52Ancestors 52Weeks - In the News

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is In the News.

The historical newspapers are a wonderful place to look for and find information on relatives.  You find birth, marriage and death announcements, when someone is visiting from out of town and people coming off ships.  There are also articles with more personal accounts of people’s lives.  One such account that I found for Owen J. McDonald, my husband’s paternal great grandfather, was very interesting.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle – 4 Apr 1883 Wed – Page 4

The article is from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 4 April 1883.  The headline reads Behind a Cloud - Disappearance of Wealthy Butcher. Apparently, Owen McDonald owned a butcher shop in the Washington Market.  Every Sunday he would go and do his accounts while it was closed.  On Sunday, 25 February 1883, he went as usual from his home on 19^th Street, Brooklyn to Washington Market (Most important NYC wholesale produce market between 1880-1910 located in what is now known as TriBeCa) 

Washington Market 1890

He didn’t return home.  Now it is April and there has been several sightings, in a bar, in a railroad station, and in New Jersey, but he hasn’t come home. The article gives a complete description. Owen was 40 years old, with light sandy hair slightly mixed with gray.  He wore sparse side whiskers and small mustache.  He was dressed in a dark overcoat, dark mixed pants, laced shoes, stand up collar.  He also had on a scarf and was wearing a white shirt. When he was spotted in the railway station, he had on his work cap and not his fedora that he wore going to work.

The article hinted that he might have been insane as his two sisters had some insanity issues and possibly one of his daughters. The article indicated that he was loved by everyone, had a great business and so many people were out searching for him.

I have checked the newspapers from April 1883 to his death in 1896 and have found nothing telling if he ever was found or what happened to him until his death.  The death certificate dated 28 November 1896 states that he died in Bellevue Hospital of Emphysema and is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

This article was wonderful and frustrating at the same time.  I learned about his relationships with friends and family, a complete description of him and how he ran his business but not what happened to him while he was missing.  There was never any hint through family tales what happened either.  Very interesting.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Large Family

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is Large Family.

My great grandparents, William John Mathers and Mary McCrudden Mathers, had 9 children 7 who lived to adulthood. My grandfather, William Mathers/Mathews was the youngest child and only 1 of 2 boys.  The second oldest, James was born in 1868 and my grandfather was born in 1884 quite a difference in age. William John Mathers was a shoemaker and in the 1880 New York Census he lived at 226 W. 28^th Street, New York City and had his wife and 7 children living above his shop.

When the children got married and had children, they all stayed very close.  They lived within several blocks to each other in New York City.  The grandchildren of William Mathers and Mary McCrudden Mathers were 32 in number.  The families got together for every special occasion.

Their Children were-

Mary Jane – Married Joseph Flanagan and had 12 children

James – Married Cecelia O’Brien and had 1 son

Catherine – Married Patrick Morris and had 2 daughters

Ellen (Nellie) – Married William Hickey and had 6 children

Ann – Married William White and had 2 daughters

Theresa – Married William Rudolph and had 5 children

William – Married Mary (Mamie) McGuigan and had 4 children

The grandchildren were born between 1890 and 1924.  Grandma, Mary McCrudden Mathers was alive for all their births, she died in 1933.  Unfortunately, Grandpa, William John Mathers only lived until 1902.

Even though William and Mary had 7 children and I think that is a large family, their oldest daughter, Mary Jane had a larger family.  Mary Jane Mathers and Joseph Flanagan had 12 children, their oldest was born in 1890 and their youngest was born in 1914.  The amazing thing is their youngest who was born in 1914 lived until 2015.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Bachelor Uncle

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is Bachelor Uncle.

My only Bachelor Uncle was Thomas F. Mathews oldest brother of my father, James R. Mathews.

Thomas F. Mathews Age About 3

Thomas was born 16 October 1909.  He was the first child born to William Joseph Mathews and Mamie McGuigan Mathews.  They lived at 316 E. 73^rd St. in New York City when he was born.  Thomas lived at that address until sometime between 1925 and 1930.  William Mathews’ brother-in-law, Patrick Morris died in 1925 and William with his family moved in with the Morris family to help. 

Thomas F. Mathews About 1930

Thomas lived in Queens, New York the rest of his life.  He lived with his parents until he entered the Army in 1942 during WW II. When he returned from the war, he worked with asbestos covering pipes.  He also worked at the New York Times Newspaper part time at night. He would get the newspaper from the printing press and prepare it for distribution.  He was following in a tradition that started with his father and continued with his brothers and nephew.

Thomas F. Mathews in the Army 1943

He was very close with his sister, Catherine Mathews Hurley (Kay).  I am sure he was a help to her after her husband died and she had 5 children to raise by herself.

In later years he went to live with his sister, and she took care of him when is was disabled due to diabetes. Thomas was a good friend to all and loved to get together with friends at the local pub.

Thomas died 13 August 1970 in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York.

Thomas F. Mathews with sister, Kay Mathews Hurley

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – In the Courthouse

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is In the Courthouse.

My father-in-law, Thomas N. Murphy had a cousin named Ellen (Nellie) McDonald Fitzgerald. Ellen married Michael Fitzgerald and they had a son Gerald. When my husband and I were first married we took a ride with his mother, Mary Glessoff Murphy out to Port Jefferson, New York.  It was and still is a very cute town with many shops and places to eat.  While there my mother-in-law said that Aunt Nellie had a house right up the street and she pointed it out.

Many years later when I was working on the genealogies of the Murphy and McDonald families I wondered if I could find out anything about that house in Port Jefferson and Aunt Nellie living there.

I went to the Suffolk County Courthouse and looked for the deeds of the houses on the street in Port Jefferson.  By this time, I wasn’t exactly sure which of the houses on that street was the one Aunt Nellie lived in.  I had to look through several different reels of film, first to find the lot number for each address, then the actual deed itself.  I think I checked every house on the street and the neighboring streets but didn’t find her name on any of the deeds.

I think she probably rented the house each summer. She did live in Brooklyn her whole life and probably wanted a cooler place for the summer.

That was my experience in the Courthouse.

52Ancestors 52Weeks – Family Photo

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is Family Photo.

The Tierney Family Photo.

This family photo came into my possession after my grandmother died in 1980.  My grandmother, Isabel C. Tierney Moore is the girl in the middle in white.  I was told by her son, my uncle, John Moore that the women seated on the right is my grandmother’s Aunt Kitty. Aunt Kitty never married and didn’t have any children of her own.

This photo would have been taken sometime late 1900 or 1901.  The girl on the right in white was born August 1898 and looks to be about 2 or 3.

The two girls dressed in black in the middle, left to right are Frances (Frankie), and Mary (May).  The three girls in white from left to right are Rosalie, Isabel and Alice. These are the sisters that I grew up knowing.  I have not been able to find names for the girl in black on the left and the two boys on the right. The only boy in the Tierney family was John and he died in 1896.

Aunt Kitty (Katherine Delaney) was in the photo because her sister, Margaret the mother of the girls died in February 1900 and the father died in 1901.  She took over the care of all the children.   I do know that Aunt Kitty’s other sister Alice died in 1896 so possibly these are some of her children too.

I am always asking relatives if they know any more about the picture.  It is the only one that I have of my grandmother as a child and would love to know more about it.

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Love

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is Love.

This week the challenge is Love, but being it is the week for Valentine’s Day I will write about Valentine Glessoff Zito.

Alfred Zito & Valentine Glessoff

Valentine’s birthday was 27 June 1907, so not on Valentine’s Day.  She was born in Newark, New Jersey. Were they just thinking she was their Valentine and professing their love for each other? Or was it a family name? Valentine’s parents, Ivan and Alexandria were both born in Russia.

The name Valentyna is a popular Slavic name for girls, meaning healthy and strong.  I believe this was why they named their second girl Valentine (Americanizing the name).

Valentine was my husband’s Aunt, sister to his mother Mary.  Valentine lived a full and happy life.  She married Alfred Zito (Freddy) in 1929 in Brooklyn. They had one daughter, Jacqueline born in 1945.  Valentine was called Aunt Val or DeeDee by her nieces and nephew.  When her sisters started having grandchildren, they also called her DeeDee.  She was a second grandmother to all the grandchildren.  She would come to visit and play games, swim in the pool, cook and reorganize cabinets and closets.  She was always busy.  She worked for many years for the Town of Oyster Bay in the Clerks office and was very involved with the Republican Party of Nassau County.  Valentine’s daughter, Jacqueline married in the 1980’s when Valentine was in her late 70’s.  Jacqueline and her husband George then had 2 sons.  They were the love of Valentine’s life.  She spent every spare minute of her day with the boys and I am sure they returned the love.

Valentine lived until she was 94 and enjoyed every day of it.  She died 20 January 2001 in Hicksville where she lived for over 50 years

52 Ancestors 52 Weeks – Surprise

Blogger Amy Johnson Crow has challenged us with writing about an Ancestor once a week for the year 2019.  She will give us prompts to get us started.  This week's prompt is Surprise.

This week’s challenge is Surprise.  Many years ago, I searched and found the Mother’s name of my husband’s grandfather.  Thomas J. Murphy’s mother was Honora Quinlan.

One of the first things I check when I am looking at a new family is the Census Records.  The records put the family together at a particular time and place.  I knew Thomas J. Murphy was born about 1877 from family and then his death certificate.  The 1880 Census would be the first census he was enumerated.  I found the family in 1880 in Brooklyn at 517 Court St.  The family consisted of John, the head of household, his wife Nora (short for Honora), Mary, Patrick, Thomas and Maggie.  Also, in the household was Mary Quinlan, mother-in-law of John.  This was how I found the maiden name for Honora/Nora.

I then found Honora’s siblings, Jane, Margaret and Michael.  Many years later more documents became available on-line.  The wills of people who died in Brooklyn were digitized and I started checking everyone to see if they had a will.  I wasn’t going to check the Quinlan’s or Murphy’s at first figuring they were not a rich family, but I checked anyway.  I found the will of Honora’s sister Margaret from 1904, (she never married so was still Quinlan).  This was a surprise at first that someone in the family had a will at all.

The most surprising thing about the will was that she left her estate to her sister, Honora, and her BROTHER, Alexander!   Not once in all the years and documents I had found, did it mention this brother. Margaret’s sister Jane died 8 years before her so was not mentioned in the will. Her brother Michael also died before her in 1879.

It pays to check out all new databases you never know what surprises you will find.