The Provo West Coop: The 2nd Site for the First Store in Provo (1860-1869)

The Provo West Coop on Center Street, originally the store of Andrew Jackson Stewart from 1860-1869 [1]

As early as 1853, Andrew Jackson Stewart, Sr. and his wife Eunice Pease Quinby Stewart ran the first store in Provo from their home, which was adjacent to the Public Square. In 1855 and 1856-1858, Andrew served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Eunice ran the business during his absence. [2]

The Stewart Home at 55 South 500 West, the first store in Pioneer Provo [3]

Upon returning from his mission to Australia in October 1858, Andrew resumed merchandising in Provo. [4] During his absence, the Utah Territory had been occupied by the US Army under General Johnston, based at Camp Floyd. Andrew saw this as a business opportunity and began trading with soldiers at the fort to obtain goods from the East in exchange for provisions and other necessities.

A.J. had some rather extensive business dealings with members of Johnston’s Army and was evidently told by Brigham Young to sell his pigs to them for $6.00 a piece, but to others for two. [5]

Camp Floyd in 1859 [6]

To expand and separate his business from his residence, Andrew obtained a property for a new store. The Deseret News of September 27, 1860 reports under “Improvements at Provo”:

Mr. A. J. Stewart is building a large store on Centre street. [7]

Once the building was completed, Andrew transferred his merchandising business from his Provo house to the new building, located at 466 West Center Street. Tullidge’s 1883 history of Utah describes it as “the first store of any importance in Utah County.” [8]

The earliest mention of the building in use is in 1861:

On May 4, 1861 the trustees and teachers of the Utah County schools held a convention in the new building that Benjamin Franklin and his brother Andrew Jackson had built in Provo. [9]

The withdrawal of the U.S. Army from Camp Floyd in July 1861 proved to be economically advantageous for Andrew:

When the army was leaving Camp Floyd, he purchased a great many horse and mule shoes, over a thousand wagons, guns and a great many other things, and engaged for a time in extensive wholesale and retail merchandising at Provo. [10]

Andrew and Eunice ran the store continued to run the store until Eunice passed away.

On June 30, 1868 his wife Eunice passed away with a severe case of pneumonia. She had never been robust, but was a capable manager and financier, helping her husband to accumulate and manage his property well. She was forty-three at the time of her death. [11]

 This 2003 photo shows the Provo West Coop building with the original 1890 trim at the top, which has since been removed. [12]

Around 1869 Andrew left the merchandising business and sold the store to the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church opened the Provo West Cooperative Mercantile Institution in the structure, better known as the “Provo West Co-op.” Around 1890 the building was remodeled to its current form.

The historic site plaque on the Provo West Coop building.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 21, 1996, and a plaque on the front reads:

Constructed c.1866 and remodeled c.1890, this building is historically significant as one of the oldest extant examples of stores that were developed in the cooperative merchandising movement sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during the late 1800s.  The cooperative system was devised by LDS church leaders in order to encourage trading among church members and to combat the increasing outflow of financial resources to non-Mormon businesses.  In 1869, this cooperative movement had its start in Provo with the formation of the Provo Cooperative Institution, which was later known as the East Co-op. The West Co-op was established later that same year in this building, which had been purchased from A.J. Stewart, a Provo merchant, who had built it about three years earlier.

Note: The year of construction ca. 1866 on the plaque and on the National Registry is incorrect as documented in the earlier statements; the correct year of construction is 1860, and this error has been communicated to The National Register of Historic Places: Division of State History.

The current structure is described as follows:

A two-story painted brick building, the Provo West Co-op is in relatively good condition today. The inside of the Co-op consists of wood and adobe. One bay deep and three bays wide, Tuscan columns built on pedestals surround the entryway, and the Victorian Eclectic style detail is evident in the double hung sash windows on the second floor. Dentils and consoles are symmetrically aligned on the cornice. Although changes have been made and the building does not retain its original integrity, it still preserves much of the character of the buildings of the late 1800s. [13]

The building is currently occupied by Foxglove, "a full service flower and gift shop located in historic downtown Provo, Utah." [14]

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[1] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Provo_West_Co-Op_Foxglove_(42047770702).jpg

[2] Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History p. 125

[3] The Daily Herald, Sunday, February 29, 2004. file:///C:/Users/stans/Downloads/ab3ee6ac44ada02c848c9e644ae06ea9149209d9.pdf

[4] Tullidge’s Vol. 3

[5] From a recorded interview by Hal G. Ferguson with children of Otto Ren Stewart.

[6] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/67/CampFloyd1.jpg

[7] https://newspapers.lib.utah.edu/details?id=2585093&q=stewart&parent_i=2585050 Deseret News, Sep. 26, 1860, Vol. 10, No. 30.

Correspondence. “Improvements at Provo.” The Deseret News, 26 Sept. 1860.

[8] Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine, Volume 3.

[9] Deseret News. May 4, 1861, p. 86.

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5824&context=etd

[10] From his Obituary. Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History p. 124

[11] Biography by Granddaughter Ida Christmas Stewart Peay.

[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provo_West_Co-op#/media/File:Provo_Cooperative_Mercantile_Institution.jpg
[13] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provo_West_Co-op
[14] http://foxgloveutah.com/about.html

The Stewart Home: One of the Earliest Houses and the First Store in Pioneer Provo

“Stewart Store: Andrew Jackson Stewart Sr. built this adobe building on 500 West across the street from Pioneer Park. It served as a house, store and a place for civic meetings.” [7]

Laying out the City of Provo

Regarding the establishment of Provo City, the Utah County Centennial History states:

William M. Lemon came from Salt Lake City and began the survey of Provo in the summer of 1850. The first stake was placed in the center of what was to be the Public Square – now Pioneer Park. He was assisted by Peter W. Conover as chain bearer. The northwest quarter of the city was surveyed, and one hundred and sixty acres were laid off into city lots. The work was continued by Andrew J. Stewart, Sr., in the spring of 1851, when a ‘city plot one mile square was surveyed, running eleven blocks each way with the public square in the center. A block was twenty-four rods square and contained eight lots, each being six by twelve rods.’ [1]

Tullidge’s 1883 history of Provo says:

The Main street running north and south, and Center street running east and west, being 8 rods wide, and all the other streets 6 rods wide, the public square being in the center of the city. [2]

An 1890 map of showing Provo at the intersection of Main Street (now 500 West) and Center Street. The original center of Provo was the Public Square, now Pioneer Park. The main street shifted to Academy Avenue (now University Avenue) with the growth of Brigham Young Academy [3]

The 1884 Utah Gazetteer states:

The town- site of Provo — in fact of nearly all the cities in Utah County — was surveyed by Mr. A. J. Stewart, and Provo became an incorporated city as early as February 6, 1851. [4]

Regarding the distribution of property, the Utah County Centennial History states:

In order that all might have a fair show in the selection of a city lot, after selecting the central location for the city public square and central school, the home lots were chosen by casting lots, all areas being numbered from one upward, written on slips of paper, shaken up in a box and drawn out. [5]

Tullidge’s 1883 History records:

The settlers soon commenced to build on their city lots, and during the fall many of them moved out of the fort into their own houses – the tier of blocks on the east side of Main street and from there west being the first ones improved. [6]

The Stewart Home

After completing the survey of Provo City in the spring of 1851, Andrew Jackson Stewart, Sr. obtained a lot adjacent to the Public Square. In an 1886 dictation, he states:

In the spring of 1851 I built the first house on the City Platt of Provo. [8]

The Provo Centennial History also records:

Jonathan Hoopes and Andrew J. Stewart, Sr., were among the first to build adobe houses of which a number were built in 1851. [9]

Another source, a manuscript history of Provo written on July 15, 1880 by Albert Jones states:

Ross R. Rogers built the first adobie house on the present site in the year 1851. [10]

Both claims may be correct, depending on what is meant to have “built the first house,” (i.e., the first house that started construction, the first one completed, etc.) but regardless, their houses were among the first twenty or so constructed in Provo, as documented in the Provo Centennial History:

By 1851 Provo began to wear the appearance of a town. One mile east of the Fort, about twenty homes were built, and in several of them private schools were being conducted. [11]

Andrew Jackson Stewart constructed his house, “across the street east from the Public Square (Provo Pioneer Park),” [12] and “next south to where Bullock’s hotel [stood].” [13]

1888 rotated map showing Bullock’s Hotel and the Stewart home. Left is North. The road at the bottom was Main Street, now 5th West, and the road at the left is Center Street. At the bottom is the Public Square. [14]

The house was built of adobe bricks and eventually became a “two-story adobe structure.” [15]

Andrew’s daughter, Eunice Lestra Stewart Morrison (1853-1941) stated in a 1936 interview:

In Provo blue clay was used to make sun dried bricks. Lime mortar was used even from the first. My father, Andrew Jackson Stewart, built the first adobe house in both Payson and in Provo. [16]

According to his granddaughter Ida Christmas Stewart Peay (1874-1948), the house was “located at 55 South 5th West Street, Provo." [17]


A Surveying Office

Andrew built the structure as both a “house and office;” [18] using the office while serving as the first Utah County Surveyor (1850-1854) and for later surveying contracts. [19]

Tullidge’s 1883 History states:

A. J. Stewart had been sent by Governor Young to survey Utah County, and he received his commission as county surveyor December 20th, 1850. He commenced surveying at Battle Creek, and found some surveys there and at American Fork, by Surveyors Lemon and Ira Eldredge, which Stewart finished and platted. His next work of surveying was at Provo and Springville, commenced by J. H. Dame, which he also finished and platted. He did nearly all the surveying of the county, including Provo, Springville, Lehi, American Fork, Mountainville, Pleasant Grove, Payson, and Santaquin, and went out of office as county surveyor in 1854. [20]

Andrew states in an 1886 dictation:

I was their County Surveyor and put this building up for an office. This office I held for five years. [21]

Land certificate issued to John B. Fairbanks by Andrew J. Stewart, Utah County Surveyor, for land in the Peteetneet survey, April 23, 1853. [22]

In later years after the railroad was built in 1871-1872, one history records:

Stewart often walked [from Payson] to his office in the county seat at Provo by following the railroad tracks to that city. [23]

The First Store in Provo

Andrew and Eunice previously operated a small store in Keg Creek, Iowa which they used to outfit pioneers for the journey west under the direction of Brigham Young. [24]

After becoming established in Provo, they began using their home as a store as early as 1853. [25]

Andrew was “the first merchant in Provo City,”[26] and “assisted by his wife, Eunice Stewart, he operated the first store on the town site.” [27]

The Stewarts employed a number of women, and Mrs. Stewart supervised them in the spinning and weaving of counterpane-bedspreads, blankets, table linen, and other articles which were sold over the counter to townspeople unable to spin and weave for themselves. [28]

A scarf woven by Eunice Pease Stewart, wife of A. J. Stewart in Provo on a hand loom ca. 1852. [29]

The children were involved with running the store. Andrew and Eunice’s daughter Eunice Lestra Stewart Morrison (1853-1941) recalled:

We ran a store. The first store in Provo. [30]

A manuscript history of Provo written on July 15, 1880 by Albert Jones states:

Thomas Williams built the first store in Provo City. [31]

These claims may be consistent with each other since the sources state that Andrew was the first merchant and opened the first store in his house in Provo, but that Thomas Williams may have built the first building dedicated to being a store. Andrew didn’t build a separate building as a store until 1860, so Thomas must have build a store sometime between 1853 and 1860.

In 1855, Andrew was called to serve a mission to Carson Valley, Nevada with Elder Orson Hyde of the Council of the Twelve Apostles. After returning from this mission later that year, he was called to serve as a missionary in the Australasian Mission, where he served from 1856-1858.

His wife, Eunice…carried on the business while he was away on two missions for the Church. She managed so well she was able to add five rooms to their home during her husband’s absence. [32]

Her journal entry dated November 23, 1856 describes building an addition to the house with “adobies,” clay bricks used in construction:

In October I sold my old cook stove to Thomas King for five thousand adobies and Br. Da. Carter sent John Miksell and Andrew Colton to lay up the adobies. The Brethren done their work very well. They began to [lay] the foundation on Thursday the sixth day of November and got done 15 day of November. Their work cost me 53 ½ in all besides the tenders or hands that waited on them.

The final documented evidence of the use of the Stewart home as a store before Andrew built a new building for the store was during the Pioneer Day celebrations in Provo on July 24, 1860:

Flags were also displayed from the stores of A.J. & B.F. Stewart, H. L. Southworth, Bullock’s hotel, and various parts of the city. [33]

A Meeting Place

One June 10, 1855, Elder George A. Smith, of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Elder of the settlement at Provo, approached Eunice Pease Quinby Stewart for permission to use the home as a meeting place for the High Council of Provo. Eunice’s journal states:

Br. G. A. Smith and Br. _____ (sic) came in to see us and wanted our prayer room for to hold prayer in. I told Br. Smith that we would be glad to have the brethren meet in our house.

Another journal entry from June 17, 1855 records:

The Brothers holding to the prayer circle met this evening and Br. Snow and dedicated our south room for prayer and expect to meet every Sabbath.

Jonathan Oldham Duke, a resident of Provo, wrote on July 16, 1855:

This evening met in Council with the Prest. Snow and the Bishops in our regular Prayer quorum at the home of Br. A. Jackson Stewart which quorum was formed nearly 2 years ago by Prest. G. A. Smith. [34]

Eunice’s journal entry from July 21, 1857 states:

The Second Seventies met at our house 21 day of July ’57.

With the occupation of the Utah Territory by the US Army under the command of General Albert S. Johnston, Elder Wilford Woodruff of the Council of Twelve Apostles moved into the Stewart home in 1858. Eunice’s final journal entry states:

Br. Wilford Woodruff moved a part of his family in our house on the sixth day of April and the rest on the 21 of May. He has 4 of the largest rooms. [35]

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[1] Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History, p. 58-59.

[2] Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine, Volume 3.
[3] https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4344pm.g088851890/?sp=7&r=-0.414,0.461,1.739,0.679,0
[4] https://archive.org/stream/utah1884/utah1884_djvu.txt
[5] Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History, p. 317)
[6] Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine, Volume 3.

[7] The Daily Herald, Sunday, February 29, 2004. file:///C:/Users/stans/Downloads/ab3ee6ac44ada02c848c9e644ae06ea9149209d9.pdf

[8] Dictation, Andrew Jackson Stewart. Benjamin, Utah, 1886. MS 8305. Bancroft Collection PF-56. Church History Library. UC Berkeley.

[9] Memories That Live: Utah County Centennial History, Daughters of Utah Pioneers of Utah County, 1947 p. 58. https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/28183/dvm_LocHist012132-00029-0/53?backurl=&ssrc=&backlabel=Return&rc=1744,650,1994,702;1416,649,1677,713;957,1398,1219,1453;1285,1400,1542,1453
[10] Utah Sketches: ms., 1880, Call Number BANC MSS P-F 10 v.1, pp. 53-64: “Provo County, Utah” by Albert Jones. July 15, 1880. UC Berkeley Bancroft Library.
[11] Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History p. 74
[12] Source: Heart Throbs of the West, Vol. 3 by Kate B. Carter, p. 265. 1948
[13] Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine, No. I, Volume III, October 1883, “History of Provo,” p. 252.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Tullidge_s_Quarterly_Magazine.html?id=lBXZAAAAMAAJ
[14] https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6ks72r2
[15] The Daily Herald, Sunday, February 29, 2004. file:///C:/Users/stans/Downloads/ab3ee6ac44ada02c848c9e644ae06ea9149209d9.pdf

[16] Interview of Mrs. Eunice Lestra Morrison (1853-1941). Utah Works Progress Administration. Historical Records Survey. Fechser-Utah-Pioneer Interview. Nov. 1, 1936. https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=698127

[17] Ida Christmas Stewart Peay biography of her father, Andrew Jackson Stewart, Jr.

Note: Even by 1890 the address 55 would have been the next block down from Bullock’s hotel!!!

According to his great-grandson Ray Stewart, the adobe house was located at 3rd South and 5th West but he may have confused it with his grandfather’s house, the Stewart Mansion.
[18] Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine, No. I, Volume III, October 1883, “History of Provo,” p. 252.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Tullidge_s_Quarterly_Magazine.html?id=lBXZAAAAMAAJ
[19] (The Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia , page 308).
[20] Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine, Volume 3.
[21] Dictation, Andrew Jackson Stewart. Benjamin, Utah, 1886. MS 8305. Bancroft Collection PF-56. Church History Library. UC Berkeley.
[22] John B. Fairbanks Land Certificate, 1853 April 23. Church History Library, MS 8795. https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/record?id=6f2ffb8f-8838-4850-a323-012230d9325f&view=browse&subView=arrangement
[23] Tales of Old Peteetneet by Madoline Cloward Dixon.
[24] Excerpts from the Memoirs of Granddaughter Roselle Judkins (1912-2015).
[25] Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine, No. I, Volume III, October 1883, “History of Provo,” p. 252.
https://books.google.com/books/about/Tullidge_s_Quarterly_Magazine.html?id=lBXZAAAAMAAJ
[26] History of Provo, Jensen, p.304.
Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History p. 125
[27] Source: Heart Throbs of the West, Vol. 3 by Kate B. Carter, p. 265. 1948
[28] Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History p. 125
[29] Peteetneet School Museum.
[30] Interview of Mrs. Eunice Lestra Morrison (1853-1941). Utah Works Progress Administration. Historical Records Survey. Fechser-Utah-Pioneer Interview. Nov. 1, 1936. https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=698127
[31] Utah Sketches: ms., 1880, Call Number BANC MSS P-F 10 v.1, pp. 53-64: “Provo County, Utah” by Albert Jones. July 15, 1880. UC Berkeley Bancroft Library.
[32] Memories that live: Utah County Centennial History p. 125
[33] https://catalog.lds.org/assets?id=1fbfc81d-d75e-4f61-a1b2-cc048381c0e3&crate=0&index=75
[34] https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/Diaries/id/3612/rec/2
[35] https://hickmansfamily.homestead.com/EuniceStewart.html

Court of Inquiry in the Case of 2nd Lt. Robert W. Stewart, July 15, 1931

Class B Reclassification Board Court of Inquiry Proceedings (July 15, 1931)

A board of generals met in Washington, DC on September 25, 1930 and after reviewing the efficiency reports of 2nd Lieutenant Robert Wilson Stewart, issued the following statement:

The board examined the record of Second Lieutenant Robert W. Stewart, Air Corps, and after mature consideration of the character of service rendered by him and his suitability of fitness as an officer of the Army from the date of his first commission in the Army of the United States, or any circumstances connected therewith, to the present date, is of the opinion that he should not be retained in the service. The board therefore classifies him in class B.

Robert writes:

Because of bad efficiency reports received at Rockwell Field a reviewing board placed me in class B. Following are the procedures which are self explanatory.

A Court of Inquiry in the Case of 2nd Lieutenant Robert W. Stewart was held at the Headquarters for the 6th Corps Area at 1819 West Pershing Road in Chicago, Illinois on June 15, 1931.

Allegations

Allegations against him included the following from his efficiency reports:

On October 7, 1929, his Squadron Commander, 1st Lieutenant F. B. Valentine gave the following assessment:

This officer is ambitious, serious, sober, painstaking. Indications are that there is something to be wished for in his judgement and common sense, but there is nothing to substantiate such an assumption at present. Additional age may clarify the situation.

In the next assessment given on January 6, 1930, Lieutenant Valentine wrote:

This officer has been sick or on sick leave during the major portion of the present reporting period. There is no change in my general estimate of him since the last report.

The Commanding Officer, Major Carl Spatz [1], added:

Concurred in, except in my opinion this officer is not entitled to the rating of Excellent airplane pilot and should be rated as Satisfactory only.

On the next efficiency report, Lieutenant Valentine wrote on March 31, 1930:

This officer tries to do what is expected of him. His personality operates to make it difficult for others to cooperate with him. The writer believes this fact will develop into a material obstacle to this officer’s success. There is nothing at this time of a specific nature to report.

The CO, Major Spatz, once again added:

This officer does not measure up to the standard of other officers in the group of similar length of service. Unless a marked improvement is shown, it is believed his future value to the service will be limited.

His new Squadron Commander, 1st Lieutenant Charles H. Howard gave the following assessment in the next efficiency report on June 30, 1930:

His manner of performance of duty has not inspired confidence in his ability. 

This officer is of a peculiar temperament and does not mix well with his fellow officers or have their respect and confidence. He exhibits no decided faults but has an unhappy faculty for doing things the wrong way. He has been taken to task verbally at least three times for minor infractions in the past two months. 

Not of a temperament or of sufficient experience to warrant his assignment to civilian components or contacts.

Lieutenant Howard also gave unsatisfactory ratings to Bob in handling officers and men, attention to duty, judgment and common sense, and leadership.

Bob was notified of the negative efficiency reports and replied through formal communications:

I can find no officer in this squadron whose respect and confidence I have not got, excepting Lt. Howard.

In a written statement, 1st Lieutenant J. B. Valentine admitted:

In view of the fact that this officer was a constant source of difficulty because of his inability to cooperate with other officers every effort was made to find specific issues upon which to base cause for his separation from the service. As stated in the efficiency reports enumerated above no specific data was obtained.

My opinion in this matter is that 2nd Lt. Stewart, A. C., is unfitted by temperament for the military service. This statement is founded on nothing of an opprobrious nature because it is believed this officer made every effort to overcome these troubles.

Bob noted that there was:

No data furnished on which to base deposition.

No evidence of specific acts indicating lack of cooperation.

No evidence of temperament unfitted for military service.

Another allegation brought up during the Court of Inquiry against Bob was that on June 1, 1930 at United Airport in Burbank, California, he was late and was running to his ship, delaying takeoff for all the airplanes a few minutes.

Cross-Examination of Witnesses

The Court of Inquiry cross-examined 12 officers who had served with, trained with, and instructed Lieutenant Stewart as witnesses:

Lieutenant Howard Eugene Engler rated Bob in the top 20 out of 78 students at Chanute Field, and described him as “outstanding.” He noted that Bob was not only involved in student work, but was also the assistant to the E&R Officer with the boxing team and fencing team, and that he handled those teams very well. He also mentioned that Bob was the editor of the field paper, mixes well socially and officially, is an excellent pilot, is involved in post activities more than the average officer, and was liked by his classmates.

2nd Lieutenant Arthur R. Maxwell, who was Bob’s roommate, rated Bob “well up in the top half,” and as a little above average. He mentioned that Bob was involved in lots of work outside school and does very well as an instructor in fencing. He observed good judgment and common sense. Regarding Bob’s flying abilities, Lieutenant Maxwell noted that Bob was an “excellent pilot,” and that he flew with him a lot and would “trust him under all circumstances.” He also mentioned that Bob was liked and popular among students and personnel. He continued by stating:

I have lived with him and I think some people find him hard to understand, but I have gotten along very well with him. He has been really a very conscientious student at the school. He has shown lots of initiative, came out and organized boxing, and fencing, and journalism classes among the enlisted men at the field, and created considerable enthusiasm in those subjects. He gets along very well socially, is well liked out in town as well as on the post.

2nd Lieutenant Lewis R. Parker, who had served with Bob in the same squadron at Rockwell Field, said of him:

I would rate him very high; I would say in the first quarter.

I would not hesitate to fly with him in close formation.

He described Bob as “liked and popular”. When asked by the prosecutor, “Do you believe that Lieutenant Stewart was in any way unjustly regarded with disfavor at Rockwell Field?”, Lieutenant Parker replied:

I believe he was. I do not know why, but I believe that there was some prejudice against him.

He also noted that the claim brought against Bob for delaying takeoff at United Air Port was false and the takeoff was not delayed.

Captain Thomas Voss, Captain, Bob’s instructor at the Air Corps Technical School at Chanute field and himself a pilot since 1908 stated:

I would like very much to have Lieutenant Stewart retained at Chanute Field as an instructor in the engineering schools, or were I in command of a tactical organization I would be very pleased to have him as Engineer Officer.

He continued to describe Bob as an “asset to a command”, and “decidedly above the average of pilots in the Air Corps.” Regarding Bob’s temperament, Captain Voss stated:

 I would compare him most favorable. He is very studious, quiet, goes about his work in a methodical manner. He has done exceptionally well in his work while he has been a student at Chanute Field.

I consider Lt Stewart rather an exceptional young officer. Having only two years commissioned service he is a good pilot, he is a good student, and will become an excellent engineer officer. His training has been such as especially fits him for duty as an engineer officer, and I would be very pleased to have him in any organization that I might command at any time.

In his interactions with others, Captain Voss noted that Bob mixes well with fellow officers, and was quite popular, being “exceptionally well” liked by fellow officers and ladies of the post. He also noted that he knew Lieutenant Howard and felt he would not be sympathetic with a young officer’s mistakes.

Captain Walter Bender at Chanute Field described Bob as average, and stated, “I consider he mixes extremely well, and attends all social functions.” He continued to describe Bob as “Neat, soldierly at all times, very courteous,” and stated, “I consider him valuable to the service as an officer; his future value to be great.”

Captain Simon Jacobson described his experiences with Bob, stating:

We eat together at officer’s mess, and at times after meals we sit around a while and talk or play a game of pool.

1st Lieutenant W.C. Farnum at Chanute Field related his experiences with Lieutenant Stewart:

In searching for someone to help out as boxing coach, his name was submitted to me as being interested in boxing; I think he had competed in the Military Academy, or at some place. I interviewed him and asked him if he would be willing to assist Lieutenant Forrest who was the boxing coach, and he said he would. So I had him employed as Assistant Boxing Coach and he has been doing that ever since. I then became acquainted with him because he started the fencing class. I had the fencing coach from the University of Illinois come out to give the men and officers who cared to take them, fencing lessons. Lieutenant Stewart immediately started to show a great deal of interest in fencing and was one of the most active officers in fencing down there. 

All his duties that he performed with me as Athletic Officer have been on his own time. He is not required to do it, and the work that he has done has been work that he has made for himself. 

I had a fencing coach who was transferred in April, and he recommended that I appoint an officer to take his place as fencing coach after he left. My opinion was that the man he recommended was not suitable for the job, so I asked Lieutenant Stewart if he would take it. He said he would be glad to. I said: 'You are already Assistant Boxing Coach.' He said, 'I can do both.' I thought he could and I gave him the job, and he did both. He has done both jobs very well.

As an example, he came to me and said the University of Chicago is having some fencing bouts. The Illinois State Fencing League was having fencing bouts with the University of Chicago. He said; 'These boys of ours have been working hard to learn fencing, and I think we ought to give them a chance to compete.' I said, 'Well, I do not know if we have enough funds to justify sending a team up there to represent us.' He said, 'I will take the team up and I will bear all the expenses myself if you will authorize me to do it.' I said, 'If you feel that way about it, go ahead, but how are you going to get them up there?' He said, 'Well, I will take my own car, and I will put them up at the YMCA and pay all their bills, their expenses, and pay the entrance fees.' I said, 'I think we can pay the entrance fees, and I will offer to reimburse you.' 

I guess it makes no difference that I did reimburse him. He took the men up there and he made a very creditable showing. I was there myself, acting as a judge, and the authorities from the University of Chicago, under whom the bouts were conducted, came to me and thanked me very much for bringing my team up. I said: 'I did not bring the team. Lieutenant Stewart is responsible for their coming up.'

Then later, the next week, we had some more bouts. These first bouts were for novices. The next were the Junior Foils. Lt. Stewart said he would like to take them up for those bouts but he could not go himself because he was ordered away on a cross country flight. He said if I would authorize the trip he would turn over his car and let the men go up and represent the Post at this second phase of the meeting, which they did, and they came out very well in that contest also. 

After he became coach we had in the neighborhood of thirty-five or forty men coming out every afternoon and evening whereas before that we had in the neighborhood of ten or twelve. 

If I can speak just my personal opinion it seems a shame that an officer like Lieutenant Stewart should ever come up before a Class B Board. I can’t understand it. I know a whole lot more ought to be here than he does.

Lieutenant James W. Brown described Bob as a little above average, and stated:

He is very active in athletics, sir. He is very easy to cooperate with, and such things as that, sir. All of his duties he takes care of well. He does his work well.

He noted that Bob served as the Assistant Boxing Coach on base, held a class in journalism, served as the editor of the weekly newsletter on base, and was the coach of the fencing team. He described him as a good pilot, stating, “I will fly with him anytime,” which he acknowledged as the highest compliment that can be given to a fellow pilot. Lieutenant Brown noted that he believed Bob was discriminated against by the Commanding Officer. He continued in describing Bob to the prosecutor of the improvements he noted in Bob while at Chanute Field:

I think he has improved quite a great deal, sir, in the fact that he mixes better. At Rockwell Field he was referred to something of what you might call a 'lone wolf.' He was a great deal by himself. But in the last nine months especially he has had a great improvement and has become very well liked and very popular with others.

The way I look at it sir, is that Lt Stewart having practically no military training except what he got in the flying school did not understand at first what it was all about, but as soon as he got on to the military life he did very well, sir. He improved a great deal.

I never heard anyone say anything against him at all.

Francis M. Ziegler rated Bob within the first quarter of officers and noted that he mixes with other officers better than average. Regarding his flying abilities, he stated:

I have not flown with Lieutenant Stewart since we were students at Kelly Field together, but I considered him an excellent pilot there. 

He continued saying:

I would not hesitate to fly with him under any conditions at any time.

I trained with Lieutenant Stewart at Kelly Field. We were students there four months, and I am sure that he was considered among the best students there as a cadet in the attack section.

He continued describing Bob, stating:

And at Rantoul he has taken an interest in Post activities, a voluntary interest in Post activities. I was a member of the fencing class which Lieutenant Stewart organized and instructed, and I also know that he coached boxing. Both of these activities were taken up voluntarily by Lieutenant Stewart, and he had splendid classes in them.

Richard C. Lindsay rated Bob within the upper 20 officers and described him as popular, stating:

I would fly with him as readily as I would with any pilot in the Air Corps. 

I would like to serve with him, sir. I have found him very interesting.

Major A. L. Sneed, who had served as the Commanding Officer at Rockwell Field from November 17, 1928 to September 9, 1930 described Bob stating:

He appeared to be somewhat timid, lacked aggressiveness. Of doubtful military value.

He did not compare favorably in respect to initiative, and leadership.

It would perhaps be difficult for an energetic, aggressive officer to cooperate with him.

He also noted that Bob was elected by fellow officers as Secretary-Treasurer of the Officers Club at Rockwell Field.

1st Lieutenant William L. Scott, who had known Bob at Rockwell Field, stated:

Lt. Stewart in my opinion was peculiar, in that he did not mix with the other officers of the squadron, many of them men that he had trained with and had known for some time. In fact he had no confidant that I knew.

Herbert W. Anderson, the Secretary of the Air Corps Technical School at Chanute Field, stated:

I have known Lt Stewart intimately since the middle of October, 1930, at which time I reported to Chanute Field, shortly after which time I was assigned to duty as Secretary of the Air Corps Technical School. In that capacity I have had a great deal of contact with Lt Stewart both professionally and personally. He has during the last several months come under my notice aside from the classification case perhaps more than any other student officer, all in a favorable manner. As Secretary of the School I am the custodian of the school records. Reference to these records shows that Lieutenant Stewart will graduate from the Maintenance Engineering course of the Air Corps Technical School as a fully qualified Maintenance Engineer, receiving his diploma on June 19, 1931.

His work in the Air Corps Technical School has been consistently satisfactory, without a single failure in any of his subjects. There have been in this year’s class eighty student officers. A check on the length of service of these officers shows that it averages about three and a half years. A check on Let Stewart’s service shows that he accepted his commission June 17,1929, and he has today two days less than two years service. As a young Air Corps Officer I would compare him amongst the eighty officers of three and a half years’ service, as standing well in the upper half, both from his characteristics as an officer and a gentleman, his professional attainments, his ability, his energy, his unusual initiative, and from a scholastic standpoint, because of the fact that he has successfully participated in and carried on, led four Post activities, and has as consistently maintained a satisfactory scholastic standing. All of these Post activities are not ordinarily demanded of a student officer.

Lieutenant Stewart has been outstanding in the class of student officers from his participation in Post activities and from his active participation in those activities. He does efficiently what is expected of him. He mixes well. He has, to my personal knowledge, attended every Post function held in the last six months; plays pool after mess daily with ten or twelve fellow officers; and as a participant in Post functions he is in demand. In addition he is a favorite among the ladies of the Post, both of the younger set and of the older married set.

Speaking still in the capacity of Secretary, I wish to tell the Court that within the last week two of the older married ladies of Chanute Field have come to my office knowing that I was acting as counsel in this case, and asked for the privilege of appearing before the Court to testify in Lieutenant Stewart’s behalf, stating that he has been unusually kind and thoughtful in personal and social contacts, and that they, together with others, wish to do all that they can for him.

Lieutenant Stewart has, to the best of my knowledge, the confidence, officially and personally, of all of his associates, including myself. He is, perhaps, one of the easiest officers of Chanute Field to cooperate with through his willingness and desire to enter in and carry on any activity of interest to his friends, himself, or to the command. In all of the contacts with which I have had anything to do with Lieutenant Stewart he has displayed good judgment and common sense. His outstanding personal characteristics are sincerity, intensity of purpose, reliability, his ability to remember once shown, and his concentration. It appears to me that Lieutenant Stewart is quiet and reserved, but upon becoming really acquainted he opens up and tends to become warmly enthusiastic, and once he makes a friend his loyalty is unusual.

From the point of view of my office, he has very good ability in handling officers and men. He has handled the School of Journalism, starting with about eight, and numbering now about twenty, entirely on his own, with no supervision on my part from my desk. His quality of leadership is unquestioned since he does habitually start something with officers or men, and invariably the number of men, or number of officers participating increases. From my personal knowledge of Lieutenant Stewart I should be very glad to have him in my command at any time in the future. It is my belief that Lieutenant Stewart has the required qualifications for duty with civilian components of the military service.

Commendation received from the Commanding Officer of Chanute Field on June 11, 1931

Forced Landing of a LB-7 Biplane Bomber

Yet another allegation brought up against Lieutenant Stewart during the Court of Inquiry was regarding a forced landing at West Haven, California on June 27, 1930. The report of the crew chief on the amount of gasoline taken on to resume flight indicated barely enough to complete the journey, which might have led to a second forced landing, with serious results. The crew chief noted that Bob’s reason for not taking on more gasoline was given as being on account of the high price of fifty cents per gallon. Such economy was not regarded as particularly good judgment by the crew chief.

During the Court of Inquiry, prosecutors questioned Bob about the forced landing of the Keystone LB-7 Bomber he was flying with 4 other crew members aboard during his time stationed at Rockwell Field:

Q          Lieutenant Stewart, will you tell the Court briefly the circumstances concerning a forced landing of a bombing airplane, mentioned in the deposition of Lieutenant Howard?

A          On a flight to Crissy Field from Rockwell Field of bombers, over the mountains one of my motors cut out suddenly. For a half hour I flew the ship on one motor, flying lower and lower, leaving the formation gradually. Finally, the other motor cut out altogether.

It was not only a great physical strain, but a great mental strain. I had with me two inexperienced men in the front of the ship, as well as an inexperienced reserve Officer and an inexperienced Crew Chief. By inexperienced I mean he did not know the ship. There are w??ole ??? in the lower part of the ship that you have to work when the gasoline pumps fail to function properly. These men did not know where the pumps were. I had to show them where they were. You can’t talk in a ship; you merely have to point? and? motion.

It was not only hard to show them what to do but how to do it and to do it rapidly. Not only that but the concern of the men with me was very nerve wracking especially when this last motor cut out just above the ground? where there was a 40-mile gale blowing.

I brought the bomber down safely. The country over which we had been flying was mountainous country with no place to land. There entered a question of judgment whether to leave the ship to tell these men to get out. It takes the man in the front part of the ship approximately three minutes to get out.

Q         You mean by “leaving the ship” jumping out with parachutes.

A          Jumping out with parachutes. They have to climb out in the back of the ship in the pilot’s cockpit, go out on the wing, and pull the parachute to escape the tail section.

After landing I asked the crew chief to look the ship over and tell me what it needed and I would wire back to Rockwell for it.

Now, there was no hurry about this. It was Saturday and the depot was closed until Monday. I waited for the crew chief to check the ship over and give me a list. I asked him to look at the list and see if it was all okay. Yes. By that time an automobile from one of the neighboring ranches just a few miles away came up, and I went over there and made a long distance call, sending the wire including this list the crew chief had given me.

Over there at the farmhouse there were gathered all the laborers from the field, and there was a lot of talk. They were asking me all sorts of questions and I was trying to make the long distance phone call, and I was distracted, as a result of which I made that error in the pumps.

Q         Lieutenant Stewart, what was your personal reaction, your nervous reaction after you brought the bomber down?

A         Naturally I was very nervous. It was quite an experience and very nerve wracking, to say the least. It is not as bad if you have a small plan and only yourself to depend on, but the lives of several men were at stake as well as many thousands of dollars worth of aeroplane, and it was very nerve wracking.

Q         What was the type of aeroplane you had?

A          A bomber, L-B-7.

A Keystone LB-7 Bomber [1]

Q         What at that time was the price, as far as you know, the cost to the Government of the L-B-7 bomber?

A         I believe around $80,000, I am not sure.

Q        You felt then that you had through the exercise of good judgment, instead of bailing out and having your men jump out with parachutes, that you had possibly saved the lives of all the men, brought them down in good country, and had saved the Government and $80,000 airplane?

A        Yes, sir.

Q       Did you consider afterwards that sending a telegram asking for water pumps for an air-cooled engine was a great sin when you compare that with what you had done?

A       No, sir.

The Telegrams sent by Lieutenant Stewart

Q         Lieutenant Stewart, a remark in one of the depositions stated that you bought only enough fuel, gasoline, to get back to San Diego, and the remark involved your judgment in doing that. What have you to say?

A         I had about fifteen minutes or twenty minutes over, sir.

Q        A twenty minute reserve?

A        Yes, sir.

Q       How long was the flight in hours?

A       The flight was approximately an hour and twenty-five minutes, not very long. The country was level after we left the mountains during the latter part of the flight, so that a plane could be set down any place, and there was no excuse for further expenditures for gasoline.

Q      You apparently bought a 25 percent reserve.

A       Approximately, yes, sir.

Q      Is that customary?

A      Under the conditions, yes, sir.

Q      If you skimped in buying gasoline, why did you do so?

A      That is hardly skimping on gasoline. I knew my country very well. I knew where I was going. The weather was perfect. One could land any place the latter part of the journey. The country was level and there was no danger involved there.

Q      That answers the question.

Regarding this incident the cross-examination asked him:

Q       After this accident to your ship, when it had been repaired, did you take the ship and the men to Rockwell Field?

A       Yes, sir.

Q       Did you get there all right?

A        Yes, sir.

Q        No trouble at all?

A         No trouble at all.

Q        You had gasoline to spare when you got there?

A         Yes, sir, after I got there.

The prosecutors continued to question Bob about how he was treated by senior officers:

Q         Lieutenant Stewart, do you feel that while at Rockwell Field at certain times, certain periods of your service there, that you were regarded with disfavor unjustly by any officer at Rockwell Field? 

A         Yes, Sir. 

Q         By whom? 

A         I believe it originally started with Major Spatz. We took a flight to Los Angeles to open Mills Field. Congressman James went along. The officer who was our Group Historian was not along and Major Spatz asked me to write up an account of the affair, which I did. I submitted it to him within the next few days, and he appointed me the Group Historian. That position necessitated writing back to Washington for all the back history of the 95^th Pursuit Squadron, the 11^th Bombardment Group, and the 7^th Bombardment Group, unites represented at the field there. Naturally, it took some time for the letter to go back to Washington, and for them to get this information and send it back. In fact, some of that information is just getting there now, according to the officer who has that position. 

Major Spatz seemed to think I was neglecting my duty as Group Historian. I had several other post jobs at that time. It seemed to me that he tried to make an example of me, and worked through the younger Commanding Officers, meaning Lieutenants Valentine and Howard. Personally I have nothing against any of them. I seemed to get along well with them, but I had to do all the cooperating from that time on. 

Q         Lieutenant Stewart, do you feel that in this connection you were discriminated against? 

A         I believe I was, sir. 

Q        With relation to the treatment of other officers?

A        Yes, sir. 

Q        Lieutenant Stewart, do you feel that you were misunderstood at Rockwell Field? 

A        Yes, sir, because I did not mix as much with the officers in Rockwell Field as I do here. 

Q       To what do you attribute the fact that you did not mix? 

A        I was going to school at the time over in San Diego, using all the spare time I could to further educate myself as an army officer, taking these law courses and courses of similar nature, and I was not on the field much. I did not go on their parties, many parties. Wherever their parties occurred over a weekend I was usually present, but on afternoon parties and parties like that I was usually in school.

Regarding this Court of Inquiry, Bob stated:

Lt. Anderson acted as my counsel and did an excellent job. The board did not concur in any of the bad reports except that National Guard and Reserve Officer’s duty should not be given me. However, two superior reports have been given me for National Guard duty and the Reserve Officers at the camps claim that both camps excelled any camps that they had attended. They selected me when many other officers were available.

All allegations against him were “Not concurred in” by the Court and were dismissed, excepting the statement “Not of sufficient experience to warrant his assignment to civilian components or contacts,” since Bob had only been an officer in the Army Air Corps for less than a year when the negative efficiency reports were given and was only two years in at the time of the Court of Inquiry.

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[1] Major Carl Andrew Spatz became a General and was the Chief of Staff of the USAF in 1947.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keystone_LB-6#/media/File:KeystoneLB7oak_(4477474236).jpg

How I Learned from DNA Testing that I'm Descended from a Medieval Scottish Patriot

The arms of Sir John Stewart as shown in "The Collins Roll" of 1296 [1]

While growing up, I was told that I’m descended from a Scottish baron named Walter FitzAlan (ca. 1110-1177), the first High Steward of Scotland, as most with the surname Stewart are. But the succeeding generations were unknown due to the many descendants on various lines.

The farthest back we can go in an unbroken chain on my patrilineal line is 300 years – back to my 6th-great grandfather, Alexander Stewart (ca. 1675 – 1742) of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, a tenant farmer who immigrated to the American colonies, and from whom I inherited my surname - and my middle name.

This leaves a gap of over 550 years between the birth of the first High Steward of Scotland, and my earliest ancestor I can trace. To complicate matters, there are many branches of the Stewart family: the Stewarts of Appin, the Stuarts of Bute, the Stewarts of Atholl, the Royal Stuarts, and many other lines.

A desire to understand my patrilineal origins has always been a matter of great interest to me.

Several years ago I read about a DNA study:

In January of 2014, It was announced that a DNA study of the sons of Alexander, 4th High Steward of Scotland, Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll and James Stewart 5th High Steward of Scotland, had resulted in a new finding for those lines. These findings stated that Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll’s descendants tested positive for SNP S781 (S781+) and the descendants of his older brother James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland do not test positive for this SNP S781 (S781-). The findings also advised that this SNP was not found in Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll’s father Alexander, 4th High Steward of Scotland, thus making this a mutation unique to Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll and his descendants. Because of this, the descendants of both lines can be clearly identified. [2]

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) S781 is a genetic marker on the Y chromosome, which is passed from father to son. Over time, mutations (genetic markers) occur on the Y chromosome, which continue through succeeding generations through the male line.

Sometime after learning about this study, I went to FamilyTree DNA to order a Y-DNA test, along with a test for the presence or absence of SNP S781. I tested positive for SNP S781 – indicating that I am a direct patrilineal descendant of Sir John Stewart of Bonkyl (d. July 22, 1298). From him I inherited my surname and my Y chromosome – the determining factor in a male.

Sir John Stewart was the brother of the 5th High Steward of Scotland, and he was a major figure in the First War of Scottish Independence against the aggressions of King Edward “Longshanks” I of England, “the Hammer of the Scots.” He was ultimately killed at the Battle of Falkirk on July 22, 1298, when the Scottish army led by himself, William Wallace, and John Comyn, was overwhelmed by the invading English army.

This finding also filled in 5 generations prior to Sir John, including his great - great grandfather, Walter Fitz Alan, and confirmed that I'm a patrilineal descendant of the first 4 High Stewards of Scotland.

However, there are several branches of Sir John's descendants, including the Stewarts of Appin, the Royal Stuarts, and others, so I still wasn't sure which line I come from.

On FamilyTree DNA I found a group called “STEWART (S781+)” and joined it since I tested positive for that genetic marker. The "About" page states:

SIR JOHN STEWART'S PATRILINEAL DESCENDANTS PROJECT. 

This project concerns researches on Y-Chromosome, and especially Y-SNP S781 downstream mutations.
Disclaimer : The condition for joining this project is to be tested positive for Y-SNP S781.

I took another test – this time more costly, the Big Y DNA test through FamilyTree. Without going into the specific genetic markers, this subsequent testing for other SNPs, as well as for short tandem repeats (STRs) revealed more about my family line. A couple of my distant cousins have done excellent research on the correlations between genetic markers and different branches of the family and continue to make exciting discoveries.

For years I thought I most likely belonged to the Stewart of Appin clan. But in February of 2019, I learned from genetic markers that I am not a Stewart of Appin, since I had tested positive for another genetic marker that is absent in the Stewart of Appin descendants. As recent as April 2019, research on additional genetic markers strongly suggests that I’m descended from the Stewarts of Darnley through the following line of descent:

• Sir John Stewart of Bonkyl (d. 1298)
• Sir Alan Stewart of Dreghorn (1272-1333)
• Alexander Stewart of Galston and Darnley (1320-1374)
• Alexander Stewart of Darnley (1342-1404)

This has reduced the gap in my unknown ancestry from 550 years to 300 years, and for the first time in my life, I know which branch of the clan I come from.

Historical figures descended from Sir John Stewart who also inherited the SNP S781 genetic marker on their Y chromosome (and who came from the Stewart of Darnley line) include:

• Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, the first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, and their son,
• King James I, the first monarch under whom the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland were united, who also commissioned the translation of the Authorized King James Version of the Bible into English, and his 3rd great-grandson,
• Charles Edward Stuart, “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” who led the failed Jacobite rising of 1745 as a claimant to the throne.

My next step is to take the Y Elite Ancestry Test through the Full Genome Corp Company to help identify new genetic markers on my Y chromosome that can be used in future research. My hope is that subsequent research will be able to fill in more generations to reduce, and eventually bridge that gap so that future generations of my family can understand and appreciate more about where they come from.

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[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20160629082243/http://www.briantimms.fr/Rolls/collins/collins09.html No. 401

is was previously proposed by Bruce A. McAndrew in his "The Sigillography of the Ragman Roll," 1999.

[2] https://www.stewartsociety.org/bannockburn-genetic-genealogy-project.cfm