Stewardson Family Homes (Site)

These coordinates mark the site where several family homes stood along Potter's Lane. No visible remains exist.


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2008 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

Stewardson Family Stories
by Joyce Stewardson Young and Barbara Stewardson Wassom

The Stewardson Family lived on Potters Lane and two sisters from the family submitted stories about growing up in Franconia. Here are some excerpts from their stories, both of which are featured in Franconia Remembers Volume IV.

The Pig Trip:
Now and then Daddy put us in the car and headed for Rockfish to visit with family there. We didn’t make the trip often because, Number One, Daddy didn’t travel well with us kids, and Number Two, Route 29 South was one lane in each direction in the mid-1940s. There were many very steep hills, and the number of hills increased the further south we traveled. To make traveling matters worse, tractor trailers used that route to get to Lynchburg, Danville and beyond. On one such summer trip, Daddy planned to bring a pig back to Franconia to fatten up and butcher in the fall. Of course he was thinking bacon, ham and scrapple would make the trip worthwhile. The pig in a crate was successfully loaded into the trunk of our car. The trunk was partially secured to ensure the pig got air and the crate stayed put. Once out on Route 29 North, the trip back home was underway. All went as expected. Moving out on the downhill. Chugging uphill. At one point, we got stuck for miles and miles in a long line of traffic behind a tractor trailer going uphill. Remember, it was summertime. We smell the pig. Daddy was not happy! He was yelling for us to quit pulling on and kicking the back of his seat. He wanted to break loose and pass all the traffic, including the tractor trailer, but never felt he had a safe opportunity. Perhaps because he was more desperate than Daddy, somehow the driver in the car immediately behind us made a break for it. As he passed us, the passengers in his car were holding their noses and waving goodbye. At home, the pig was fattened, butchered and eaten. Apparently the thought of bringing home another pig never seemed like a good idea to Daddy.

Trip to the Store:
On Saturday nights, Daddy drove us to G. C. Murphy’s Dime Store on King Street in Alexandria, and to the A&P Grocery Store on the hill. (That hill completely disappeared. Nobody knows where it went.) Mama shopped while Daddy stayed in the car with us. Before she returned to the car, we were arguing and crying. More often than not, one of us was wet and maybe even poopy. Daddy’s patience wore thin as each of us pulled or kicked on the back of his seat. Our behavior caused him to call us heathens, but we knew he loved us. During wartime, some foods were rationed and coupons were required to make purchases. When the line to the meat counter was long, and Mama was near the end of the line, she ended up with a less desirable cut of meat. After spending an hour in the car with the kids, Daddy did not want to hear that report. Before the trip ended, and when back at home, we heard what we later learned to be “sailor talk.” Unloading the groceries at home, Bobbie looked for the clear plastic bag which contained two ingredients—a white mass and a capsule containing a yellow substance. She liked breaking the capsule and kneading the mass. Alas! Margarine.

The Night the Roof Leaked:
While our house was under construction, it was not uncommon for there to be leakage during a rainy spell. One rainy occasion before Daddy came home from work, the roof started leaking. Mama pulled a tall stepladder to the rafters, climbed to the point of leakage and seated herself on the rafter. Situating a bucket under the leak, she looked down and realized she didn’t have the stomach to turn around and step down onto the ladder. She sat up on the rafter and cried until Daddy came home a short time later. Tommy, barely more than a toddler, looked up at her and laughed, and that is exactly what Daddy did when he got home.

Returnable Pop Bottles at Fitzgerald’s Store:
Growing up in Franconia was an idyllic existence. Children were free to roam the entire community, play with all the other children, and return home just for meals—before leaving again. Riding bikes, or on foot, visiting friends was such a simple process. No need to arrange “play dates,” mothers went about their daily chores without having to provide taxi service for their children, and concern for children’s safety was limited primarily to falls—off bikes, out of trees, off roofs, etc.

All of this was possible, of course, because Franconia was a “community,” a place where adults looked out for all children, not just their own. Fitzgerald’s Grocery Store was the hub of the community for many of us. The store was operated by Berry and Clare Fitzgerald and his son, Lynn. Because he was younger, Lynn was the one most of us wanted to deal with. He let kids be a little bit rowdy, noisy, and indecisive about candy choices.

My cousin, Tony Morris, is just one month older than I. We both lived on Potter’s Lane, and therefore, spent most of our time together. We scavenged through the dump between the end of Potter’s Lane and Beulah Street, for treasures; we picked wild strawberries in the field behind our property; we picked grapes along the fence line on Potter’s Lane; and collected soda bottles from the side of the road. The treasures from the dump were brought home as gifts for our mothers. The strawberries and grapes were mostly eaten as they were picked, but some were taken home for the rest of the family. The soda bottles were redeemed at Fitzgerald’s for two cents each. Tony and I discovered that there were sodas bottles stored behind the store, and decided they were lots easier to collect than those on the roadside. A couple of times we went behind the store, put ten or so bottles in our wagon, pulled them around to the front of the store, and sold them back to Lynn. I’m pretty sure Lynn knew where the bottles came from, but he never accused us of stealing them. We felt pretty guilty though, and only did it two or three times.

Editors note -- this was not the only story about pop bottles being returned multiple times to Fitzgerald’s store, Lynn evidently bought the same bottles over and over many times.


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2009 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

FRANCONIA MUSEUM HELPS RECONNECT THE STEWARDSON FAMILY:
Franconia History Day was held at Franconia Elementary School on November 8, 2008. Franconia Museum memorabilia on display included school pictures of yesteryear and old family photos. Copies of Franconia Remembers, Volumes I, II, III, and the newly-published Volume IV were on sale. It was a mesmerizing day for those who attended, especially those who chose to recall their years in Franconia. Visitors to the event were delighted to learn all about the Museum. It proved to be a wonderful event for the Stewardson families who grew up on Potters Lane from 194l, until the mid-80s.

The first generation of Stewardsons moved to Franconia in the late 1930s. Matt and Cleo Stewardson, of the second generation, built their home on Potters Lane in Franconia during the 1940s. The third generation of Stewardsons (Joyce, Janice, Tommy and Barbara) grew up on Potters Lane. When Matt and Cleo left Franconia in 1960, Joyce and her family lived there for a short time. Her brother, Tommy, and his family moved there in 1962. Tommy died of cancer in 1977, at 39 years of age. His wife, Jean, and their five children the fourth generation), Lynda, Alan, Connie, Robin, and the youngest, Charlton (only eight years old), continued to live on Potters Lane, until developers bought the property in the 1980s. They married, and like generations before them left Franconia. They worked and were involved in school activities and children’s sports, while the older generations struggled with ill health and death issues. It became increasingly difficult for families to stay in touch. There were visits, telephone conversations, and, ah, yes, funerals, but these contacts were few and far between. Sadly, there was little or no opportunity to share stories or to compare tales of the “good old days.”

In May 2008, Cleo, Joyce and sisters, Janice and Barbara visited the Franconia Museum for the first time. Excitedly, Joyce and Barbara wrote stories for Franconia Remembers, Vol. IV, describing their experiences in the community during the 1940s and 1950s.

On November 8, 2008, Charlton Stewardson (now approaching his 40s and living in Spotsylvania County) happened to drive to Franconia. Noticing traffic around the elementary school he stopped, and went inside to find that Franconia History Day was being celebrated. He found his dad’s third grade picture hanging on the wall, and took a picture of it because he had not seen pictures of his dad when he was young. He relished in the fact he was walking the halls of the school his father had attended. He looked through the four volumes of Franconia Remembers, and found that Volume IV included stories written by his aunts, Joyce and Barbara. The stories included pictures of all the Stewardsons who had lived in Franconia over the years. He fondly realized he had lived his young years growing up in the house his grandfather built. He realized too that Louise and Buddy Potter had watched two generations of Stewardson children grow up across Potter Lane from their house. Charlton bought Volume IV of Franconia Remembers and shared it with his family. He e-mailed Joyce to express their delight with his “find.” Joyce immediately contacted her sisters, Janice and Barbara, and they celebrated with tears of joy. Their mom was excited too to know that contact was reestablished between her family members.

“The museum has gone on record as having “Historic Preservation” as one of its primary missions. Helping preserve family history and family ties is a mission that we had not previously considered; but may be just as important as creating monuments or saving historic sites.”


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2014 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

The Long Arm Of Franconia On The Internet And The “Franconia Museum’s” Page On Facebook and “I Grew Up In Franconia” This column is copied exactly as it was posted on Facebook … no corrections were made.

Charlton Stewardson:
"I started looking through all of the posts and recognize so many names. I remember my mom mentioning the Pole Dance at Franconia when she was a little girl and my older sister remembers going to the Fitzgerald’s store with a note so she could pick up a pack of cigarettes. I lived on Potters lane across from Herb and Louise Potter. Moved away in 1988. What a great place to grow up!"

Bill Mapes:
"When did you move to Potters Lane? I remember the Stewart's living across from the Herb and Louise Potter. The Greene's also lived between the Stewart's and the Potters. On one side of Potters lane was all Potter families the other side was the Shifflets, Stewarts and Greene's. I lived at the end of Potters Lane on Franconia Road in the Green house."

Charlton Stewardson:
"I lived right next door to the Shiffletts, My 6411 Potters Lane. My Grandfather Matt Stewardson built the house early 1940ish. My dad was Tom Stewardson."

Bill Mapes:
"Did you have a sister named Pam? I do remember your home now. Didn't it have a fenced in yard? Everything on that side of Potters lane is gone now. Some of the Potters are still there. You are right it was a great place to grow up."

Charlton Stewardson:
"Yea it was a chain link fence. My sisters are all under 50 and none named Pam. We were close in age to the Troy Shifflett Mable and jimmy's youngest Son"

Bill Mapes:
"I am 66, Twinkle and I were good friends. Gene Dunnick, Twinkle and I were good friends. Herbie Potter and I were fishing buddies. All three are deceased now and I do miss them. Franconia was much smaller than."

Charlton Stewardson:
"Yea ... I knew Twinkles Daughter Candy. She passed away a couple of years ago. I am 42. I remember the Greens and Stewart houses. At the top of the street across from the potters lived Mr Estes he was the uncle if Jeter Morris which is a cousin of mine somehow. Mable Shifflet lives in Standardsville and her husband Jimmy passed away years ago"

Bill Mapes:
Thanks, I knew about Mr and Mrs Shiflett. Mrs Shiflett has outlived two of her sons (Twinkle & Larry) and a grand daughter. How sad and what a strong lady. A very nice family. If I recall...Twinkle (Jimmy), Lynn, Larry, Wayne and Troy. The youngest two probably don't remember me"


<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>
<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>•<•>

Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2015 edition of the "Franconia Legacies" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

Joyce Stewardson Young—New Board Member
Written by Carl Sell

Joyce Young may have a Woodbridge address, but her heart and pleasant memories are all in Franconia. The Franconia Museum is proud to welcome Joyce as the newest member of its Board of Directors.

She went to Franconia Elementary School and then Mount Vernon High School, graduating in 1953. Joyce grew up in a house that her dad built, room by room, just off Old Franconia Road not far from today’s Government Center and the Museum. Matt Stewardson and his wife Cleo raised four children there.

He also built, renovated and sold a house nearby and renovated two rundown properties in Orange County, never borrowing a dime! You’d have to have experienced the Depression in order to understand the significance and the pride that goes with that statement! The first house he bought in Orange, situated on 50 acres, became the growing family’s favorite escape for 60-plus years. The other house in the country was renovated and sold.

The big day in the Stewardson home came when dad finished the second floor of the home place in Franconia and the girls, Janice, Barbara and Joyce, an eighth-grader, moved upstairs. Brother Tommy stayed downstairs. That’s the way families grew in Franconia back in the good old days.

After high school, Joyce worked three years for lawyers in Alexandria before starting a Federal career as a secretary for the Department of Defense. She continued her education and advanced to personnel specialist/civilian personnel officer before retiring after 41 years with the Federal government.

She married Marshall Freeland from Engleside in 1956. They had a son Timothy in 1958 and a daughter Cynthia in 1961. Marshall died of a heart condition in 1970. Tim’s daughter Ashley and Cindy’s daughters Bridgette and Misty and sons Jason and Justin help keep grandmother busy in her retirement years.

In 1980, Joyce married Hoellman (Bob) Young, who she knew from Franconia Elementary and Mount Vernon High School but had never dated. He joined the Navy for two hitches and then became a civil engineer for the District of Columbia government. In 1967, Bob moved to Indiana and worked for the highway department there until 1979. Then it was back to Virginia where he reunited with Joyce at a high school class picnic and they were married in 1980.

Joyce’s love for Franconia and her friends drew her to the Franconia Museum. She and Bob have been regular supporters of Museum events for several years. So, it finally dawned on all of us that we ought to make Joyce’s efforts official and she was unanimously elected to the Board. We look forward to having Joyce share her energy to help make our Museum even better.