52 Ancestors 52 Weeks - Longevity

I have in my family several Marriages that lasted into 60+ years.  I also have some relatives who lived 90+ years.

Most of my relatives who died in their 90’s are from my Grandparents generation.  My Grandmother, Isabella Tierney Moore died at age 90.  Her sister Frances Tierney Miller died at age 92 and her other sister, May Tierney Newman died at 98.

My Grandfather, John Nelson Moore, husband of Isabella, died at 91 and his sister Mary Moore Cosgrove died at 97.

Unfortunately, none of the next generation lived into the 90’s.

On my husband’s side of the family his mother’s generation had 3 sisters who made it into their 90’s.  Florence Wipf died at age 98.  Another sister Valentine Zito died at age 96 and the other sister Anna Galligan died at age 93.

My husband and I will celebrate our 60th anniversary next February so we will join the longevity club of marriages in our family.

 52 Ancestors 52 Weeks - Tradesman

My Great Grandfather, William John Mathers, was a boot maker by trade.

William John Mathers 1839-1902

(Only photo and best copy of William John Mathers)

William Mathers came from County Tyrone, Ireland in 1868. I have not found a ship’s passenger list indicating a particular date but his first son, James, was born in New York, 31 July 1868.

Every census from 1870 to his death in 1902 has him listed as a boot maker or shoe maker.  The New York City Directory lists him being a shoe maker.  The family lived on W. 28th Street in New York City for many years. In 1902 when William died he lived on E 28th Street in New York City. Relatives have said they lived either behind the shop or above the shop. He and his wife, Mary McCrudden Mathers, had nine children living in the small apartment by the shop. 

I once watched a movie called Hobson’s Choice made in 1954 with Charles Laughton  playing the shoemaker.  It was a wonderful look at the workings of a shoemaker and his shop back in the late Victorian era in England (1875-1901).

I believe that my grandfather’s shop was probably pretty much like that shown in the movie.  The shoes that were popular during his time were like boots.  Attached are some samples of the boots and shoes of that era.

Women’s Shoes c. 1880

Men’s Shoes c. 1880

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks - Flew the Coop

My Grandfather, John Moore, was born and grew up in Savannah, GA.  His father, Tristram Moore, was born in Moores Mill, NB, Canada as was his father, Horatio Moore. The family lived in Mobile, AL, New Orleans, LA, and Savannah, GA.

Tristram when in his teens and 20’s worked for a cousin in Louisiana.  Cousin, Frank Williams had the biggest Cypress Lumber Company in the south. Tristram did all odd jobs and piloting his boats, delivering the wood to customers up and down the Mississippi River.

He eventually moved with his parents and siblings to Savannah, GA.  His father, Horatio Moore, worked for the Ludden & Bates Music House tuning pianos.  Tristram also worked at the company tuning pianos.  At the Music House, Tristram met his future wife, Genevieve Counts.  On 4 October 1885  they married in Savannah. I found them as a family in the 1900 Georgia census with five children. In the 1910 Georgia census Tristram is gone.  Genevieve indicates she is widowed.

This is where it gets interesting. The story that came down through the family is that Tristram abandoned the family and went to sea.  In a year or two he died while at sea.

I have not found a death record for Tristram anywhere in the country, I have looked for years.  I think he left the family and went back to Louisiana and worked with the cousin.  I think Genevieve thought up the story to put her in a good light, indicating she was a widow rather than an abandoned wife.

I also think the children, who were in their 20’s by then, liked the idea that he died at sea rather than left them.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks - In The News

My husband’s Great Grandfather, Owen J. McDonald made the newspaper on  4 April 1883 in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York.

Owen J. McDonald born in 1850, was a butcher with a shop in the Washington Market.  The article says that on the morning of 25 February 1883 he left his residence at 163 Nineteenth St., Brooklyn, NY to go to his office to do the accounts.  

The police put out a search and found that he did go to his shop and did the accounts as he indicated was his plan.  He then went to a bar close by and had one beer, which people said was very unusual for him. After that he was found to have gone for lunch and the next and last time he was seen was at the waiting room of the Pennsylvania Railroad Depot in Jersey City.  The article gave a description of him and the clothes he was wearing.  This was a great find because we haven’t any photos of the man.

When the newspaper reporter spoke to the family, they said there is insanity in the family and maybe that is the cause of him wandering.

This was a very long article on 3 pages with lots of detail.  It mentions his wife and one of his daughters, Nellie.

I have not found another article that indicates that he was found.  I do have his death certificate dated three years later, 28 November 1896, he died of  Emphysema in Bellevue Hospital, New York City. I have come to the conclusion that he had the beginnings of Dementia at that time.  In the 1800’s they had no idea about the disease and thought the people were insane. 

 52 Ancestors 52 Weeks - Birthdays

Birthdays are so important to us now but in the past they weren’t celebrated as we do and they had no need to remember the date.  No drivers licenses, social security application, credit card applications.

My Grandmother, Mamie McGuigan Mathews, came to Ireland when she was about 20 and married. She never celebrated her birthday.  Her husband, William Mathews, was born in 1884, in New York and never celebrated his birthday either.

My other grandfather, John Moore born in Savannah, Georgia 1889 never celebrated a birthday.

Not until I was working on our family history and looked up the documents did I know when any of these relatives were born.

We found Mamie’s birth date when her daughter, Catherine (Kay) Mathews Hurley, sent for her birth certificate from Ireland so she could apply for social security under her late husband.  It turns out the husband and wife were both born on July 3, one in 1875 and the other 1884. There is still some question as to what year William Mathews was born, it was always July 3 but in the baptismal record in was 1884, in the WW1 draft record it was 1882 and his WW 11 draft record it was 1883.  They could have celebrated together all those years.

John Moore’s birth date was July 2, 1889.  The document never came to be because Savannah, GA did not require any documentation until 1919.  I found his date from the Social Security Application he filled out in 1936 when they became available.  I did eventually find his baptismal record to confirm this date.

We make birthdays real special these days, which I am very happy about.  It is an important date in our lives.

 52 ANCESTORS 52 WEEKS - BRICK WALL

My brick wall, or research that has come to a halt is headed by John Murphy born about 1853 in Ireland and his wife, Honora Quinlan born about 1852 in Ireland.

They both came from Ireland in the late 1860’s or early 1870’s.  Murphy is one of the most common names in Ireland so to find a John Murphy without a townland, is impossible.  I don’t even have a county in Ireland.  The Quinlan family name is not that common and Honora isn’t as common as Mary but pretty common.  

The only documents I have found about John Murphy is a directory listing, one census, and the birth of his children.  None of them have any mention of where in Ireland he came from.

I have found several documents for Honora Quinlan but only after she is married, her children’s birth records which mention her maiden name, census records and a probate record for her sister.

John Murphy died in 1891 in Brooklyn, NY, so he was only in one census, the 1880, before he died.  If he was in the 1870 census before his first daughter was born, I haven’t found it.  So, I have figured he came to New York between 1870 and 1873 when his daughter was born. It still is impossible to find him in Ireland without a County or town.

The probate record I found with Honora mentioned also indicates a brother Alexander.  I thought maybe I would have some luck with an uncommon first name of Alexander and Quinlan.  Everything I found for him never mentioned where in Ireland he came from.

I do not have the parents or siblings for John Murphy.  I do have Honora Quinlan’s, Mother Mary and Father Michael.  The mother lived with Honora and was widowed.  In the Directory it lists Mary as wife of deceased Michael.  Honora had four siblings, Jane, Margaret, Michael and Alexander.

I have looked at ship passenger lists and have not found the Quinlan family.

This is my brick wall and I hope some day to break it down.

 52 ANCESTORS 51 WEEKS - BALD

Hereditary hair loss is the most common cause of baldness.

In my family on my father’s side baldness is very common.  It occurs mostly with boys who have curly hair when young.  

I know for sure that my grandfather, William Joseph Mathews, was bald in his 20’s.  The only photo I have of my great grandfather, William John Mathews, he has a hat on so not sure if he was bald.  My father, James Mathews and his brothers, Thomas and William James Mathews all were bald in their 20’s.  

My brothers, Kevin and James Mathews  lost their hair early and even my half brothers, Michael and John Mathews, lost their hair in their 20’s.

My one son, Michael who had very curly hair was told when he was very young to enjoy his hair while he could because he would lose it early.  So in the 70’s the Afro hair style was very popular, he had no trouble getting that style. My father thought it was terrible but we told him “you know he is going to lose it all in a few years let him enjoy it”.  My other son, James took after my husband’s side of the family and didn’t have curly hair and still has hair in his 50’s.

My sister, Pat’s boys, Chris, Kevin and Bob also have lost their hair early.

Unfortunately, my mother’s side also had the same problem.  I don’t have early photos of many of the ancestors.  My grandfather, John N. Moore and his son, John N. Moore Jr. both were bald early.  

Luckily none of the women had a hair loss problem.