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Recently discovered among the archived holdings is a commercially-produced lithograph form designed to record family births and deaths.  This particular “Family Register” focuses on Deacon Mather’s son Joseph, his marriage to Happy Wakeman, and their five children.   The listing of names and births corresponds to dates in the Mather Genealogy.  Notable however, is the birthdate of Happy Wakeman. According to the published Wakeman Genealogy, Happy was born June 1, 1795, not January 27, 1794.   Also to be noted, there is no mention of Joseph’s first wife, Sarah Jarvis, who married Joseph January 1, 1812 and died April 1, 1812.   All the names and births recorded in this Family Register are in the same handwriting, suggesting this is not a contemporaneous recording of events.  All the deaths are written by other hands, and the death for David B. Mather is off by thirty-four years!  (He died in 1876 not 1842.)   Seen below are two similar Family Registers.  The one on the right is known to have been produced by the D.W. Kellogg and Company of Hartford, the same firm that produced the lithograph for the Mather mourning picture discussed in an earlier blog.  Note also, that the examples below are full rectangular sheets.  It would appear that someone took scissors to the top of the Mather Register.   Like the mourning picture, this Family Register offers a glimpse into the 19 th century and the ways in which families and individuals sought to record and preserve both their presence and their passing.

Where can you find a passenger pigeon, the great auk, and a dodo too?  In The Natural History of Birds.” A well-traveled copy of this two-volume compendium rests in its own box in the Homestead archives.  Published in Bungay, England in 1815, this work predates Audubon by 12 years.  On the inside cover of Volume One is written “H. Thacker’s Book 1818” and on the facing page “J. Floy Jr. from his mother.”   Who was H. Thacker?  Humphrey Thacker was the great-grandfather of Jane Thacker Floy Mather, the wife of Stephen Mather.   Born about 1771, Humphrey was already widowed when he married Jane Stevens in Sheffield England in 1800.  Their daughter, Jane, born in Sheffield in 1803 would marry James Floy in New York in 1829.  It appears that the Thacker family was in England until 1818 and migrated to New York in time to be included in the 1820 United States Federal census.   The full title is “ The Natural History of Birds, from the works of the best authors, antient & modern, embellished with numerous plates accurately coloured from nature.”  Printed and published by Brightly & Childs, Volume I is 586 pages with 69 hand-colored plates and Volume II is 700 pages with 83 hand-colored plates.   Inasmuch as Humphrey inscribed the book in 1818, it is almost certain that these volumes made the trip to America with the Thacker family.   Today many of the colored plates are offered for sale individually.  Just a few of the ones from the Homestead’s copy are shown below.

If you’ve picked up Robert Shankland’s definitive biography of Stephen Mather, you’ve seen the image.  If you’ve visited the Homestead, you’ve seen it.   This well-known and copied image of America’s first Director of the National Parks Service, was painted by a Hungarian immigrant in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1939 as part of the WPA’s Federal Art Project.   Odon Hullenkremer (1888-1978) was born in Budapest, Hungary.  According to the Nedra Matteucci Gallery in Santa Fe, Hullenkremer “began drawing when he was only seven. A few years later he entered a painting in a Hungarian exhibition, taking top honors… Most notably…he won a scholarship to the Academie Julian in Paris, where he received his diploma in 1929.  In 1933, Hullenkremer moved to the American Southwest to study and paint Indian life…Hullenkremer moved into a home on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, where he remained for 44 years…His work is represented in the collections of the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.; The National Park Service, New Mexico.; The State Capitol, Santa Fe, New Mexico; and the New Mexico School for the Deaf, Santa Fe.”   Today the painting is in National Park Service Southwest Regional Office in Santa Fe and “hangs in the lobby in an eight-foot by nine-foot recess at the end of the room opposite the doors…” Horace Albright (l), Odon Hullenkremer (r) Autographed Artist photo sent to Ann Tracy, STM’s granddaughter

In a small volume entitled “Genealogy of the Mather Family from about 1500 to 1847,” the compiler states that “…he had been furnished with that part of the Lyme branch who descended from the Rev. Moses Mather of Darien, Ct, by his grand-son, Joseph Mather, Esq. now a resident of Darien…”   Thus, directly from the Deacon’s son, do we confirm, or perhaps learn the origin of, a story that has become part of virtually every Homestead tour…   “As Dea. Mather’s house was back a mile or so from any public road, many of the neighbors carried their silver ware and many other valuable articles to it for safe keeping.  By some means, however, the Tories became acquainted with this fact, and a large gang of them came over one night, and placing their bayonets at the breast of Mrs. Mather, demanded of her where the silver was deposited.  She was obliged to point out the spot, and after they had taken possession of it and whatever else they wanted, they then com-pelled Mrs. M. who had a nursing child at her breast, to make warm cakes and get supper for the whole party.  When they retired, they compelled Dea. Mather to accompany them to the shore lest he should give the alarm…”   We also learn another tidbit that is not often included in the tours—but perhaps should be…   When Dea. M. died he left ten children—forty-five grand children—forty-eight great-grand-children—and one great-great-grand child, in all one hundred and four…”   In 1953, Bertha and Ed McPherson invited…”You who are descendants of Deacon Joseph Mather and his wife Sarah Scott…” to the Homestead’s 175 th Anniversary.  For the 200 th , it was reported that “…more than 100 descendants of Deacon Mather attended…”   How many can we anticipate in just three years for the 250 th ?!!

In colonial America, mirrors were not used just as looking glasses, but as sources of lighting.  Whether from windows or fireplaces, mirror picked up and magnified light.   We do not know how many mirrors were in the Homestead initially, but today there are ten.  Like most mirrors in early America, those in the Homestead are from England or Northern Europe.  They vary in height from a 41-5/8” to 15-1/2.”   Almost all date back to the 18 th century and are in keeping with what a visitor to a home such as Deacon Mather’s would have found in post-Revolutionary America.  Many of the mirrors were acquired by Bertha Mather McPherson as she and her husband made the Homestead worthy of recognition as a National Historic Landmark.   Here is a glimpse of the Homestead’s mirror collection… “Pier” Glass.  England 1740-1770, Walnut 41-5/8h x 15-3/4”w Courting Mirror, Northern Europe 1775-1825, Walnut/Pine 17-1/2”h x 12-1/4”w Looking Glass, Northern Europe 1825-1875, Pine 19-3/4”h x 9-7/8”w Looking Glass Northern Europe 1760-1800, Walnut/Pine 28”h x 14-5/8”w        Looking Glass, Northern Europe 20 th C., Walnut/pine 31”h x 13-1/4”w                      Looking Glass prob. England 1750-1780 , Walnut/pine 15-1/2”h 9-1/2”w            Looking Glass Eng.or N.Europe 1760-1800, Walnut/pine 23-1/2”h x 12”w    Looking Glass prob. England 1750-1780,   Walnut/pine 15-1/2”h 9-1/2”w Looking Glass, Northern Europe 20 th C., Walnut/pine 31”h x 13-1/4”w                      Chippendale Looking Glass, England 1800-1825, Mahogany 25-1/2”h x 11-1/2”w                                    On your next visit to the Homestead, see if you can find all ten.  Then, of all the mirrors on the walls, decide for yourself if one is the fairest of them all.

A table sits at the far eastern end of the Keeping Room.  On the table are books buttressed by a pair of wooden bookends.  Upon each bookend is a small brass plaque.   On December 8, 1960, National Parks Service Director Conrad Wirth wrote to Bertha Mather McPherson.  He told her that, to mark the marriage of Bertha’s son, Stephen McPherson, it was planned “to have a pair of book ends made from wood from a Sequoia log on a tract in the Giant Forest which Mr. Mather purchased and gave to the United States.”  He added, “Another decision was made that you should have a duplicate set of the book ends…”   The plaque on one bookend reads: “Stephen Tyng Mather 1867-1930.  ‘He laid the foundation of the National Park Service, defining and establishing the policies under which its areas shall be developed and conserved unimpaired for future generations.  There will never come an end to the good that he has done.’”   The other plaque reads: “September 17, 1960.  Presented to Betty Mather McPherson by Director Wirth, former Directors Albright and Drury, Isabelle Story and those employees still on the National Park Service rolls who served under her illustrious father. Sequoia wood – 2,000 years old.”   As always, Bertha eloquently replied to Connie Wirth saying in part, “…To say I was deeply touched is so inadequate an expression…A more thoughtful gift so perfectly carried out cannot be imagined…That all those in the National Park Service who served under my father are included in this wonderful gift makes it a treasure beyond any price to me and to my family…”   The Homestead is indeed fortunate to have this treasure that is so reflective of the deep appreciation felt by the NPS for not only Stephen Mather but for his daughter as well.

Attempting to learn about the men and women who wrote to Stephen Mather in the late 1920s, we find that his circle of friends and acquaintances was both large and diverse.  As example…   The Architect:  GILBERT STANLEY UNDERWOOD 1890-1861 Known for his  National Park  lodges, Underwood received his B.A. from  Yale  in 1920 and a M.A. from  Harvard  in 1923. Underwood designed lodges for  Zion National Park ,  Bryce Canyon National Park , and the North Rim of the  Grand Canyon National Park . In addition, Underwood was contracted to design  Yosemite National Park 's  The Ahwahnee , probably his greatest triumph in the Rustic style. Underwood also designed stations for the Union Pacific, and went on to design more than 20 post offices, two major federal buildings, and the U.S. State Department Building. From 1947 to 1949, he was appointed as federal supervisory architect.   The Zoologist:  THEODORE SHERMAN PALMER  1868-1955 American zoologist.  1889, he joined the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy of the  United States Department of Agriculture . He was a member of the 1891  Death Valley Expedition  and its leader for its first 3 months. He was Assistant Chief of the Department from 1896 to 1902, and then from 1910 to 1914. He became interested in the legislation affecting wildlife, leading a branch of the organization to deal with it from 1902 to 1910 and from 1914 to 1916. He wrote the preliminary draft of the treaty for protection of birds migrating between  Canada  and the United States (1916), and was Chairman of the Committee which prepared the first regulations under the  Migratory Bird Treaty Act .   The Churchman :  JAMES EDWARD FREEMAN 1866-1943  Third bishop of the  Episcopal Diocese of Washington , serving from 1923 to 1943. During his episcopacy, he led a national campaign to raise funds for the construction of the  Washington National Cathedral . He also officiated at memorial services for  Warren G. Harding ,  Woodrow Wilson , and  William Howard Taft .     The Playboy:   LORILLARD SUFFERN TAILER 1897-1979 Son of Lord Lorillard of the British-American tobacco family.  The New York Times, in reporting his first marriage wrote: “He is a well-known polo player and is a member of various clubs, including the Union and the Newport Country Club…”  On reporting of his impending divorce The Times added, “millionaire society leader on two continents.”  He did take a post as assistant deputy administrator of the NRA (National Recovery Administration.       The Tennis Court:     WOLMAR FILIP BOSTROM 1878-1956 Swedish diplomat and  tennis  player.  He competed at the 1908 and 1912 Olympics in singles and men's doubles and won a bronze medal in the doubles in 1908, finishing fifth in three other events.  Bostrom served as the Swedish Minister in Washington for nineteen years 1928-1947.     The Supreme Court: HARLAN FISKE STONE 1872-1946 American attorney and jurist who served as an  associate justice  of the  U.S. Supreme Court  from 1925 to 1941 and then as the 12th  chief justice of the United States  from 1941 until his death in 1946. He also served as the  U.S. Attorney General  from 1924 to 1925 under President  Calvin Coolidge ,

In February 1929, Stephen Mather received a note from Norman Macleod, thanking Mather for his “kindness and courtesy.”   Macleod was Custodian of the Petrified Forest National Monument, the equivalent to Superin-tendent at a National Park.    At that point and in charge of a national monument, Macleod was only twenty-two years old.   Macleod’s son, Norman Jr., would later say, “My dad burned the candle at both ends with a blowtorch in the middle.”   Indeed, if you looked up  “peripatetic” in the dictionary, you’d probably find a picture of Macleod.   Not only was he monument custodian from February 1928 to July 1929, “Mr. Macleod…[crossed] the Atlantic 12 times before he was six, once aboard the Lusitania …While a foreign correspondent for the Federated Press, he traveled through England, France, Germany, Holland, and the Soviet Union. Some of his other jobs included: ranger in Glacier National Park, checker for the United States Bureau of Public Roads… work on cattle and sheep ranches in the west, and acting in movies…”    His lasting fame however was as a poet, novelist, editor and educator.  An editor at various magazines and journals, including  Pembroke Magazine,  Macleod was instrumental in establishing the Poetry Center at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. He taught at numerous institutions, including San Francisco State College, the University of Baghdad in Iraq, and Pembroke State University. He had long friendships with poets such as  William Carlos Williams  and  W.S. Graham , both of whom dedicated poems to him. In 1973, Macleod was awarded the Horace Gregory Award for his work as a poet, an editor, and a teacher.   His time at the Petrified Forest did give inspiration for one of his more famous poems, Coniferous , printed here in its entirety. Norman Macleod 1906-1985

Among the letters Stephen Mather received from well-wishers in 1928 was one postmarked Santa Catalina Island from Jordan Lawrence Mott 3d.   A name now nearly-forgotten, Lawrence Mott created national headlines in 1912.  Born to privilege in 1881, Lawrence Mott graduated from Harvard in 1905 and subsequently joined a series of newspapers in New York where he became known as the ‘millionaire reporter.’  In 1901 he married Caroline Pitkin.  He professed to find journalism “far too dull.”  Apparently, he felt the same about life with Caroline.  Mott met an already-married light opera singer, Frances Hewitt Bowne.  In 1912, the couple, each still married, eloped to Europe on a freighter.  It was reported that Lawrence disguised himself as a purser and Frances disguised herself as a cabin boy.   Lawrence’s father sent a friend, Hector Fuller, in pursuit of the couple with orders to bring Lawrence home.  Fuller missed them by hours in Gibraltar and finally caught up with them in Hong Kong.  It was there that Lawrence refused to return and was subsequently disinherited.   Settling on Santa Catalina, Lawrence and Frances married in 1928 after each had obtained a divorce.   Frances continued to perform while Lawrence spent his days boating, running KFWO, the local radio station, and authoring a series of successful novels of outdoor life, becoming friends with both Jack London and Zane Grey.   Much of Mott’s time later on was spent campaigning for conservation of wildlife and natural resources. He pioneered fishing for  steelhead  on the  North Umpqua River ,  Oregon , and a section of the  North Umpqua Trail  bears his name. He established a fishing camp near  Steamboat Creek , where he died of  leukemia in 1931, with Frances by his side.    In his letter to Stephen, Mott suggests…”Mabbe-so we might ‘git together’ next September or October, and have a whirl?”  That trip would not come to pass, but certainly, each in his own way, did lead lives that were a whirl.

Established in 1890, The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN), a federal body operating under the Secretary of the Interior Department, “provides Service-wide guidance and coordination on naming geographic features in national parks.”   According to BGN principles: “The person being honored should have had either some direct or long-term association with the feature, or have made a significant contribution to the area, community, or State in which it is located.”   As we’ve begun to look at the Mather letters archived at Berkeley, we’ve already found six individuals whose association with the National Parks resulted in the BGN naming a feature within a Park to commemorate their contribution.    William Bertrand Acker (1859-1935) Acker was the Chief Clerk of the Interior Department.  Acker Peak (10,988 feet), a  summit  in  Yosemite National Park , was named for Acker.     Acker Peak Horace Albright (1890-1987)  Albright served as superintendent of  Yellowstone National Park  from 1919 to 1929 and worked to make it a model for park management. On January 12, 1929, Albright succeeded Mather as the second director of the NPS and held the post until August 9, 1933.  Albright Peak  (10,557 feet) in Grand Teton National Park is named in his honor.  Albright Peak Arno Berthold Cammerer ( 1883-1941) The third director of the U.S.  National Park Service . After the project to found  Great Smoky Mountains National Park  proved expensive, Cammerer secured a promise from  John D. Rockefeller Jr. , to match $5 million in the acquisition of  Shenandoah National Park  lands Mount Cammerer   on the northeastern fringe of the  Great Smoky Mountains honors Cammerer.    Mount Cammerer Col. David C. Chapman (1876-1944) American soldier,  politician , and business leader from  Knoxville, Tennessee  who led the effort to establish the  Great Smoky Mountains National Park  in the 1920s and 1930s.  Mount Chapman  in the park is named in his honor.     Mount Chapman George Bucknam Dorr (1853-1944) Known as the father of Acadia National Park, spent most of his adult life bringing the park into being, caring for the park, and expanding it.  He donated scores of parcels of his own land and persuaded others to donate land or gift funds.  Named after Dorr,  Dorr Mountain  is one of the more popular and yet overlooked mountains on Acadia.   Dorr Mountain Richard Tranter Evans (1881-1966) U.S. Geological Survey  senior topographic engineer from 1899 to 1951, who surveyed and mapped this area of the Grand Canyon in 1904.   Evans He drew the first topographic maps of  Pikes Peak , the Grand Canyon, and  Salt Lake City . He was the acting superintendent of  Zion National Park  from 1925 to 1926, and superintendent of  Hawaii National Park  from 1927 to 1928.  Evans Butte  is a 6,379-foot-elevation summit located in the  Grand Canyon National Park.   Evans Butte

Established in 1890, The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN), a federal body operating under the Secretary of the Interior Department, “provides Service-wide guidance and coordination on naming geographic features in national parks.”   According to BGN principles: “The person being honored should have had either some direct or long-term association with the feature, or have made a significant contribution to the area, community, or State in which it is located.”   As we’ve begun to look at the Mather letters archived at Berkeley, we’ve already found six individuals whose association with the National Parks resulted in the BGN naming a feature within a Park to commemorate their contribution.  William Bertrand Acker (1859-1935) Acker was the Chief Clerk of the Interior Department.  Acker Peak (10,988 feet), a  summit  in  Yosemite National Park , was named for Acker. Horace Albright (1890-1987)  Albright served as superintendent of  Yellowstone National Park  from 1919 to 1929 and worked to make it a model for park management. On January 12, 1929, Albright succeeded Mather as the second director of the NPS and held the post until August 9, 1933.  Albright Peak  (10,557 feet) in Grand Teton National Park is named in his honor.    Arno Berthold Cammerer ( 1883-1941) The third director of the U.S.  National Park Service . After the project to found  Great Smoky Mountains National Park  proved expensive, Cammerer secured a promise from  John D. Rockefeller Jr. , to match $5 million in the acquisition of  Shenandoah National Park  lands Mount Cammerer   on the northeastern fringe of the  Great Smoky Mountains honors Cammerer.  Col. David C. Chapman (1876-1944) American soldier,  politician , and business leader from  Knoxville, Tennessee  who led the effort to establish the  Great Smoky Mountains National Park  in the 1920s and 1930s.  Mount Chapman  in the park is named in his honor. George Bucknam Dorr (1853-1944) Known as the father of Acadia National Park, spent most of his adult life bringing the park into being, caring for the park, and expanding it.  He donated scores of parcels of his own land and persuaded others to donate land or gift funds.  Named after Dorr,  Dorr Mountain  is one of the more popular and yet overlooked mountains on Acadia.   Richard Tranter Evans (1881-1966) U.S. Geological Survey  senior topographic engineer from 1899 to 1951, who surveyed and mapped this area of the Grand Canyon in 1904.   Evans He drew the first topographic maps of  Pikes Peak , the Grand Canyon, and  Salt Lake City . He was the acting superintendent of  Zion National Park  from 1925 to 1926, and superintendent of  Hawaii National Park  from 1927 to 1928.  Evans Butte  is a 6,379-foot-elevation summit located in the  Grand Canyon National Park.

We all know about the Mather plaques that can be found in so many of our National Parks.  But beyond that, the National Park Service has honored Stephen Mather by naming geo-graphical features within several Parks after their first director.  Here are just four:   Mather Pass  is a high  mountain pass , at an elevation of 12,068 feet in  California's   Sierra Nevada   mountain range . It lies within far eastern  Fresno County , inside  Kings Canyon National Park  and the Sequoia-Kings Canyon Wilderness   Mount Mather  is a 12,096-foot mountain in the Alaska Range, in  Denali National Park and Preserve . Mount Mather lies to the northeast of  Denali , overlooking  Brooks Glacier . The mountain itself is covered by glaciers. Mount Mather was named in 1947.   Stephen Mather Wilderness  is a 634,614 acres wilderness area  honoring  Stephen Mather . It is located within   North Cascades National Park ,  Lake Chelan National Recreation Area , and  Ross Lake National Recreation Area  in the  North Cascade Range  of  Washington .   Mather Point offers the first glimpse of a world wonder for many visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park . On a clear day you can see 30+ miles to the east and 60+ miles to the west. Looking down into the canyon you can see the Colorado River, Phantom Ranch, and numerous trails. Mather Pass Mount Mather Stephen Mather Wilderness Mather Point