Sunday, August 16, 2015

Mystery Monday - Figuring Out my Lees

I previously posted the obituary for Gertrude Menges nee Lee. I said that I knew she had to be a relation...a cousin...because the clipping was in a family scrapbook. Not the strongest way to make a connection, but I was able to discover more on newspapers.com when I searched the Hazleton papers for Quirk and Lee.

The Plain Speaker, 05SEP1903, pg 6
 "Miss Lee, of Pittsburg, is visiting the Quirk family at Jeanesville. Miss Lee has been spending her vacation at Atlantic City."

So I know that one of the Lees, Grace or Carrie, were visiting my relatives. Edward Lee was still alive at this point as well and living with the William Quirk family in Jeanesville. Although I'm sure her main purpose was to have fun with the girls! I did find it amusing that the Hazleton paper also mentioned that she had been vacationing in Atlantic City. I don't know that would have been relevant to anyone reading it, but it does make the blurb a bit longer.

The Plain Speaker, 02OCT1903, pg 6
"Miss Carrie Lee, of Pittsburg, and Miss Katherine Quirk, of Jeanesville, are the guests of friends at Harwood."

Another short and sweet clipping, but I know that Carrie Lee and one of my Quirk relations are visiting someone together. Harwood wasn't really that far away so I'm not sure why this was in the paper. My great grandfather lived in Jeanesville and worked in the Harwood mines so they were close. I'm guessing it made the news because of Carrie Lee being out from Pittsburgh and they included Katherine. Either way it helps me to firm up that connection.

Something else I was curious about after seeing this clipping was that the date was barely a month after the previous. Was Carrie the person visiting in the first clipping and it was just a rather long visit or was is a separate visit? It doesn't matter too much but I was surprised at not even a month passing between the two.

The Plain Speaker, 18SEP1903, pg 6
"The following Jeanesville young people at a party held in Jeanesville last night had their photographs taken by Photographer Heiser, of Hazleton: James Collier, Philip Coll, John Dougherty, Robert Brennan James Martin, Jetta Coll, Katie, Ella, Bessie and Mary Quirk, Katie and Margaret Brennan and Anna Martin and Carrie Lee, of Pittsburgh."

Another page six clipping from The Plain Speaker! I'm beginning to think that this was one long visit by Carrie Lee. I don't know who Anna Martin is though. Perhaps Carrie was vacationing with a friend. I mean a vacation alone isn't all that fun and she was in Atlantic City during this trip. Staying with the Quirks that long or visiting that frequently if it wasn't a long stay does help solidify a connection. It doesn't tell me where to place them in my tree, but it does reinforce that they belong...somewhere.

Give me time. I'll figure out where!