Sunday's Obituary - Hugh Barrett

The Plain Speaker, 25FEB1943, pg18

My mom's going to love this one! Hugh and his sister, Alice, Barrett were the only two children of Patrick and Bridget Barrett nee Farley that we didn't have death dates for. After doing research over several weeks and from different angles I found a possible match in the New York Death Index and sent away for the death certificate. As it turned out I did have the right person, because his sister, Alice, was the one that gave the information for his death certificate and is also stated that he was heading back to St. Gabriel's in Pennsylvania to be buried.

That was exciting news. What was more exciting was jumping on Newspapers.com over the weekend to do a search on Alice and then have Hugh's obituary pop up. Not what I was looking for, but I'll take it!

I'd often wondered if the Hugh Barrett in the sports section for the Hazleton team was mine and I've waffled back and forth with believing it was...and then wasn't. This article confirms that it was and that he was apparently pretty good.

"Hugh Barrett Passes Away

Former Baseball Star Who Died in New York to Be Buried Here.

Hugh Barrett, a pitcher for the Hazleton baseball team when the games were played at the old Hazle Park diamond, died at St. Anthony's hospital, New York City, yesterday morning after an illness of several weeks.

The body will be brought to Hazleton on the 12:35 noon L. V. R. R. train on Friday and interment will be made in St. Gabriel's cemetery. Funeral services will be held at the parish church in New York City early that morning.

While a resident of Hazleton, Mr. Barrett was engaged with the old Hazleton Gas Co., and left here 28 years ago to locate in New York City, where the late Joseph Mayer had obtained him a high position.

Member of Pioneer Family

Mr. Barrett was a son of the late Patrick and Bridget Barrett, a pioneer family of this region and was born at Humboldt, but had located in this city as a boy. He learned the gas business here and for many years remained with the local company as a foreman.

Played On Famous Team.

As a curve ball pitcher, Mr. Barrett won recognition and the became a member of one of the greatest teams in Hazlteon's history, then managed by Herry Dryfoos and playing on what is now the site of the Spaulding Bakery in West Hazleton, which at that time was a portion of Hazle Park.

The team had such stars as Joe Walser, Jack Bream, Jack Neuer, Gorge Kimmell, Joe Londrigan, Charley Stoeker, Charles "Kid" McBride, Neil Brown, Harry Weidenback, Jimmy Kelly, James Brady, and latter (sic) Charles Weidenbach and Harry Brown joined the club. Six of the players, Bream, Neuer, Kimmell, McBride, Neil Brown and Jimmy Kelly are dead.

Leaves Three Survivors

Mr. Barrett is survived by a brother and two sisters, Edward F. Barrett of Buffalo, N. Y.; Mrs. Thomas Brown of West Broad street, this city, and Miss Alice Barrett, R. N., of New York City. Two brothers, Walter and William Barrett preceded him in death."

There's lots of rather cool information in there. School is back in session for me and this is the first post I've been able to do in quite awhile, but let's hope this find can help me to finally find Hugh and/or Alice in the 1930s or 1940s census records! I'd love to find out what job it was that he took in New York and who Joseph Mayer was. Always more questions!

Mystery Monday - Mystery Solved

It all started with a short clipping of a death notice in the Hazleton, Pennsylvania newspaper. It alerted me to my 2nd great grandfather's niece who I didn't know existed and to a sister I didn't know existed.

The Plain Speaker, 22AUG1903, pg 1

Now I can finally put Mrs John Dever (Nellie/Ellen Dever nee Reilly), her mother Margaret Reilly nee Barrett, and Mrs. John Mulhearn (Ellen Mulhearn nee Barrett) in my family tree.

Excerpt from Patrick Barrett's death certificate

I knew from Patrick's death certificate that his father's name was Edward Barrett and his mother was Mary Merrick. I head never heard of the surname Merrick before, but I was hesitant to add the names to my tree because the information was second-hand and given when someone was grieving. I needed more before including it.

While Nellie Dever's mom was only referred to as Mrs. Charles Reilly in her obituary I found her death certificate online, but it wasn't as clear cut as I would have liked.

Excerpt from Margaret Reilly nee Barrett's death certificate

Her daughter (also named Margaret) gave the information for her death certificate and it seems the elder Margaret's husband's name found it's way into the place of "father" on the certificate. I'd have dismissed this certificate entirely if it wasn't for seeing her mother listed as "Mary Merrick." Seeing that is what led me to believe that the father's name was most certainly wrong.

So there I was trying to see if Patrick Barrett and Margaret Reilly nee Barrett were siblings. The assumption is that they are, but you need more than assumptions. I went through all of the news clippings I could find on the Reillys and Devers and didn't find anything else I could use to solidify the connection. I went to sleep knowing that I was missing something. Something that was obvious. I couldn't sleep. I spent too much time thinking through this problem. When I woke up the next morning I knew what I needed to check.

In the initial clipping that led me to the niece of Patrick Barrett I had completely overlooked the other sister...Mrs. John Mulhearn. I didn't know her first name, but if my deductions were right she'd be another sibling to Patrick and Margaret. I found her death certificate. Her name was Ellen. Just like her niece Nellie/Ellen Devers nee Reilly.

Excerpt of Ellen Mulheron nee Barrett's death certificate

Their similar names was great and all, but I was interested in the information on her parents to finally make or dispel this theory. I found what I was looking for.

Her parents were indeed Edward and Mary Barrett nee Merrick. The information was given by what appears to be a nursing home. They were obviously given all of her information by her family. I also have a county in Ireland now. County Mayo. Who knows if it's right, but it's a new lead to take. Hopefully I'll finally be able to jump the pond!

Medical Monday - Breast Cancer in the Family

Bridget Barrett nee Farley's cause of death

I don't know of anyone in my family that has had breast cancer. At least I didn't. I found the death certificate for my 2nd great grandmother, Bridget Barrett nee Farley, and on it was her cause of death..."exhaustion from cancer of breast."

According to this she was diagnosed in January 1905 and she didn't die for a year and a half. I don't know how they attempted to treat cancer in the early 20th century. I'm not sure that I really want to research that. It's pretty horrific even today when we have chemotherapy and radiation treatment and surgery. 

During that time that she had cancer she actually went to Philadelphia for eye surgery. I wish I knew what was wrong with her eye(s). Not because it's really important, but I wonder if it was really severe...whatever it was. Was it so severe that it needed to be done? Would she have been blinded without it? Or was it minor and had it done believing that she was going to beat the cancer? Was the cancer so advanced that it caused this problem with her eyes? That's why I would like to know. 

The Plain Speaker, 28APR1905, pg5

Of course I sit here comfortably in 2015 and look back at medicine in the early 1900s and cringe, but I'm sure at the time they probably felt about their medicine the same way we feel about ours. What will my descendants think of our medicine in another century? Will they look at our cancer treatments and think they're barbaric and primitive? I hope so, because if they think that at least they'll have something better.

The Plain Speaker, 09MAY1905, pg5

Walter Barrett went to visit his mother in Philadelphia after the surgery. Those things aren't really reported in newspapers today. As a researcher I'm glad that they were reported. If they hadn't been I wouldn't have known about her having this surgery. This courage that I can at least hope some of which has passed on to me and mine.

These sorts of articles make family history more personal. More than just dates and names. They give us stories.

Walter was also the informant on Bridget's death certificate. Patrick, her husband, died two years after her. I don't know why he wasn't the informant. Perhaps he was too grieved. I imagine they all were.

Excerpt from Bridget Barrett's death certificate

I've seen far too many death certificates for my ancestors that have no parental information on them. It can be frustrating...very frustrating. On Bridget's I've got her parents listed as Hugh and Alice Farley nee Fagan. While I have to take it with a grain of salt (this is second-hand information after all), I do see a pattern in the names. 

Bridget and Patrick had six children: Edward, Mary (my ancestor), William, Hugh, Walter, and Alice. According to Patrick's death certificate his parents were Edward and Mary. Bridget's parent were Hugh and Alice. Their children were named after their parents it would seem.

These were all the revelations I got from Bridget's death certificate and those two small clippings. I have no obituary for her yet. Newspapers.com hasn't added the Hazleton papers for 1906. I'm hoping that 1906 isn't one of the years permanently lost. I found out where in Saint Gabriel's cemetery she and Patrick are buried this summer and I was finally able to create FindAGrave memorials for them. I just seems like an obituary would help to close out the story.

I take this time to remember someone that must have been a strong and brave woman and I'm proud to be your granddaughter.

Sunday's Obituary - Charles Reilly

The Scranton Republican, 16MAR1900, pg8

Continuing on with the Reilly connection. Charles Reilly was the father of Nellie/Ellen Devers nee Reilly. I recently posted about Nellie's death. She died in 1903. In a short clipping about her death it mentioned that she was the niece of my Patrick Barrett and a Mrs. John Mulhearn. I don't know who the latter is, but I've been able to discover that her mother's maiden name was Barrett. Sadly, her mother isn't mentioned by name in either of these clippings.

"Mr. Charles Reilly, a highly respected resident of this town, died at 10:45 yesterday morning at his home on Spring street, after seven days' illness of pneumonia. The deceased was in excellent health (sic) until last Thursday morning, when he was stricken in the mine. The family physician was called and administered to his patient, who showed symptoms of pneumonia. Mr. Reilly grew worse rapidly and despite the skill of the physician, he succumbed. Mr. Reilly moved to Avoca with his family from Hazleton fourteen years ago. He filled up the measure of duty as a faithful husband and kind father. Beloved and respected by all his associates in the walks of life, his departure is sincerely mourned. He is survived by his widow and four children, Charles, Edward and Margaret Reilly, and Mrs. John Devers, all of this place. Funeral will be held tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 10 o'clock with a requiem high mass in St. Mary's church. Interment in St. Mary's cemetery."

I can only imagine how miserable working in the mines was as he came down with pneumonia. The 1918 flu pandemic did have many cases of pneumonia that came on suddenly with death following a few hours later, but I doubt this was the case. Charles hung on for about a week. What was the state of his lungs after working in the mines? Did it make him more susceptible to ailments of the lungs like bronchitis and pneumonia? I can only imagine. The second obituary is very similar to the first.

The Wilkes-Barre Record, 16MAR1900, pg9

"The death of Charles Reilley (sic), which occurred yesterday morning, was a great surprise to his acquaintances, as it was not generally known that he was ill.  Last week he returned from work complaining of a severe cold, but paid little attention to it previous to that time. It developed into pneumonia on both lungs and his symptoms were of such a character as to occasion alarm among the members of the family and they at once had him fortified with the rites of the Church. Mr. Reilley (sic) was a pleasant, agreeable citizen, always interested in the welfare of his associates and ever anxious to minister to the comforts and pleasures of his family. He removed his family to Avoca from Hazleton about twelve years ago and during that time he made many friends but few enemies. Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons - Charles, a member of the council, and Edward of the school board; also two daughters, Mrs John Devers and Miss Margaret, at home. The funeral will take place on Saturday morning at 9:30 o'clock. Interment will be in St. Mary's Cemetery."

While the obituaries are similar the second one answers at least one of the questions I had. He had apparently been plagued by a cold which he ignored until it took a rather severe turn. Hardly surprising that he would feel the necessity to continue working when sick. Perhaps if he had taken it easy initially he may have never gotten pneumonia. Not really an option at that time. It was also a time without antibiotics.

No point in dwelling on what could have been. What is interesting to read were the bits about his sons. Charles Jr. is listed as a member of "the council"...whatever that was...government? Church? Apparently it was noteworthy. Edward was a member of the school board. With those bits of information I may be able to dig up some of information on them on newspapers.com. Naturally, not much was said about his daughters. Disappointing, but not surprising.

While I do wish they had stated how old Charles Sr. was it isn't overly significant in my research. Perhaps I'll come across it in future research. Charles has a memorial on FindAGrave, but no tombstone picture yet.

Amanuensis Monday - Margaret Reilly nee Barrett

The Scranton Republican, 09SEP1913, pg16

Still delving into that Reilly/Barrett/Devers connection with my Barretts. From what I can figure Margaret (Mrs. Charles Reilly) is a sister to my Patrick Barrett. Her obituary here is frustrating to say the least. Her name isn't mentioned. I only know it's her from previous resources.

I'll admit to getting a little exited when I saw that the obituary mentioned her being born in Ireland. I figured that if they were going to go that far, they'd give a little more information, but no. Hopes dashed. They didn't even mention that she had originally resided in Cranberry, Pennsylvania...a small residential area near Hazleton. There's also no mention of her daughter, Nellie/Ellen Devers nee Reilly, who died 10 years before.

When searching newpapers.com I saw the death notice for William Reilly. The grandson mentioned in the post. I didn't think much about it because I was focused on Margaret. When I came across her obituary and it mentioned William's death shortly before I made sure I clipped that article too. After all...they all belong to me even if I don't have the solid connection yet. I'll get there.

"Prominent Woman Goes to Her Final Reward

AVOCA, ept. 8.

The death of Mrs. Charles Reilly, one of Avoca's oldest and most esteemed residents, occurred at the home of her son, Charles Reilly, on South Main street, Sunday night.

A grandson, William Reilly, died last week and his demise is believed to have weakened her condition, which was weakened owing to her advanced age.

Mrs. Reilly was born in Ireland and resided in Avoca for the last thirty years. She is survived by two sons, Charles and Edward, of Avoca, and one daughter, Margaret, of Scranton.

The funeral takes place Wednesday morning at 9:30 o'clock. Services at St. Mary's church and interment in St. Mary's cemetery."

Margaret is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Avoca. She has a FindAGrave memorial I created after finding this clipping.

Sunday's Obituary - Nellie Dever nee Riley

The Plain Speaker, 22AUG1903, pg 1

Remember when I posted about my mysterious Lees in Pittsburgh? I knew they were related, but I hadn't been able to figure out how they were related. Well, I still don't know, but now I have another mystery. This time in my Barrett line.

Patrick Barrett is as far back as I can go in my Barrett line. Sort of. Patrick died in 1908 and his death certificate listed his parents, but there's no guarantee that it's right. Perhaps knowing that his parents are listed as Edward Barrett and Mary Merrick (a name I've never heard in regards to my family tree...ever) may help me with this new mystery in the future. Who knows?

I know the Barrett in this clipping is my Patrick Barrett. The 1900 census shows my Patrick and his wife, Bridget, living in their home on East Diamond Avenue. I have three Mulhearns in my family tree, and one of them is a John, but I don't have much information on him. Perhaps this obituary that I found on Newspapers.com will be able to shed some light on that.

"Death of Former Cranberry Lady.

Mrs. John Dever, of Avoca, a niece of Patrick Barrett, of East Diamond Avenue, and Mrs. John Mulhearn, of South Pine street, died last night. Mrs. Dever was formerly Miss Nellie Riley, of Cranberry. The funeral will take place at Avoca on Monday morning."

After finding this link I jumped back on to Newspapers.com to try to find other articles about this mysterious woman from the Hazleton and Wilkes-Barre papers. I found some that may or may not be right, but then I discovered another on my Nellie and it shed a little light on how she died and where she's buried, but nothing on how she connects with my family.

The Wilkes-Barre Record, 25AUG1903, pg 12

"Avoca.

Mrs. John Devers died on Saturday morning at the home of her mother on Spring street. Deceased was well known and highly respected by all who knew her. Her husband, mother, two brothers, one sister and four children survive, the youngest being 3 days old. The funeral will occur this morning with a requiem mass at St. Mary's Church; interment in St. Mary's Cemetery."

So the surname has an "s" in this article. Nothing to get all worked up about. So I went on FindAGrave to see if I could find St. Mary's Cemetery and discovered there was one in Avoca. I also discovered that there was a memorial for Nellie also showing her maiden name as Reilly (Riley). It has her birth as being in Hazleton in December 1864 and it has her linked to a memorial for her husband passing on March 3, 1906. How sad! Those kids were so young! Under her bio was a transcription of the clipping from the Wilkes-Barre Record and a statement by the author saying that she was the daughter of Charles and Margaret Barrett Reilly.

The Wilkes-Barre Record, 27AUG1903, pg 12

"Avoca.

The funeral of Mrs. John Devers, whose death occurred on Friday morning under very sad circumstances, took place on Monday morning from her late home on Spring street. The remains encased in a handsome casket, were viewed by a great many sorrowing friends. A requiem mass was celebrated in St. Mary's Church by Rev. J. Lynch. The pall bearers were John Flannely, John Sheridan, James Walsh, John Gallagher, James Lavin, Edward Dunleavy."

All of this is very exciting, but it isn't proof. It is information that could possibly lead me to sources that will help me confirm or refute the information. I can also contact the FindAGrave contributor that posted the information and we can hopefully collaborate to figure this all out. I have no siblings for Patrick Barrett. Just the possibility of Edward Barrett and Mary Merrick being his parents. Now I have a potential sister in Margaret and possibilities of finding others, one of which may lead me to their parents!

Mystery Monday - I Need a Clear Set of Eyes for This

1880 US Federal Census Patrick Barrett household

I need a sanity check. A pretty big one too. The above is from the 1880 U.S. Federal Census. It's my Patrick and Bridget Barrett nee Farley with three of their six children. They were living in Cranberry, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. In 1900 they would be living on East Diamond Avenue (with all six kids) in Hazleton, Luzerne county. Hazleton and Cranberry are close to each other so this change in address isn't such a stretch. This clipping also helps connect them if there was any doubt...

The Plain Speaker, 22AUG1903, pg 1

I was supposed to share this clipping in a post published yesterday, but I apparently left it in "Draft" mode so it never went out. It will go out for next Sunday. I've got school-brain right now! Anyway in that upcoming post I have this clipping and deduced that this Miss Nellie Riley (Reilly) was most likely the daughter of Charles and Margaret Reilly nee Barrett. I've confirmed the Charles part, but Margaret is always referred to as "Mrs. Charles Reilly." Women's lib came to late too help me with that.

So I'm trying to connect Nellie with Patrick. She's his niece so if Margaret Reilly nee Barrett is her correct name, then I've pretty much got it down that Margaret is Patrick's sister. So I went looking for Charles, Margaret, and Nellie in the 1880 census. I found a Charles, Margaret, and Ellen (her FindAGrave memorial lists her as Ellen Devers nee Reilly) and they live right by Patrick and Bridget. Only one family separates the two...

1880 US Federal Census Tidley/Reilly household pg 25A

...but it just couldn't be easy because Charles and Margaret are listed as having the surname "Tidley" and the kids are listed as Ellen, Charles, Magie, Mary, and Edward. Also next to Ellen it has her relationship as "S. Daughter" which I would assume to be step-daughter, but she is listed as his daughter in his obituary and all those other kiddos are listed as well except for Mary. Perhaps she had passed away by then.

The above is at the bottom of the census page and the family continues over onto the next census page where Patrick is also listed...

1880 US Federal Census Tidley/Reilly/Mirick household pg 26B

So here we have a "S. Son" (guessing step-son) by the name of Martin Casina (ish). Below that is Charles' mother-in-law, Mary Mirick. Confused?

OK so on Patrick Barrett's death certificate his parents are listed as Edward Barrett and Mary Merrick. I hadn't heard the name Merrick before, but then I found Margaret Reilly's death certificate and her parents are listed as Charles Reilly and Mary Merrick. Her daughter, Margaret, supplied the information for the death certificate and as we know Charles Reilly was her husband not her father.

So Mary Merrick pops up on both Patrick Barrett's and Mary Reilly nee Barrett's death certificates. When I found the 1880 census records aside from the step-daughter and step-son thing I was convinced I had found them. Then I started thinking about Mary Merrick. Wouldn't her name be Barrett? Why would they have her down by her maiden name in the census? I would say that perhaps she remarried, but why wold Merrick be listed as her maiden name on her death certificate? Am I trying to fit a square peg into a round hole? It's certainly not conclusive, but there are too many coincidences in all of this.

Thoughts? Because right now my mind is a bit muddled.

Medical Monday - Hubert Brown

Cause of Death - Hubert Brown

In a previous Pennsylvania Death Certificate Appreciate Society Wednesday's Child post I talked about Alice Brown, a child of Thomas and Mary Brown nee Barrett, that I was able to neatly place into a fabled male-twin slot in my family tree. I also mentioned that when finding her death certificate online I also found another for a child my family knew nothing about and how he died. This is his story.

Thomas and Mary had six known children: Marian, Thomas Jr, Edward, Walter, Alice, and Hubert. Alice and Hubert were my newest discoveries. Hubert was born on November 10th 1915 and died on November 29th living only 19 days. His cause of death was listed as "enteritis and diarrhea." Gastro-enteritis causes diarrhea which can lead to severe dehydration, malnutrition, and death. How did this little guy get gastro-enteritis?

I found a book/journal excerpt on gastro-enteritis in infants (which works out well since those were the words I searched on Google) and I was pretty horrified at what I began reading. Written about 50 years ago the author of the piece chalked up infants getting this sickness to living in impoverished, filthy conditions. I've got to say that I got the impression that the author looked negatively upon those that had infants suffer and die from this. Did he say that? No, but reading "...In areas where poverty, poor housing, and malnutrition still go hand in hand with ignorance this scourge continues..." doesn't make you feel that he thinks much of the poorest of families. Regardless, it made me wonder what conditions my ancestors were living in. My great grandfather worked in the mines which wasn't the cleanest job in the world, but my great grandmother was a teacher. Hardly ignorant. My mother has nothing but good memories of her grandfather and the time she spent with him. All of the children that survived to adulthood earned bachelor degrees or higher (although I'm told my great grandfather didn't believe in women attending college, my great aunt Marian did anyway and excelled). Not exactly an ignorant family. So how did this infant come down with gastro-enteritis?

As I continued reading this excerpt something caught my eye. The word "giardia". It might not mean much to many reading this, but when I was growing up in Hazleton we would get boil advisories for giardiasis in the water. It was always a pain to have to boil our water before using it. Those advisories were during the 70s and 80s. I've moved away so I don't know if they still deal with these pesky protozoans, but I can imagine they do from time to time throughout the region. So if we were dealing with them when I was a child and the article mentions them is it possible that this was what may have caused the gastro-enteritis in Hubert? Giving water to babies wasn't unheard of. It still happens even with breastfeeding mums. We all know that formula is mixed with water, but when my boys were born (the youngest is nine years old) I had to specifically say to not give them water between breastfeedings. It wasn't because of any fear of water-borne infection, but because I didn't want anything interfering with my milk coming in. So if water is still sometimes given to infants it's certainly possible that it could have been given to one 100 years ago causing an infection. Giardia could have laid the whole family up with severe diarrhea and enteritis. When these things happen in infants they can be deadly while someone older and healthier could recover.

I won't ever truly know how Hubert got sick, but I do feel for his parents. They lost Alice in January of 1914 and then another child in November the following year. Alice and Hubert were their last children and both died. They had to have been devastated. Like Alice and most of her family, Hubert was buried in St. Gabriel's Cemetery in Hazleton, Pennsylvania. I haven't been able to find a marker for him yet and I don't know if one exists, but I created a memorial for him on FindAGrave. Rest in peace, Hubert.

Wednesday's Child - Alice Brown

Excerpt of Alice Brown's Death Certificate

Thank goodness for the Pennsylvania Death Certificates being online! I was able to discover that my great grandparents, Thomas and Mary Brown nee Barrett, had two children that I didn't know about previously. Today's post is about one of them.

I came across Alice Brown's death certificate accidentally. I was actually searching for Barretts who died in the Hazleton, PA vicinity and she popped up because her mom's maiden name was Barrett. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. We never knew about her. My mother's middle name (and the name she goes by) is Alice, but we have several Alices in the family tree that she could have been named for. This discovery added another possibility and was certainly interesting news to my mom.

We were surprised that she was never mentioned especially since my grandfather (her brother) would have been about 5 when she died. He would have remembered her. What was more surprising was that she was a twin.

We knew that Walter Brown (another child of Thomas and Mary Brown nee Barrett) had a twin that died and everyone believed the child had been stillborn...and was male. Well as it happens I was updating great uncle Walter's information on his FindAGrave memorial right before beginning this post and had just put in his birthdate of February 3rd 1911 when I looked at Alice's death certificate and saw that was her birthdate as well. She was the twin of family legend.

Alice died of pneumonia on January 16th 1914 at 4 a.m. and was buried in St. Gabriel's Cemetery. There is no known tombstone for her although I did create a memorial for her on FindAGrave. This little girl...my great aunt...was always remembered because of her twin and we remembered her without a name and as the wrong gender. Now we can remember her properly and someday maybe I can discover where in Saint Gabriel's cemetery she is buried.

Medical Monday - William Barrett's Cause of Death

William Barrett's Death Certificate

William Barrett died at the age of 36 and left behind his wife, Carrie Barrett nee Bittenbender, and three little children: Marie, William Jr, and Thomas.

The first thing that came to mind when I saw "regurgitation" was that he drank too much and vomited in his sleep. I never realized that regurgitation could be associated with the heart. Vomiting was all that I thought of. The contributory cause "ordema (sic) of lungs" seems to me like it should be edema which is fluid in the lungs.

I searched ordema of lungs just in case and Google promptly guided me to edema. That doesn't make it right, but I then decided to type in "regurgitation with edema of lungs secondary cause of death" and I got a top hit of "Mitral regurgitation." Mitral certainly looks like the first word under the cause of death here. So his mitral heart valve wasn't working properly for three months causing blood to leak back into the heart thus causing it to work harder. From what I've read on pulmonary edema it seems that it can be brought on by heart problems so the connection isn't surprising. Small leaks caused by the mitral valve not working properly aren't supposed to be a problem, but larger ones are and will weaken the heart resulting in heart failure if not treated. From the website I was reading it seems that aside from monitoring a person's condition treatment involved to repair or replace the mitral valve. Just a guess, but I don't really think that was much of an option in 1915.

As I've mentioned before with these medical posts, I'm no doctor so it's difficult for me to make even an educated guess as to what happened, but it would have been nice to know what caused the heart problem to begin with. He was being treated for it for just over three months but did he have it for much longer and it was just diagnosed late? Possible, but that's terrible luck to live with something for 36 years only to die from it right after diagnosis. A heart attack, calcium build-up, and infections such as rheumatic fever could have weakened the heart and caused the problem with the mitral valve. This certainly seems more feasible and could account for the death a few months down the road. What bothers me is that no infection or previous heart issue was listed as a contributory cause of death. To me it certainly would have been, but I don't know what they knew about the heart in 1915.

I know there is little point in wondering why the mitral issues occurred. It occurred and no amount of wondering changes that. It's cases like these when someone was taken at such a young age that I want to know why. Why did it happen and force him to leave behind three children under 5 years of age? I can't change those things, but I do tend to obsess over them and my heart always goes out to the family.

William Barrett was my 2nd great uncle. He was the son of Patrick and Bridget Barrett nee Farley. He was born on June 4th 1878 and baptized in St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church. He was 36 when he died as confirmed by the 1880 census and his baptismal record, not 33 as the death certificate states (without a date of birth listed). Tragedy would strike again in another 10 years.

Sunday's Obituary - Mary Brown nee Barrett

Hazleton, PA newspaper*

Yet another obituary that I had no idea I hadn't shared. No idea until the other day when I was doing some research into my Barrett line and tried using this obituary to narrow the search down a bit. You see Mary was a Barrett and she had 5 siblings: Edward, William, Hugh, Walter, and Alice.

I know that Edward moved to Buffalo, New York with his family and most likely died there. His wife, Esther Corrigan, is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery (Cheektowaga, Erie, NY) and my guess is that Edward is most likely buried there too. Sadly, there was a problem with my photo request on FindAGrave and it appears that her tombstone is overturned and unreadable so I can't see if her husband is on the stone with her. There was no memorial for Edward on FindAGrave, just Esther so I'll most likely contact the cemetery and see if they have a burial for him. I have a date of birth, but only know that he died after 1944 because of this obituary. Edward is mentioned as surviving his sister. I have a few possible dates of death for him which I will try to check in the local Hazleton newspaper when I go back home. Since he was originally from the area chances are something made it in there.

Now the obituary names her sister, Alice, as surviving her, but William, Hugh, and Walter are left out of the mix. From searching the online Pennsylvania Death Index I can see that William died in 1915 and Walter died in 1910. Walter never married. William did (to Carrie Bittenbender) and had three known children: Marie, William Jr., and Thomas.

In my research I had been trying to find Hugh and Alice. Both moved from Hazleton and became fairly elusive. Neither married and both have common names. At least when Edward moved to the Buffalo area I was able to track him down because I knew the names of his wife and children. I couldn't do that with Hugh and Alice. With Hugh I can see that he isn't mentioned in his sister's obituary so that most likely means that he died before she did. I also know that Alice out-lived her sister. Aside from that it's a dead end.

I'll dive deeper into some possibilities with Hugh and Alice and some documents I found in another post. Until then I'll share the obituary and funeral notice for my paternal great grandmother:

"Deaths

Mrs. Thomas J. Brown

Mrs. Thomas J. Brown, of 3322 West Broad street, this city, died at 3:15 this morning at her home following eight weeks' illness. She was born here and spent her entire life in Hazleton. Her maiden name was Miss Mary A. Barrett and her parents were the late Patrick and Bridget Barrett.

Mrs. Brown was a member of St. Gabriel's church and the Altar and Rosary Society. In her younger days she was a school teacher in Hazle township.

Surviving are her husband and the following children: Marian and Edward Brown, city school teachers; Sergeant Walter Brown of the army air forces stationed in the South Pacific and Thomas Brown, Jr., of Elmira, N. Y. One brother, Edward Narrett (sic), of Buffalo, N. Y., and one sister, Miss Alice Barrett, a registered nurse of New York City, also survive.

The funeral will be held at 9:30 Friday morning. Services will be conducted at 10 a.m. in St. Gabriel's church and interment will be in St. Gabriel's cemetery."

Hazleton, PA newspaper*

"The funeral of Mrs. Thomas J. Brown, of 832 West Broad street, was held at 9:30 this morning with the blessing at 10 o'clock in St. Gabriel's church by Monsignor D. J. Kane, who also gave the blessing at the grave. The pallbearers were: Daniel Meehan, Michael Welsh, John McHugh, Michael Conner, John O'Donnell and Charles O'Donnell. Interment was in St. Gabriel's cemetery."

*The clippings were taken from the Hazleton, Pennsylvania newspaper. It is called the Standard Speaker, but was once The Plain Speaker, The Standard Sentinel, and possible something else. Problem is that when I printed these clippings from microfilm I didn't source my information properly...bad, Cherie...I know, I know! I just wrote 04APR1944 on the back and that is actually her date of death not the publication date. I've improved in my sourcing since then...

Sunday's Obituary - The Inexhaustable Marian Brown

Janus yearbook 1948

I always knew when my great Aunt Marian Veronica Brown died.  I've visited and placed flowers at her grave over the years.  I've heard many stories about Aunt Marian, but I've never read her obituary and all I can say is WOW!

"Marian Brown, HHS Teacher, Dies

Miss Marian V. Brown, director of dramatics at Hazleton High School and well known throughout the region for her readings and direction of the local Thespian troupe, died at 5:45 o'clock this morning at the St. Joseph Hospital.  She had been admitted as a medical patient a week ago.  A lifelong resident of this city, she resided at 505 West Broad street.

She was a daughter of the late Thomas and Mary Barrett Brown.

A graduate of Bloomsburg State Teachers College, she received a bachelor of arts degree from Marywood College and her masters from New York University.

Miss Brown taught English at the H. F. Grebey Memorial Junior High School before being transferred to Hazleton High School about 1935.  She was named director of dramatics and public speaking instructor at HHS about 1939.  For the past two years she also taught Latin.  She has always taken charge of the high school's commencement activities, play and program, and directed numerous faculty plays.

The Plain Speaker, 09AUG1956, pg 12

Sponsored Thespian Troupe

She was sponsor of National Thespian Troupe No. 257 at HHS and this past June chaperoned a group from the local troupe to a summer dramatic workshop at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

For the past several years, she aided the scholarship fund of Hazleton branch, American Association of University Women, by producing a benefit play.  Last year the branch named its scholarship the Marian V. Brown Scholarship.

She was a member of St. Gabriel's church and of the Altar and Rosary Society of the parish.  Other memberships included the Hazleton Teachers Association, Pennsylvania State Education Association and the National Education Association.

Taught Many Adults

She participated in the adult education program of the city by conducting speaking classes.

Surviving are three brothers, Edward, vice principal of H. F. Grebey Memorial Junior High School; Walter, teacher in Philadelphia; and Thomas, of Elmira, N.Y.

The funeral will be held from the Boyle funeral home Monday at 9 a. m. with solemn requiem high mass in St. Gabriel's church at 9:30.  Interment will be in the parish cemetery."

The Plain Speaker, 13AUG1956, pg 20

"Miss Marian V. Brown, Hazleton High School teacher who died Thursday, was buried this morning from the Boyle funeral home.  Solemn requiem high mass was celebrated in St. Gabriel's Church by Msgr. Dennis J. Kane, with Rev. Edward Haggerty as deacon and Rev. Eugene Moran as subdeacon.  Seated in the sanctuary were Rev. William Ward, chaplain at the St. Joseph Hospital, Rev. Frank and Rev. Cane, both of the Lady of Victory Church, Harvey's Lake.  Msgr. Kane gave the blessing in the parish cemetery.  Pallbearers were James Malatack, William McLaughlin, John Senko, Robbert Sacco, Frank Serany, Jr., and Herbert Skuba."

Aunt Marian was one of those people that my mom, aunt and uncle always talked about.  I can understand why when I see the obituary.  She did so much.  She was so active and obviously loved.  I mean to have the priests from the Harvey's Lake church and the hospital come to her funeral is really saying something.  The family took trips to Harvey's Lake in the summer.  It's not like they were there year-round!  And the pallbearers...they weren't family.  I can only imagine they were educators and friends that wanted to take part in remembering this great lady.  There were certainly family members that could have been pallbearers.

She attended and graduated from three colleges/universities!?!?  She had a scholarship named after her!?!?!  I find this amazing!  I also found out from my mom she paid her own way through school.  No help from her parents.  Her father, Thomas Brown, was a very loving man but he didn't believe that college was for women.  She was determined and obviously succeeded.  I don't know if she got any grants, scholarships, or worked her way through, but she did it.

Janus yearbook.  Year unknown.

She is also responsible for my grandfather, Edward Brown Sr, and great Uncle, Walter Brown Sr, going to college.  She paid their way!

She supported those organizations that she was apart of and she bought special presents for her nieces and nephews.  My mom tells me that Aunt Marian had great taste and bought the most beautiful presents.  When she died, she had no money left.  This wasn't due to frivolous spending on her part, but she believed in enjoying her life and used her money appropriately.  She wasn't married, had no kids, and knew that you can't take it with you!  She lived her life well and spent her money accordingly.

As for why Aunt Marian never married.  My mom tells me that there was talk of a man that she was in love with that was killed in World War II (name unknown).  There are also rumors of an affair with the novelist John O'Hara.  Frankly if you read about John O'Hara's life, affairs and him go hand in hand.  Does that make it true.  No...still a family legend.  But he was from the region and did reside in New York (one of the places Marian went to school).  Possible, but not confirmed.  Allegedly in one of his novels a character he created...a drama teacher...is based on Aunt Marian.  Since John O'Hara would change the names of people and cities, I'll most likely never know.  I just got one of his books and hope to see if anything sounds close to Aunt Marian as I read through it!  I'll keep you posted!

Sadly, I can find no mention of Marian's scholarship still being in existence.  Additionally the webpage for the Hazleton AAUW is pathetic...it's blank.  I'm not hopeful, but won't give up.

She obviously was a magnificent woman.  She achieved so much.  I wish I could have known her personally.  I wish I could have the opportunity to hear people she taught speak of her and find out what they thought of this obviously wonderful lady.

Sunday's Obituary - Thomas Joseph Brown Sr

Thomas Brown Sr and Catherine Ryan nee Brown

 
"Thos. J. Brown Taken In Death

Thomas J. Brown, of 505 West Broad street, one of Hazleton's most prominent citizens, died this morning at 7:10 o'clock at St. Joseph Hospital.  Ill for a time, he had entered the hospital a month ago.

At last night's banquet of Hazleton Council 442, Knights of Columbus, at the Altamont, he was mentioned as one of the honorary life-member of that order who had been associated with the council for more than fifty years and to whom tribute was paid.

A son of Neil and Nancy McCoy Brown, he was born in this city, where he had spent his entire life.

Prior to his retirement ten years ago, he had been engaged as engineer by the G. B. Markle Coal Co. and the Jeddo-Highland Coal Co. for 42 years.

A devout Roman Catholic, he was a member of St. Gabriel's church and the Holy Name Society.

Mr. Brown was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Barrett Brown, ten years ago.

Surviving are these children:  Marian V. Brown, member of the HHS faculty and dramatic director for many years; Edward a member of the Grebey Jr. High School teaching staff; Thomas, of Elmira, N. Y., and Walter, and instructor in the public schools of Philadelphia.  There are five grandchildren.  Two nephews, Rev. John Brown, of Pinehurst, N. C., and Rev. Aloysius McElwee, for any years a chaplain in the United States Army, and recently assigned to a post in Mississippi, also survive.

The funeral will be held from the Boyle funeral home on Friday morning at 9 o'clock.  Solemn high mass will be offered up in St. Gabriel's church at 9:30 and burial will be in the parish cemetery.

Friends may call at the funeral home on Wednesday and Thursday from 2 to 4, and 7 to 10 p. m."

"Today's Funerals

Thomas J. Brown of 505 West Broad street, retired engineer for the Jeddo-Highland Coal Co. who died Tuesday at St. Joseph Hospital, was buried this morning from the Boyle funeral home.  Rev. Aloysius McElwee, Chaplain-Major of the United States Army at Fort Devens, Mass., and a nephew of the deceased, was celebrant of a solemn high mass in St. Gabriel's church.  Assisting at the mass were Rev. Eugene R. Moran, deacon, Rev. Paul J. Purcell, sub-deacon.  Rt. Rev. Monsignor Dennis J. Kane, and Rev. Gerald Conahan, the latter of Scranton, were seated in the sanctuary.  Burial was in St. Gabriel's cemetery with Father McElwee, assisted by Father Moran, giving the blessing at the grave.  Pallbearers were John Gallagher, William Halton, Peter McCoy, Daniel Meehan, Connie McHugh and James McKelvey."

Thomas Brown Sr was my great grandfather.  The articles certainly have enough wonderful clues to help further my research.  Was Peter McCoy a cousin?  It was his mother's maiden name and getting past her is one of my brick walls!  I'll have to see what I can do able using this information to scale it in the near future!

Monday's Mystery - Desperately Seeking a Date

My Great-Great Aunt Alice V. Barrett and her proud purchase of a car!

Hmmm, that might not have sounded quite right.  I'm seeking a date genealogically speaking.  I'm at a loss in trying to identify the car in the photo.  No, it's not critical to my research.  Call it a burning desire. So if you can help at all I'd be forever grateful!  You'll be a legend in my family history!  People will name their children after you!  OK, maybe that one was a bit of an exaggeration...

So what do I know about the picture and the lady behind the wheel...

-Her name is Alice Veronica Barrett.  She is one of two daughters born to Patrick and Bridget Barrett nee Farley.
-Alice was born on 06MAY1887 in Hazleton, PA
-The car was most likely purchased in NY, NJ, or PA since those are the possible matches I have for where Alice lived.
-I would assume that the picture was taken sometime around the time she purchased it, being proud of a purchase that not everyone had.

I originally thought that this was a Ford Model-T and posted the picture on Facebook requesting help from people that may know more about cars than I do (and that's pretty much everyone).  A friend of mine said that he too thought that it was a Model-T and dated it to 1927.  While I love my buddy for trying to help, the date and model don't necessarily sit right with me (although that doesn't make him wrong...it could just mean that I'm being difficult).  The biggest being that the tires weren't typical of the 1927 Model-T.  "Spokes" (for lack of a better term) were thinner and there were more of them in the pictures of the 1927 models I've seen.

So these are the aspects of the picture that I've been trying to match up with a specific make and model of car:

-The above mentioned tires.

-The "nose" of the car is relatively long, indicating that the motor was up front which was not always the case with early cars.

-The "vents" on the nose of the car are at an angle and there are several of them.

-The spare tire is on the back of the car and vertical (some spares were canted at a slight angle when on the back)

-It's a soft/rag-top.  From what I've read, fewer of these models were made as time went on and cars became more enclosed.

-The doors do not have a panel in between them.  If you check pictures of cars from this era you'll notice that very few cars have doors that are right next to each other.  There is a small panel in between the front and rear doors and the doors themselves are relatively small.  These are good full-size doors.

-Then I've got to take a look at the clothes that the ladies are wearing.  I'm rubbish at dating fashions as well, but I'm working on improving in that area.  From my novice experience. I would say that the hemlines are most likely too low for 1927 although I'm sure not everyone wore flapper-style dresses, I would still imagine that the overall hemline would be higher and the waistline lower than what is pictured here.

My best guess for the time period (and it is just a guess) would be sometime around 1917-1923.  That's mostly based on the tires of the car and my guess at the clothing, but I could be WAY off on that!

If you've got mad-skills or even just a guess on the time period based on the clothing or on the make and model of the car, I'd be forever grateful!

Tombstone Tuesday - Barrett Marker

I don't know who's buried here.  That's a common theme sometimes with surname markers.  Sometimes you can't even be sure that they belong to your family.  I'm lucky though because despite the common name on this marker, I know it belongs to me.  My mom would put flowers on it every year for Memorial Day as did her relatives before her.  She doesn't know who's there either, just that they are ours.  Time to write away to the church and see how good their records are!



Any suggestions on how to fix the marker?  As you can see it's sinking into the ground, but unlike other areas of the cemetery (Saint Gabriel's Roman Catholic, Hazleton, PA), it's more than just the marker...the entire area is sunken.  It is a city with a deep coal mining history, but I know of no subsidences in this particular area.  I don't know if it's a lost cause to fix it.  I would hate to think so.  Now that I've started making the annual pilgrimages to place flowers, I want to ensure that my children can find it when it's their turn.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!  Our long journey is over and while family will be missed it's time to get back to work!