An Old Lady Remembers...

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A background to Callie's Rest and Carruther's Hotel.
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My name is Callie Charlotte Carruthers, and I am a spinster. I will be 100 years old on my next birthday which is not necessarily a blessing. But I am in possession of all my faculties and require very little assistance. I live in a suite of rooms atop the Carruthers Hotel. Few townspeople even know I’m here; I had gone to live in Europe- when my marriage failed I returned. Of course the help knows, but they have been with us for generations and they are as close as family as could be.

A Carruthers married a Potter, so that even makes them kin to us. Morgan Potter helped the first Mayhew to get established here, and he was paid handsomely. His family is still with us, and more like family then servants. My grand daughter, Sophie, is getting married tomorrow and she has asked me to share as much of the family history as I can. And so...

In 1567 Mary, Queen of Scot’s, abdicated in favor of her son, James the First of Scotland. At the time she was married to her second husband, the Earl of Bothwell, and was becoming more and more disliked by her people. She eventually went to England to seek Elizabeth the First’s protection. The rest is well known history.

However, at the time rumors circulated throughout Scotland and England that Mary had given birth to a second child. Some said the child died at birth, some said the midwife switched the live infant for a dead one and Mary was told her’s had died, and some say Mary allowed her child to be hidden away for it’s own protection. History alone knows and She doesn’t give up her secrets easily.

This is, however, where our story begins. Mayhew Carruthers worked as a groom for the Royal Court. Two of his brothers, Angus and Fergus, had been hung for highwaymen the previous year,and Mayhew’s own activities were sometimes a bit questionable. But as the story goes, he knew something about someone in a high place, and so his position was secure.

Everything was in chaos at the time; those in favor of Mary’s reinstatement, and those wanting James to be their king dividing every aspect of civil life. There were shady dealings going on everywhere and Mayhew Carruthers knew a good thing when he saw it. He traveled with Mary’s Court- he was aware not only of the rumors that Mary might be pregnant, but that her child would be in danger. His sister-in-law, Elenore Smithers was a servant to one of Mary’s Ladys in waiting, and friendly with the queen herself. Mayhew saw to it that he knew all the midwives in the area, and when the time came he passed the information to Elenore, who passed it to her employer.

After that it was just a matter of a few gold coins changing the right hands in a dark alley outside the Palace, and Mayhew Carruthers became a father. There is no proof who’s child it was; Mayhew was known as quite a ladies man himself, and the infant may well have been his own child. But for some still unknown reason he had in his possession a rather large bag of coins,letters of Introduction, and passage to the colonies for himself, his mother, Callie Adele Carruthers,and an infant, Callie Marie Carruthers.

MacDowell, his youngest brother, who was married to Elenore Smithers, decided to stay and try to make something of what was left of the family farm.

And so began a saga, or history if you prefer, of a man determined to begin life anew, and to found a dynasty.

Carruthers ship landed in St. Johns, New Brunswick in early 1568, along with his mother and his mysterious daughter whom he had named Callie Marie. Rooming houses were plentiful and he decided to stay until the spring thaw. In March he left his mother and daughter to seek his land and in May he established that 25,000 acres along the coast of the colonies would be his holding. By August he had built a two story, roomy cabin. He intended to build a road to reach the bay his property fronted on and to open the downstairs of the cabin as a rest stop for travelers coming to the New World.

He returned to St. Johns in July and bought supplies and let it be known that he had plenty of opportunity for those willing to work. It wasn’t long before men showed up and another cabin was put up before winter. They also built a smoke house and a springhouse, and when the winter came they would be ready.

One of the men who came for work brought his family. Morgan Potter was a good bit older than Mayhew, and he and his wife Dolly had two sons, Morg, 18, and Daniel,16. There was a daughter, Annie, aged 15, who turned out to be a perfect nurse for the baby Mary.

Morgan became as much a father to Mayhew as possible, and Morg and Daniel became like brothers. Dolly and Callie took care of all the things needed in the house and garden, and that gave the men freedom to do the things needed out doors. Callie had brought seeds and chickens from home, and it wasn’t long before a garden was established. Soon, too, there were fresh eggs.

The local Indians- the Abenaki’s, were friendly towards the white men, and brought furs, and other things to trade. Mayhew didn’t have much to trade yet, but he had gold, and so their smokehouse was full well in time for winter.

Time passed. Little Callie was a beautiful, intelligent child, but needed a mother.In 1569 Mayhew married Annie Potter with her parents blessing. They had 4 children. Travelers were passing thru on a pretty regular basis and the old cabin grew into Carruther’s Inn. Mathew built a fine house and the Inn became a full time Tavern and gathering place. Morg and Daniel each married daughters of nearby settlers. Because of their loyalty and aid in the early days, Mayhew gave each of them their own plot of land to build homes on the Town Square. Morgan and Dolly stayed on with Mayhew and took over most of the running of the Inn, and Dolly was there to help Annie with her growing family.

In 1580 Callie Adele Carruthers died. Mayhew was devastated, though his mother was 53 and had lived a hard working life. He found a spot a short distance away from his house on a promontory over looking the Atlantic, and buried her facing her homeland. All of the settlers came to the service, even members of the local Abenaki tribe, and since there was no Christian preacher, Mayhew allowed the Indian shaman, whom he had great respect for, to pray in his fashion over the grave. He then legally renamed his holding’s Callie’s Rest.

A town grew up, and with it came more settlers. A Town Square developed around Carruthers Inn, and eventually Mayhew’s son, Mayhew(2) built an imposing structure around the original cabin. It was built of brick, in the Federal style, and was the finest house in town. One of Mayhews descendants married a preacher and he gave them the land across the square for a church and parsonage. Mayhew sent his son and grandson back to Edinburgh for their education, and they came back experts in the law.

It became known that Mayhew had an affair with a local Abenaki women, known for her beauty. There were children from that union, all blue eyed, and with striking features. When a stranger saw a few of the children at the feed store he remarked on their beauty, and was told “Oh, those are Mayhews.” The children took that to mean that Mayhew was their last name as the white men had last names, and there have been Native Mayhews ever since.

Time passed. There were births and deaths, coming and goings of the French soldiers, and then English, but life went on in Callie’s Rest as if the world stood still just for them. Mayhew’s home became Carruthers Hotel, and as his children grew they were given land to build fine houses around the square. Some of them chose to stay further out and built thriving farms.

But there was a strangeness about the place. Mayhew never did say where Callie came from, though few even dared to ask. She was a wild child- her father’ pet. As she aged her horses became bigger and faster, and she could be known to charge thru the town scattering folks everywhere. When anyone complained, Mayhew just laughed. “She was born to it!.” he said. She became a stunning beauty, and her education consisted of whatever the traveling school master’s could teach her.

Anyway, I do go on. Tomorrow is the wedding of Adele Sophia Carruthers to Jacques Bearclaw Mayhew. Dellie came to me and asked about her ancestors and all the portraits all over the house and who they were. I have kept sort of a diary, but I have a clearer mind now than ever. I will be 100 on my next birthday, and so remember quite a lot. But what to tell her? The Carruthers have survived very well. Still great landowners; their solid investments had made the Carruthers Corporation very wealthy. But there was an incident many years ago involving Callie, Mayhew(1)first child, and a traveling adventurer. And where did Stuart Mayhew Carruthers come from? There were boys kidnapped by Indians, and boys who left to join them.And lots of folks who just mysteriously disappeared. Some reappeared many years later, but were close mouthed about their whereabouts. But I know their secrets. Should Sophie inherit those, too?

There are spirits here. You can call them ghosts if you wish. But I feel they’re more than that. Rather than walking the halls rattling chains, they seem to infuse us with their spirits, causing some of us to do things unheard of. How much should I tell her? How much does she need to know? She will eventually inherit this house. She is a Carruthers after all, and her children will be doubly blessed,(or cursed) as their father is a Mayhew.

So I will share with her what I know. And she will deal with it as best she can. She is, after all a Carruthers. That in itself should see her through...

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1 Comments
GoddessOfSoulsGoddessOfSoulsover 18 years ago
The Gift Of History

I really like the way you pass it on down and tie it all up, yet leave so much left to discover, well done my friend well done

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