trip:

Mr. Street began his journey to the Lone Star State from Foxcroft, Maine, in 1872, and came by rail to the terminus of the Katy Railroad in the Indian Territory and from there to Sherman and on to Fort Griffin by stage.

It is said that when John met Spencer at the stage, he brought an extra horse for his brother to ride, and that they waited until dark to travel to where John lived so as to avoid trouble with the Indians. Just the year before (1871) The Warren Wagon Train Massacre had occurred northeast of Graham.

By 1878, Spencer felt confident he could support a wife and family. He returned to Dover and married his sweetheart, Susan Ada. He brought his new bride to Graham, Texas, where they stayed with the Jewells family for several months while a house was built for them. This house, at 804 Third Street and the larger home next door, built in 1904 are both listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are occupied by descendents of Spencer Street.