Hope's Imperfection

Chapter 15: Family

Sarah and I devoured the remaining chapters of Richard’s diary the next day. They contained the anecdotes that emerged from the family life of Richard and Elizabeth Stanhope of San Francisco.  Over the first fifteen years of their marriage, three children were born. The eldest, Charles Stanhope, was born in 1819; Lucy followed in 1825; and finally, in January of 1830, Rupert James Stanhope entered their lives.

Life was ordinary and strenuous but by most definitions successful for the family. Richard’s business was steady but unimpressive. He was an entrepreneurial man and as the trends changed and new immigrants came to San Francisco he always found ways to provide the necessities they would need in the new land. The shop, which he had renamed “Eagle’s Nest” when his friend moved to Texas, grew to become a recognizable California landmark.

Charles was influenced by the charm of the bay and devoted his life to the ocean, as an expert sailor. He spent many years voyaging around the shores of the west coast. Later in the diary Richard tells proud stories of his oldest son leading fishing expeditions and trading excursions across the Pacific.

Lucy was a hard worker and an integral presence at the shop in her teenage years. Richard was enamored with his daughter but he knew that when she met a dashing young man by the name of Todd Fraser, a visiting merchant from Atlanta, it wouldn’t be long before Lucy would leave home and head back to the East coast. Todd and Lucy were married in San Francisco in 1846 and a few months after the wedding the couple returned to Georgia. Eventually Todd would split time between Atlanta and Washington, D.C., when Todd was elected into the United States House of Representatives.

A year later, in the summer of 1847, as a seventeen-year-old, Rupert Stanhope joined the United States army and left Richard and Elizabeth as empty nesters. Their life together was rich and joyous, full of laughter and memories born from a busy and connected family.

The last entry of the Richard’s diary took place in the fall of 1847.

October 22, 1847

The family tried to come together once again for Elizabeth’s funeral today. She had been the only source of security for me since my parents passed away on the trip to the west. Charles pulled in from shore(?) but neither Lucy nor Rupert could return. Lucy was now living in Washington, D.C., and Rupert was stationed in Pennsylvania and could not return in time. Both have promised to visit in the spring. The biggest surprise was the day of the funeral, when Eagle came to pay his respects. I had insisted that in the Native American tradition Elizabeth be buried on a mound as we had prepared for Father in Montana. I had sent a telegram to Tom, Elizabeth’s brother, but he could not make it from New York in time for the ceremony.

With the family spread across the continent, I will soon be living alone. Eagle has agreed to stay behind and keep me company for a little while. I have encouraged him to stay in California as there are many jobs as ranch hands now and I am sure he could find room, board, and a decent wage on many of the farms in the area.

I now wonder how long this final journey of my life will be. Do I have the courage to continue my store in the California territory? Even after forty years in this land it is still essentially unpopulated. The great exodus of people to the west coast has never materialized, and hence my store continues to have difficulty just covering its costs. I have yet to return to Montreal or even to St. Ignace to complete my father’s final promise to my mother. I have only a short time remaining in my life and I hope that God grants me the wish to make good on the final promises that I feel I must keep in completing my life.