Fifty Years of Payne Journeys to North America,
1890-1892 : Chicago, Pullman & the Worlds Fair
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Instead, he settled down in St. James' Road, Normanton, and concentrated on making a life for himself there. In the 1880s he built about fifty houses, which must have assured him a fairly good living. Then in 1885 he was appointed Vaccination Officer for Derby Borough. However, his sons were growing up. In 1889, his second son Charles Hallam Payne (1870-1960) was thinking about emigrating to New Zealand with a friend, but "other bloke backed out so Hallam went to Chicago." He managed to extract some glowing testimonials from the Deputy Chief Constable and the rector of Normanton in August 1890, and left for North America very shortly thereafter. |
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Rector of Normanton |
Click on the images to view more details |
the Deputy Chief Contsable |
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By December that year Hallam was working for the Pullman Car Company in Chicago. In a letter to Hallam in Roseland [Chicago] dated 12 January 1891, Henry refers to his son's letter of 28 December, which unfortunately no longer exists. However, a large format pictorial book about Pullman which obviously accompanied the letter - as Henry refers to it, "Your letter of December 28 just to hand. Thanks for your book of Pulman." - has survived. |  |
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Collection of Brett Payne |
Collection of Brett Payne |
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It is also apparent
from the content of Henry's letter that he is not living in the town of
Pullman, but was boarding in the nearby suburb of Roseland, with someone
originally from Derbyshire, although this person's name is not mentioned.
Henry also mentions a "Mr. Butler & Tom" - presumably also from
Derbyshire - with whom Hallam appears to have stayed earlier. Henry
considers his son to have done good in landing the job with Pullman: "I
think you have managed very well to get in where you are so comfortable,
& I should advise you if suited to stay there permanently, not minding
the little extra money you might get on other jobs."
Image of map at left from article by Ely, Richard T. "Pullman: A Social Study." Harper's Magazine 70 (February 1885): 452-466. By kind courtesy of John W. Reps |
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In 1890 and early 1891, Charles Vincent Payne (1868-1941) was working as a joiner/carriage finisher, presumably for the Midland Railway works nearby. On 18 May 1891 he married Amy Robinson, daughter of a local policeman, at St. Thomas Church in Litchurch, Derby. Charles Vincent, Amy and Frank arrived in Baltimore from Liverpool aboard the S.S. Nova Scotian on 10 June 1891, so they must have left very soon after. The passenger manifest shows their intended address as Pullman, Illinois - presumably since that is where brother Hallam was working. It is interesting that CVP described himself as a mechanic, and Frank as a clerk. |
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| The following account is an extract from notes taken by CB Payne from an interview with his great-uncle Hallam in 1959: |
Photo taken August 1891 by Harrison & Coover, Central Music Hall, State & Randolph Streets, Chicago. Collection of Brett Payne |
| "After one
year Vincent, newly married, came out and for some time was jobless. Eventually
got job, was to go with a troupe touring States as a singer. They fell
on CV as makeshift - but the other fellow turned up so that was off. CV
gets along with a man one of these variety artist blokes who had been an
Arizona cowboy - he did tricks and Frenchman who did vanishing lady. Went
round village in Illinois, CV handing out bills in am [morning]. After
show was over fetch bills back. Frenchman used to go to next place and
spout about the show. They went to a place called Warconder, 10 miles from
Chicago. Hallam wanted to know whether CV wanted to go into fresh lodgings
or a flat. So Hallam went by train to Warconder - but they'd left for Machenry
10 miles further on, so lodged in ice cream saloon for the night. Proprieter
drove Hallam to Machenry at 5 am the following day. CV decided to take
flat and told Hallam that at last place's performance they'd pinched Hall
curtains. Followed by sheriff's posse. A black man called Whistling Bird
joined troupe and CV left. To get back he got up on gravel truck with only
a roll of music. Arrived early am. Got flat next day. Frank [his younger
brother] was there then having come over with CV and wife. Frank and Hallam
slept on mattress in front room. Heard burglars trying to get in a couple
of nights. Sat up one night - but went to sleep, and then there was revolver
shot. CV had shot at shadow on window frame, hitting frame. The burglars
tried again and we told police - but they were never caught. At this time
Hallam was joiner at Pullman Car Co."
The photo of Charles Vincent Payne shown at right was taken by Harrison & Coover at the Central Music Hall in Chicago in August 1891. At least two copies survive. |
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On 9 April 1892, Amy gave birth to a son, Charles Leslie Lionel, at 10810 Curtis Ave, Roseland, Chicago. The birth record (at left) states that he was working as a builder at that time, so he probably never worked at Pullman. In the second half of 1892, Hallam was definitely employed at the Chicago World's Fair, or to give it it's proper name, The World's Columbian Exposition. "CV and Hallam worked on World's Fair, in dome of hortic building. Hallam's watch fell out and it dropped to bottom. Hallam jumped to next scaffold 6 feet down intending to slide down scaffold ..." The images above show the Horticultural building with people working on the dome scaffolding (at left) and the completed (at right). |
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Courtesy of Frank Wattleworth |
Hallam's employee's pass and union card (shown below) suggest that he worked at the site of the World's Fair from at least June until December 1892. |
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(Left) Hallam
Payne's Employee's Pass (No. 27516) for The World's Columbian Exposition,
dated 1st June 1892, and showing his employment as a carpenter (No. 571)
by Geo. Rumble, and coutersigned by Dion Geraldine.
Collection of Brett Payne |
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(Right) Hal.
Payne's United Carpenter's Council (Member of the Building Trades Council
of Chicago) Quarterly Working Card for Oct-Dec 1892 (No. 937), stamp for
D.J. Ryan of 440, Duncan park, (Fin. Secy.)
Collection of Brett Payne |
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D.H. Burnham |
Signatures on
the cards include those of well known Chicago architect and city planner
Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846-1912, Chief of Construction, at left) and Dion
Geraldine (General Superintendant, at right).
The World's Columbian Exposition opened in May 1893, by which time their employment on the site had presumably finished. Certainly by July 1894, when Charles Hallam Payne was married at St Mark's, Leicester, and Charles Vincent was a witness, they had obviously returned to England. CVP initially lived at 17 Hastings Street in Normanton, and was employed by his father to do the joinery and other building work at Crewe Street. |
Dion Geraldine |
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1880 : Farming
at Bladensburg
in Maryland |
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