Mystery Monday (Monday's Brick Wall #2/Irish Brick Wall #1): Bridget Kane's Irish Background

One of the biggest brick walls in my genealogical research has been my 2x-great-grandmother Bridget Theresa (Kane) (McCormack) McRae.

Bridget was born circa 1855 in Ireland, daughter of Edward Kane and Catherine "Kate" Downey. According to census records, she immigrated to the United States in the early 1870's. She moved to Bridgewater, Massachusetts and married John McCormick on January 10, 1875. They had three children, Thomas, Edward, and Mary. She eventually moved to Brockton, Massachusetts and remarried on February 19, 1887 to James R. McRae. She had three more children, Frederick Edward, Walter Lawrence, and Frederick Everett (later Frederick Joseph). She remained in Brockton until her death on December 9, 1926.

In researching Bridget, I have been unable to find anything about when, where, why, and how she came to America or about the life and family she left behind in Ireland. I don't know if she came to America alone or with somebody.

All I have been able to find out about are her parents' names (which I got from Bridget's marriage records) and the general time frame of when she immigrated to the United States (which I got from census records).

I've checked records for Ellis Island and the Port of Boston as well as ship passenger lists but am unable to determine which, if any, of the Bridgets listed are mine due to 1) the commonality of the name 2) many of the Bridgets listed have details similar to the few details that I already know 3) Bridget also went by her middle name, Theresa, at various points of her life so she may have very well come over to America under the name Theresa Kane. Regardless, I still have no definitive way of figuring out which one is her.

Bridget's marriage records (both church and city), her death certificate, records of birth, marriage, and death for her children, as well as census records all list Bridget's place of birth as simply "Ireland".

I have checked and it appears that Bridget did not leave a will of any kind.

Bridget was Catholic. I was once told by a genealogist from The Irish Ancestral Research Association (TIARA) that because she was Catholic, she definitely had siblings.

I've been at a loss as to what other options are available in trying to figure out more about when, where, why, and how Bridget came to America as well as trying to find out more about her life and family back in Ireland. If anyone has any thoughts, comments, or ideas about what avenue I should explore next, I would love to hear from you.

Copyright © 2015, David J. McRae 

Remembering The Family (Sentimental Sunday): Olive Bryan Remembers My 2x-Great-Grandmother

Olive Florence (Feener) Monroe

The following is an e-mail composed May 26, 2015 by Olive Bryan about what she remembers about my great-great-grandmother, Olive (Feener) Monroe. Olive Monroe was Olive Bryan's grandmother. 

"she grew morning glories all year round in her living room with fishing-wire attached to the curtain rod.  they always amazed me.  she would always plant her garbage around her 3 apple trees every day.  she had beautiful apples.  we would go out for lunch every Saturday and go to the movies after.  she had very long hair that she would roll up so that it looked short.  there was a fireplace in her house that she hid with her couch because when she lived in Nova Scotia she was in charge of putting wood on the fire and cleaning it out after.  She got sick of doing it so she hid it.   she was tall and didn't have arthritis and stood very straight.  she always wore a butterfly pin on her coat.  I have the pin.  she always had fresh donuts and molasses cookies in her house waiting for me.  I would stop in her house on the way home from school and climb her apple trees and eat a cookie."

A special thanks to Olive for doing this for me!

Copyright © 2015, David J. McRae

52 Ancestors Challenge 2015 (#2): Martin Anderson

Martin Anderson

(October 28, 1841 - March 9, 1915)

Martin Anderson was born Martin Andreasson on October 28, 1841 in Lärje Månsgården, Angered församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden to Andreas Andersson and Maja Helena Börjesdotter. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Angered Stom, Angered församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden, where Martin grew up alongside older brothers Adolph Viktor and Johannes Edvard, and younger brothers August and Carl Bernhard. Martin also had a younger sister, Augusta Mathilda, who passed away on Christmas Eve, 1847, aged two and another younger brother, Carl Bernhard, who died September 24, 1854, aged four.

Throughout his lifetime, Martin worked as a blacksmith.

Martin left Sweden on October 25, 1865 for Denmark, returning nearly four years later in June of 1869. On October 24 of that same year, he married Augusta Andersdotter. Upon getting married, they first moved to Lerjeholm, Angered församling, Älvsborg län, Sweden before moving back to Angered Stom, where they remained until October 28, 1898.

During their marriage, Martin and Augusta had ten children, Carl Johan "Charles" (b. Mar. 5, 1870), Anna Maria (b. Nov. 12, 1871), Emma Gustava (b. Oct. 9, 1873), Amanda Charlotta (b. May 24, 1876), Betty Josephine (b. Sept. 8, 1878), August Robert (b. Apr. 8, 1880), Aron (b. Feb. 5, 1883), Ottolina (b. Aug. 24, 1885), Augusta Matilda (b. Mar. 21, 1888), and Augusta Matilda (b. Nov. 5, 1898). Two of their children passed away during infancy. Betty Josephine passed away on March 1, 1879, aged six months, and Augusta Matilda passed away on May 2, 1888, less than two months old.

Martin departed from Angered Stom on October 28, 1898 and departed from Sweden a week later on November 4. He, along with his wife and children August, Aron, Ottolina, and Augusta Matilda, sailed aboard the S. S. Romeo to Hull, England. Upon arrival, they took a train to Liverpool, where they departed from on Nov. 10 aboard the S. S. Canada for Boston, Massachusetts. The ship arrived in Boston on November 18. When they arrived, Martin had fifteen dollars to his name. From Boston, the family made their way to North Easton, Massachusetts, where Martin and Augusta's son Charles, Charles' wife Selma, and their children, lived on Mechanic Street.

On March 25, 1903, Augusta passed away in Easton from heart disease. Her funeral took place two days later at the Swedish Lutheran Church, North Easton, with burial taking place at South Easton Cemetery, South Easton.

Martin eventually moved in with his son, August, his wife Hedvig, and their daughter Lillian on Main Street in North Easton. Around 1911, Martin followed August and his family when they moved to 684 Plain St in Brockton, Massachusetts, Martin remained there until his death on March 9, 1915 from stomach cancer. His brother, Carl Bernhard, passed away three days prior in Sweden but due to lack of communications available during that time period, Martin never found out. Martin's funeral took place at his residence on March 12. Interment took place in South Easton Cemetery, with him being buried alongside his wife.

Copyright © 2015, David J. McRae

On This Day In Family History (May 30):

1968: 1st cousin, 1x removed Linda (Meagher) Hickney was born.

1981: 3rd cousin, Melissa Jean (McRae) Varela-Manso was born.

Copyright © 2015, David J. McRae

A Brick Wall Solved: William McRae, His Tragic Death, and What Else I Learned From It

Today was a very successful day research-wise.

Through my research, I have figured out that my great-great-grandfather James R. McRae had thirteen children. During his lifetime, ten of them passed away. Of those ten, I had been able to figure out when all but two passed away. Those who's deaths I could not figure out where his oldest son William (born circa 1866 in Nova Scotia) and his second oldest daughter Kate (born Feb. 24, 1872 in Boston). Both children are present in the 1880 United States Federal Census, living with their parents in Brockton, Massachusetts. After that, both William and Kate essentially disappear. All I knew is that both of them had to have passed at some point before James did on March 5, 1910 because neither of them were mentioned as surviving him in his obituary.

I've been trying to figure out what became of William and Kate off-and-on for several years. A few days ago, I decided to try again. I posted an inquiry in several genealogy Facebook groups regarding a William McRae who passed away in 1887 in Boston, hoping to figure out whether or not that was my William. He turned out not to be. After posting that, fellow genealogist Luanne Chapin messaged me, hoping to help me figure out when William died.

After providing her with a bit more detail regarding William, she came across the following article on GenealogyBank. The article was published on October 26, 1905 on page 7 of the Boston Herald.

GOING FOR McRAE'S BODY.
(Special Dispatch To the Boston Herald)

   BROCKTON, Oct. 26, 1905. Undertaker Charles M. Hickey left today for Rochester, N. Y., to bring the body of William McRae to this city. Complications through the claiming of the body by the sister, Mrs. Kate Buckley of Hartford, Ct, who first went there and later by Benjamin McRae of this city, were smoothed away, only to find the Rochester undertaker stoutly refusing to give up the remains without the payment of $75. McRae was killed by a train Rochester last week. He had been here but once in 18 years.

Several things in this article stood out to me. 1) William was from Brockton. 2) William had a brother Benjamin McRae who lived in Brockton. 3) This incident took place in October of 1905, prior to James' death. 

I was already at Brockton Public Library while Luanne and I were going back forth. Feeling anxious and wanting to know for sure whether or not we had really found James' William, I grabbed the microfilm for both the Brockton Daily Enterprise and the Brockton Times for that time period. Having dealt with New York before when it comes to records, I knew trying to get information from his death certificate would be a process so I decided to search the newspapers for articles regarding William's death, hoping to find something in them indicating who William's father was. At first, searching was frustrating because any article I found simply referred to William's sister Mrs. Kate Buckley in Hartford, Conn. and any other family as "relatives in Brockton". But after searching a bit more, I finally found the proof I had been looking for.

The article, printed October 21, 1905 on the eighth page of The Brockton Times, starts the first paragraph with, "James R. McRae of Emmet Street received a dispatch from Rochester, N. Y., this afternoon stating that his son, William McRae, had been killed by a railroad accident there yesterday." 

The Brockton Times, Saturday, October 21, 1905, Page 8

I knew right there and then that the James R. McRae mentioned was my great-great-grandfather. Emmet Street was where he was living in 1905. And thus, I finally had proof that William McRae was indeed James' son. And I now knew that William McRae died on October 20, 1905 in Rochester, New York. 

Now having this confirmation, I set out on finding as many articles as I could regarding William's death and found several very detailed ones. The story of William's death was quite tragic. On the night of October 19th, William was run over by a train and his legs were severed from below the knee. He was still alive but unable to communicate what happened due to shock and loss of blood. Members of the crew assumed that William had been lying down on the tracks when the incident occurred. William was brought to hospital and despite surgical aid, he passed away at eight o'clock on the night of October 20th. Benjamin heard of William's death from the local paper and told James and his second wife, Bridget. They immediately sent a dispatch to New York to inquire about the body, trying to confirm if it was indeed their son. Their fears were soon confirmed but grieving would be an even more difficult task for James and Bridget due to the obstacles presented in getting their son's body back. James wanted to bring the body back to Brockton and bury William beside his mother Kate in Union Cemetery. However, before he could do that, James' daughter Kate went Rochester, New York and claimed the body, wanting to bury her brother in a cemetery for soldiers in Rochester. The matter was eventually settled and it was agreed that the body would be returned to Brockton. However, upon trying to claim the body, the undertaker holding it in Rochester told James that it would cost him $75 before he could take it. James refused and wound up retaining a lawyer. This matter was eventually settled as well and the body was returned to James. 

Below are the other articles I found regarding the ordeal:

Brockton Daily Enterprise, October 21, 1905, Page 10

The Brockton Times, Tuesday, October 24, 1905, Page 8

Brockton Daily Enterprise, Wednesday, October 25, 1905, Page 10

Brockton Daily Enterprise, Thursday, October 26, 1905, Page 4

Brockton Daily Enterprise, Thursday, October 26, 1905, Page 6

Through these articles, I also learned some very interesting bits of information:

1) James' daughter Kate was still alive at this point. Not only that but she was also married and living at 1470 Broad Street, Hartford, Connecticut. 

2) William was a part of the Spanish-American War, fighing in the Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba, where he received a bullet to the right leg below the knee. (Interestingly enough, my great-great-grandfather on my mother's side, Edward Alton Garfield also fought in that battle. I can't help but wonder if Edward and William might have known each other.)

3) James' first wife, Katherine "Kate" (Morrison) McRae (mother to William, Benjamin, and Kate), is interred in Union Cemetery. Prior to reading this, I did not know where Kate was buried. One death record I found for Kate did not list interment at all and another one had it listed as being in East Stoughton. 

4) William was a table waiter by trade and he never married. 

One thing that struck me as odd when reading the "Two Claimants For Body" article was when the second paragraph described the McRae household. It was interesting because my great-grandfather was born in May of 1892 and would have only been thirteen when this occurred. He should have been living in the household and yet he is not mentioned. Nor are Bridget's two other children from her first marriage, Thomas and Edward McCormack, who I know where living with them at the time as well. 

With the mystery of William's death solved, now comes the task of figuring out what became of Kate. I know she was dead by the time James was because she was not mentioned in the obituary. But the question remains, when exactly was her death? And now knowing that she married arises another question, did she have children? Are there descendants of Kate out there somewhere?

Only time will tell.

Thanks again to Luanne Chapin for the help! Not having a GenealogyBank account, this would not have been possible without her!

Copyright © 2015, David J. McRae

On This Day In Family History (May 29)

1920: Great-grandparents Maud M. Monroe and Frederick Joseph McRae were married at 71 East Main St, Brockton, Massachusetts.

 

Certificate of Marriage for Fred J. McRae & Maud M. Monroe

1980: 4th cousin Jason Robert Potts was born.

Copyright © 2015, David J. McRae

Friday's Faces of the Past: Lemuel & Alice's Wedding

Some time in the 1940's, my great-grandmother's brother, Lemuel Monroe, wed Alice B. Phillips. The photo above is from their wedding day, taken outside of the church. It was given to me by my cousin and great-grandmother's niece, Olive Bryan.

Standing at the very front of the photo are the bride and bridegroom.

Standing on the far left is my great-great-grandmother (Lemuel's mother), Olive (Feener) Monroe.

Standing in the very back (the only man in the photo with a hat on) is Olive's husband, Lemuel's father, and my great-great-grandfather, Harvey D. Monroe.

Standing to the far right is Lemuel's first cousin-in-law (the daughter-in-law of Olive Monroe's late sister), Flora (Bruhm) Lowe.

Standing directly behind Alice and Lemuel is Lemuel's half-brother (Olive Monroe's son from her first marriage), William Wentzell.

Copyright © 2015, David J. McRae