Sunday's Obituaries - Patrick Purcell's Sisters

In previous posts I referenced my wife's great great grandfather, Patrick Purcell.  He came to this country from Upperchurch, Tipperary, Ireland about 1850 and settled in Utica, NY.  I believe he came to the US by himself and stayed with cousins (possibly the McGraw's of Syracuse).

According to Patrick's obituary three of his sisters also came from Ireland to upstate NY.  The obituary identifies them as Mrs. John Lynch of Utica and Mrs. John Connolly and Mrs. James J Harvard both of Oneida, NY.

I wanted to research Patrick's sisters and see if that led to any clues about the Purcell family of Ireland.  Have you noticed how great it is that women were just referred to as "Mrs.” husband's name :-).   No reason to make it easy to to uncover relatives.

Finding the sisters living in Oneida proved to be difficult.  I looked extensively for any Connolly and Harvard families in the small community of Oneida.  No luck.

I did find a newspaper notice that mentions several Purcell family members attending the death of Mrs. Connolly in 1899 in Oneida.  So I did know that she died there.

A breakthrough came when I found another Ancestry.com tree which had a Connelly family living in the town of Lenox (which is near Oneida).  What I did know at the time was that Lenox became a part of Oneida a few years later.   The family in on other family tree was spelled a little differently, but that isn't unusual and did look promising. The family was identified in the 1880 census as John and Mary Connelly.

How could I know if Mary was Patrick's sister?  Luckily, I found on the findagrave website records of burials in Oneida and there it was....Mary's grave was engraved Mary Purcell Connelly.  No doubt that I had found her and that she was Patrick's sister.

Mrs. Harvard, I am less sure about.  There was no Harvard family in Oneida.  

None.

I had two hunches:  the Harvard name was wrong and the fact that Patrick’s sister may have been named Margaret.  

The name Margaret came up again and again in the Purcell family and it seemed reasonable that one of the sisters was probably named Margaret.  

One trick I use in my genealogy research is to search for potential family members living on the same street as known family members when reviewing the US census. Families used to cluster together.  I think it paid off in this case.  I found James J Howard and Mary Howard living on the same street as Mr. and Mrs. Connelly.  Howard and Harvard could easily have been mixed up in the obituary.  Hhhm...was it possible that it should have been Margaret on the census instead of Mary, but they transcribed the census record in error?  Upon review there was no error, but this still seemed to be my best lead, so I didn’t give up.

I had success, once again with findagrave.com where I found the Howard family plot in Oneida.  Guess what?  There was a grave a Margaret Howard and one for Mary as wive's of James.  It appears that Margaret was James' first wife.  Is this Margaret Patrick's sister?  I don't know for sure, but there seems to be good circumstantial evidence to support that she is Patrick's sister.

Patrick's third sister was the easiest to find and proved the most fruitful.  I found that Mrs. John Lynch was in fact, Julia Purcell Lynch.  I found her obit from when she died in 1925 at the age of 85.  Probably the most important piece of information this obit provided was the names of Julia's parents - Edward and Margaret Purcell.

The fact that their names are revealed as Edward and Margaret makes a lot of sense.  These names reoccur with many of the Purcell families descended from Patrick and his sisters.

The next step in this journey is to "jump the pond" and see what I can find from the good people of Upperchurch, Tipperary.

Stay tuned.

(Special thanks to Mary Albree Perra for providing me these great gravestone pictures)

Workday Wednesday - Patrick Purcell, A Very Well Connected Night Watchman

My wife's 2nd Great Grandfather, Patrick Purcell, lived in Utica, NY.  He was born in Ireland and arrived in Utica as a young man around 1850.  He was the first of the Purcell family to come to the US.

He lived to be 63.

His last job before he died was as night watchman at the US Post Office in Utica.  Patrick was a Democrat and lost his job as the night watchman after Benjamin Harrison (Republican) became President.  President Harrison took office in March 1899, but Patrick didn't lose his job until December 1899.

The following article appeared in The Utica Sunday Tribune, December 8, 1899.

Changes in the Government Office
Patrick Purcell the veteran night watch man of the Government Building, has been relieved from his duties.  His place has been filled by the appointment of Daniel Brietenatein, one of the janitors of the building.  No complaint was found against Mr. Purcell in regard to his work.  For everyone connected with the Government Building knew that the white haired night guardian was most conscientious in the performance of his duties.  Being on duty for several years, his face had become familiar to many who frequent the postoffice at night.  But "Pat" was a democrat, and somehow or other, ---well, it isn't necessary to say any more on that point, suffice it to state that he has received official notification of his removal.  From another source it was learned the removal was based on the fact that the Government is trying to reduce expenses and the change was therefore made.  Mr. Breitenatein went on duty last night.  It is rumored that in a few days another removal and appointment will be made in the custodian's department.

I was fascinated that the firing of a night watchman was newsworthy.  Of course, it wasn't, but what become clear was that Patrick Purcell was a very well connected night watchman.   He had been active in local politics for years.  He served as delegate to annual Democratic Conventions representing the Eighth Ward of Utica.  I don't know if he was a Ward Boss, but must have had a significant position within the local Democratic Party and had some influence.  So as he grew older, there was no retirement, but he was able to secure a job as a night watchman in a federal building.  This would have been a fairly easy job and great for an older person.

I bet he contacted the newspaper and had a sympathetic ear from people that had known him for years, hence the newspaper article as a sort of slight protest to his being removed.

Patrick must have known how politics worked, probably better than most.  In the 1800's politics were run by the "spoils system" which meant that the winning party essentially controlled all the government jobs.  When a new party took over all the government employees were removed to make way for new employees who were connected to the winning party.  When the new party won, long lines of supporters would show up at government offices looking for jobs.  

In fact, President Garfield was assassinated in 1881 by Charles Guiteau who had been one of his active supporters and a man who believed his contributions to Garfield's election made him owed an ambassadorship.  He was turned down many times for the position and became disgruntled and shot the President.  It was after President Garfield's assassination that the spoils system started to break down and was finally eliminated for all but very senior government positions.


Here is a snippet of an article which shows Patrick Purcell as a critical vote in eliminating a $10,000 clause from a local budget.  He must have been a a significant player in local Utica politics.


So, Patrick wouldn't have been surprised, when his job was offered to a Republican.

Next Post, "Uncovering Patrick Purcell's Irish Origins".

Black Sheep Sunday - Leo W Hall, Bigamist and Scoundrel

Leo W. Hall married my wife's distant cousin, Amelia Lanz in 1911.  They appeared to be happily married and had at least three children between 1911 and 1921.  They lived in Utica, NY.

Leo Hall was a "fireman" for the railroad.  As a fireman, he was in charge of tending and stoking the fire for a steam locomotive.  This role must have had him working some short or intermediate trips working on trains and did take him away from his family from time to time.  

On at least one trip from his family he met and seduced a woman named Kittie Loughrey in Oneida, NY.  He purposefully mislead her to believe that he was single and convinced her to elope with him for a wedding in New York City.  So on January 12, 1921, they were wed.  Of course, the only problem being that he was already married.

But it gets worse....

Unlike some stories about bigamists that you may hear about where the bigamist lives a secret life with multiple wives or families, Leo Hall used his new marriage as an opportunity to abandon his legitimate wife and kids.  Just prior to his disappearance, he returned to Utica for the birth of his third child on January 27 and remained in the city until his wife returned from the hospital on February 12th.  Upon her return home, he left, probably never intending to return.

Leo was busy while his wife was in the hospital.  He cleaned out the family bank account and took with him all the family valuables.  If it wasn't enough to leave his family with nothing, he then proceeded to charge to a store account in his wife's name for two suits and a gold watch.  He gave the gold watch to his new bride as a wedding present.

Leo and his new wife departed by train for a honeymoon in Florida.

Next post:  The Manhunt and "Death" of Leo Hall

Mystery Monday - Margaret Lanz's Parents

In my family research, it has become apparent that oral family histories only seem to record events as far back as possibly great-grandparents.  In some families even less depending how much the family talked with their children about the "olden days".  Which is why I have encourage my mother and my in-laws to write down any of the family stories that they remember so that can be passed on....so far no luck with that.

Margaret Lanz Reath

My mother-in-law, has a number of stories about her great-grandmother, Margaret Lanz.   Margaret Lanz was born in Bavaria, Germany in December 18, 1847 and came to the US when she was 20 years old in 1867.  My mother-in-law never met her great-grandmother, as she died at the age of 84 in 1932.  However, her mother and grandmother passed down family stories about her.  

Margaret had married Andrew Reath sometime shortly after her arrival.   Andrew Reath died in 1895 and she never remarried.

The story of Margaret's journey to America has been passed down.  She left Europe on a large sailing ship to the US.  During the trip, it was "calmed" from lack of wind for several days, which unnerved and scared Margaret and from that point on she was always afraid of large bodies of water.  So much so that she never learned to swim and didn't even teach her children to swim.  I have not found her immigration records, but it would be interesting to see if I could find if the sailing took much longer than usual.

It appeared that she had arrived with 2 brothers:  John Joseph Lanz and Charles C. Lanz
Margaret was an excellent seamstress.  It must have been in her genes, because there are stories passed down that her daughter, Margaret Reath, would go to the department stores in Utica, NY and look in the windows at the latest fashions and then she would make similar dresses at home from memory for her daughter.  Saving considerable expense.
These stories and a few others have survived the generations.

However, one interesting fact which was never was passed down was whatever happened to Margaret's parents.  Had they made the journey with her or had they stayed in Germany.   I had always assumed (as had my mother-in-law) that they had remained in Germany.  
I recently ordered a death certificate for Margaret Lanz Reath from the City of Utica, NY to see if it might offer any the name of the city she were she was born in Bavarian.  It didn't.  However, it named her father and mother as John Lanz and Caroline Breitenberg Lanz.  Interesting information.  So, if I do find where she was born in Bavaria, it might help me find Germany records.  

While trying (in vain, so far) to look at leads for her German origins, I was reviewing the 1880 US Census records and I noticed a John and Caroline Lanz living next door to Margaret's brother John Joseph Lanz and his family.  Coincidence?  Nope.  I have actually found this quite often in my research where related family members tend to live close to each other, so I do try to look at the census records to see if any potentially "lost" relatives turn up.  

To be sure that they were THE John and Caroline Lanz, I searched to find a death record for John.  I was successful at finding John's obituary (The obit says "Joseph", but that is an error.  It was probably his middle name.  He is listed in the Utica deaths for the year as John and on that date).  John Lanz died November 11, 1893 (the day after he signed his will) at the house of his daughter-in-law, Catherine Louis Lanz.

My mother-in-law was shocked to learn that from all the stories which had been handed down from her mother and grandmother that no one had ever mentioned Margaret's parents moving to the US and living down the street in Utica. 

You never know what you will find when you keep digging.  

Of course, I still haven't found where the Lanz family originated in Bavaria.

Sentimental Sunday - The Talented Stewart Family of Utica, NY

Elliott Hamilton Stewart arrived in New York City December 21, 1888 at the age of 22.  Almost immediately he headed to Utica, NY.  He had studied law at Queens College in Ireland and quickly found employment as a clerk in the Assessors Office at Utica City Hall.

While competent at his job, his passion was music and singing.

Elliot H. Stewart was born in Belfast, Ireland on May 22, 1866 to James Stewart and Martha Elliott Stewart.  It appears that Elliott was the baby of the family.  His known brother's and sister were:  William C (who moved to Utica), Thomas (who lived and died in Belfast, but spent about 1 or 2 years living in Utica), James T (lived his entire life in Belfast), Bessie (who lived in Londonderry, Ireland).

At an early age he sang as a choir boy at St. Georges's Episcopal Church in Belfast and as a soloist at Dr. Gray's Church at College Square in East Belfast.  His love of music was one reason he decided to come to the US and continue his singing career.  It is likely he came to Utica, NY because his brother, William C. Stewart (1847-1929), already lived there, but probably wouldn't have been the first choice of a immigrant looking to become a professional performer.

In Utica, he was a founding member of the highly celebrated Hatton Quartette.  They toured throughout the Mohawk Valley.  I guess they would be what we would call a "Barbershop Quartet".  Which have become much more popular lately.  Funny how styles of music come back in vogue over time.  Elliott H. Stewart was first tenor, Edwin A Ballou was second tenor, Charles A Winslow was first bass, and Walter Malacrow was second bass.  The Hatton Quartette was formed in 1891 and continued until the late 1890s.  Part of the group, including Elliott H. Stewart then formed the "Oriental Quartettte", so named not because of the ethnic background of any of their members, but because of the fact that they were associated with the Oriental Masonic Lodge.   They continued together through at least the early 1900s.  They performed at many local events and won numerous competitions.

When the quartette eventually broke up, he continued as a celebrated singer.  He was a frequent soloist at wedding, funerals and other events.  Near the end of his life, he was musical director for the Church of the Blessed Sacrament.

On October 15, 1895, he married the love of his life, Caroline "Carrie" Reath.  My wife's great grand aunt.  They had two children together:  Elliott Andrew Stewart and Bessie M Stewart.

Music was a passion Elliott instilled in his two children.

Elliott Andrew Stewart was born June 25, 1898 in Utica, NY.  He pursued the profession as a professional singer.  He made performed on Broadway Operetta productions of "Desert Song", "New Moon", and "Student Prince".  He performed frequently on the radio in the 1920 and 1930 and must have been quite a celebrity.  You have to remember that this is before television and radio was a big deal.  He traveled widely with his musical career touring in Chicago and across Canada.
I don't have the story of how he met his wife Elizabeth Duffy, but they wed in Cleveland Heights, Ohio on August 26, 1939.  He was 41 and his wife 39 years old.  His family must have begun to believe that he was going to be married to his work and be a bachelor for life at the time he eventually married.

Later that year, he and his wife, returned to Utica, NY and he joined the AM Radio station WIBX.  By 1948, he was the station manager.  He and his wife were very active in the Utican community and participated in many charities and civic organizations.  But he never missed a chance to sing when the situations allowed it.

Elizabeth Duffy Stewart passed away on November 6, 1962.  According to her obituary, Elizabeth had worked as a fashion coordinator at Paramount Pictures in Hollywood and an advertising executive in Boston. At a time where most women didn't work outside the home, this was very impressive.

Elliott died on December 26, 1966 on a Christmas time trip to New York City.  He and his wife didn't have any children.
Elliot H. and Caroline Stewart's daughter, Bessie, was also a music lover and accomplished musician.  Bessie was born in Utica on July 31, 1896.  She married George Bannigan on June 21, 1922 at St. Francis de Sales Church in Utica.  Bessie studied music and the Utica Conservatory of Music.

She was an accomplished pianist and started giving lessons to the neighborhood kids when she was only 14.  Also, she furthered her piano studies in New York City with Pierre Luboschultz of the renowned piano team of Luboschultz and Nemenoff.  When she returned to Utica, she made three appearances with the Utica Civic Orchestra.

What she will be most widely remembered for is the impact she had on a wide number of her piano students over the years.  Upon her death on August 31, 1951 a scholarship was created in her honor by the Utica B Sharp Club.  She and her husband didn't have any children.

The Stewarts were an exceptionally talented family.  It is a shame that they don't have any family here to carry on their love of music.  While the Stewart family of Utica does not endure, they live on in the many lives they touched and the people they introduced to a love of music.