Mandy's Roots

While in Washington DC I visited the The Library of Congress to conduct more research. I found incredible discoveries in the reference books, rare books, and manuscripts (three different sections of the Library of Congress). Some of my amazing finds include: a reference book about the founding of Washington DC where James Laurie’s contributions are discussed in several of the chapters, James Laurie’s personal book collection in the rare books with his signature written inside the books, and in the Manuscript Division I found letters written by him or about him, including letters to/from Dolley Madison (former First Lady, wife of James Madison) and Thomas Jefferson. The story continues to unfold…

The next stop on my family history research trip to Washington DC, was to the site where James Laurie’s church stood. When James Laurie was called to be the pastor of the church…there was no church. When he arrived to Washington City in 1803 he held Sunday services in the treasury building while he raised money to build a brick and mortar church. Between sermons he would travel, as far south as Savannah and as far north as Boston, to collect money for the church. Finally, in 1807, the F Street Church was built. It was located on the south side of F street between the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Street intersections - very close to the Treasury and the White House. It was in this church where he worked until his death in 1853. Next door to the church was the Willard hotel. After Laurie’s death, when the church merged with another church, the building was acquired by the Willard hotel. I visited the hotel and found a lovely little museum inside with historic photos and a timeline of the hotel. Unfortunately, I have not yet discovered any pictures of the F Street church, however my hunt continues…

My next adventure in family history has taken me to Washington DC, USA. I followed the roots of my Laurie line from Scotland to DC. James Laurie was born in Edinburgh Scotland in 1778 and emigrated to America with his bride on their wedding day when he was 24 years old. He came to America because he was called to be the pastor of a new Presbyterian church that was to be formed in the new capital city of the young country. It was called “Washington City” when he arrived in 1803, and none of the monuments that we know today were present when he arrived. My first stop on this research trip was New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Although the building that he worked in for nearly half a century is no longer around, I was able to visit the place the church is now. I had been in touch with the church historian who agreed to meet with me and share with me what he knows. I was blown away with all the information, stories, paintings, documents, and artifacts he had. I was able to see the Bible and cup James Laurie brought with him from Scotland, several oil paintings, a lock of his hair, and so much more. In addition, he provided me with a copy of their book, “Capital Witness” that tells the history of the church, as well as photocopies of all the research documents that were collected on James Laurie over the years. I feel like I have discovered a buried treasure!!! I am so thankful for Mr. Shabman and the NY Ave Presbyterian Church for preserving James Laurie’s history and sharing it with me.

This is a photo of my grandmother, Mary Charlotte Laurie. She was born in 1920, and although I am not sure of her age in this picture, I guess she is around four years old. If I am correct, that would make this frame and photo 100 years old, now in 2024. I decided to look at the back to see if any information was written on it that might give me more information about her age. Although I didn’t find what I was looking for, I did make another wonderful discovery! I see that the frame was from Chicago Portrait Company and cost $7.90. But the best discovery is the tape that was used to seal the photo in the frame. Her father, my great-grandfather William Smith Laurie, was an apothecary (pharmacist) and owned a drug store in the square in the center of their town: Marshall, Missouri. I have heard stories of the drug store my whole life, but it was gone long before I was born, so I never got to see it or meet him. My grandmother loved her daddy dearly and I always wished I had the opportunity to meet him. Discovering this tape from his business feels like a tiny window revealing a piece of him that I had never seen before. The tape reads:

W. S. Laurie
Everybody’s Druggist
“Profits Small, Business Great.
That’s the Way We Operate”
Phone 4
THANK YOU

My trip to Scotland has set me on a new family history quest! James Laurie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1778. In 1802, at the age of 23, he married Elizabeth Scott, and they headed immediately for America. He was called to Washington City (it wasn’t Washington DC yet) to establish the first Presbyterian church there. On the way they became stuck in Pennsylvania due to an outbreak of yellow fever, but fortunately neither of them were affected. Next they took a very long journey in a stage coach to finally make it to the city. He preached there for 50 years until his death in 1853. I am just starting to learn about his life during the 50 years he lived in Washington during the birth of our nation…and I think it is a very interesting story. More to come…

As I travel through Scotland on my quest to walk in the footsteps of my ancestors, I can’t help but wish I could touch these stones and travel through time, like Claire, and actually meet them. When researching people who are long dead, how do you ever truly know who they are? It can be frustrating when you travel the world in search of people you will never meet…but it’s certainly a fun adventure!