Emily Meigs Biddle obituary error

A few weeks ago I was playing around in GenealogyBank, looking for articles on my Biddle relations - specifically my 3rd-great grandmother, Emily Meigs Biddle (1824-1905) and her daughter, my 3rd-great aunt, Emily Williams Biddle (1855-1931).

I found a nice obituary for Emily Meigs Biddle (Mrs. J. Williams Biddle) in the Springfield Republican, dated 23 Nov 1905.  I always like finding obituaries.  I use them quite a bit in my research and particularly like seeing what clues to other relatives are noted.  Emily M. Biddle's obituary finishes by listing her children:

"She is survived by a son, Dr. Thomas Biddle, two daughters, Mrs. Richard Caldwalter and Miss Emily Biddle of Philadelphia." [1]

The interesting thing here (aside from the misspelling of "Cadwalader") is that her oldest daughter, Christine, Mrs. Richard Cadwalader, died 23 Mar 1900 and did not, in fact, survive her.

Death date on Christine Biddle Cadwalader's death certificate [2]

Emily Meigs Biddle died in Lenox, Massachusetts on 22 Nov 1905.  The informant listed on her death certificate is listed as Thomas Biddle. I presume this is Thomas Biddle, her son, but don't know that for a fact.  There are, however, no other immediate relatives I'm aware of with the name Thomas Biddle who would be living in 1905.

Death date on Emily Meigs Biddle's death certificate [3]

Informant on death certificate of Emily Meigs Biddle [3]

So if I assume the informant on Emily Meigs Biddle's death certificate is her son, that certainly doesn't imply he would have had anything do with her obituary.  But I find it odd that such an error would be made given that Christine pre-deceased her mother by a full 5 years.  

If nothing else, this reminds me to be careful about information gleaned from obituaries and what clues I take away. 

[1]  "Death of Philadelphia Summer Resident," Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts), 23 Nov 1905, p. 10, col. 3; digital images, GenealogyBank (http://www.genealogybank.com : accessed 27 April 2013).

[2]  "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," index and image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JKSN-82L : accessed 27 Apr 2013), Christine B. Cadwalader, 1900.
[3]  "Massachusetts, Deaths, 1841-1915," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NWNR-9YL : accessed 27 Apr 2013), Emily M. Biddle, 1905.

Amanuensis Monday - Will of Ann Wishart Senior

Ann Wishart (ca.1720 - 1770) was my 7th great-grandmother.  Her line of descent is one I've worked on in recent years, and I'm long overdue recounting an interesting (I think) story from over a year ago.  

In November 2011, I spent a week at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City as part of the NEHGS annual tour.  One of my self-appointed tasks for the week was to get additional details and records on the line going back to Ann Wishart.  I spent the bulk of the week on the 2nd floor, in semi-darkness, delighting in the reels of microfilm records at my fingertips.  When not using the microfilm, I'd emerge briefly onto the fully lit 3rd floor for print item (book) use before heading back to the microfilm.  I saved most online lookups for my hotel room in the evenings.  So it was in my hotel, doing some semi-random Googling after a long day, that I first turned up the following reference to Ann's will.

Wulf, Karin A.  Not All Wives: Women of Colonial Philadelphia.  Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000, p. 149.

I'd known I was descended from Ann, and knew approximately when she lived, but had no idea or inkling that she was a tradeswoman.  Through Wulf's footnote [95] I was easily able to find Wishart's will at the library the next day.  The full transcription follows:

[start page 1]
Be it remembered that I Ann Wishart Sen. of the City of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania Tallow Chandler being in good Bodily Health and of sound an well Disposing Mind and Memory, Blessed be God for the same and all other his Mercies and Favours, But calling to Mind the uncertainty of this present Life.  Do therefore think fitt to make this my last Will and Testament in manner and Form following, that is to say, First I give and devise unto my Loving Daughter Jemima Edwards of the City of Philadelphia Widow, the Sum of Five Shillings and also to my loving Son William Wishart of the said City, the sum of Five Shillings, and thirdly I do give & deviss
[end page 1]

[start page 2]
unto my Loving Daughter Ann Wishart Junr of said City, the sum of Five Shillings, and also I do devise unto said Daughter Ann Right and previlage in this my Mesuage or Tenement in which I now dwell, the largest Frunt Shop, the Frunt Chamber up one pair of Staires and the Frunt Garrot, with the use and previlage of the Kitchen to have and to hold to my said Daughter Ann for and during the Term of her Natural Life and no longer.  And from and Immediately after the decease of my said Daughter Ann I do give and devise all her Rights and previlage in my said Mesuage or Tenement, to my son Thomas Wishart of the
said City Tallow Chandler, and I Do give and divise unto my said son Thomas all this my Mesuage or Tenement, exclusive of that part I have devised to my Daughter Ann: wherein I now Dwell, situated lying and being in frunt Street at the corner of Jones's Alley, commonly called Pewter Plater Alley in said City together with the Mesuages, Tenements, Edifices, Buildings and improvements Erected standing, being or made, and their and every of their Rights, Members and Appurtenances as also my Negro man called Ceasar, and a Quart Silver Tankard with all my Household Goods, Househould and Kitchen Furniture, with all the Implements for carrying on the Chandling Business.  To hold to him my said son Thomas his Heirs and Assigns forever.  And I nominate and appoint my said son Thomas and my said Daughter Ann to be the Executors of this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former Wills and Testaments by me made, and do declare this only to be my last Will and Testament.  In Witness whereof I the said Ann Wishart Senr have hereunto set my hand and seal the fifth day of July in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty nine.  Ann Wishart [seal]
Signed Sealed Published and declared by the said Ann Wishart Senr for and as her last Will and Testament in the presence of us, who have hereunto subscribed our Names as Witnesses of the same in her presence and at her request.  NB I do further give and devise unto my Daughter Ann use of the Yard Pump Garding
Witness Thos Wharton Jur Caleb Jones. ----------
Philad: February 12, 1770 Personally appeared Thomas Wharton Ju and Caleb Jones, the two witnesses to the foregoing Will, and on their solemn Affirmation according to Law did declare that they saw and heard Ann Wishart the Testatrix therein Named Sign Seal Publish and Declare, the same Will for and as her last Will and Testament and that at the doing thereof she was of sound disposing Mind Memory and Understanding to the best of their knowledge & Belief
                                                           Coram Benjamin Chew Reg GenS
Be it remembered that on the 12th day of February 1770 the last Will and Testament of Ann Wishart deceased in due form of Law was proved and probate and Letters Testamentary thereof were granted to Thomas Wishart and Ann Wishart Executor in the said Will Named being first solemnly Affirmed well and truly to administer the said Deceaseds Estate and being an Inventory thereof into the Register Generals Office at Philadelphia on or before the 12th day of March next and render a true and just account of the of the said Administration on or before the 12th day of February 1771 or when thereto Legally required given under the seal of the said Office.  Benjamin Chew Reg Genl.
[end page 2]

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, Will Book No. O, Years Covered 1766-1771: no. 342, will of Ann Wishart Senior, 1770; FHL microfilm 21,726.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Third Most Recent Unknown Ancestor

In this week's fun over at Genea-Musings, Randy Seaver asks us to determine our 3rd most-recent unknown ancestor in our Ahnentafel list, review our research for something we might have missed, and think about what additional sources might help us.  

I suspected which branch I'd land in before starting this challenge, and if I knew my Ahnentafels even just a little bit better, probably could have figured the answer out in my head.  

The most recent unknown ancestor I wrote about back in May was (and still is) number 40, the father of my great-great-grandfather, Thomas McCormick.  The next one after that is number 41, Thomas McCormick's mother.  So moving over to Thomas' wife, my great-great grandmother Margaret Gilligan McCormick, is where I find the 3rd most recent unknown ancestor.  From Margaret's death certificate, I know that her father's name was John Gilligan (no. 42) , and that her mother's name was Katherine (no. 43).  And it's Katherine I'll be writing about tonight.

I feel like I've written about Margaret a lot lately, having hit her on Randy's roulette wheel last Saturday and considered her right to vote earlier this week.  And while given Randy's instructions, I could climb higher in the Ahnentafel list to find someone else, (which would be no. 46 - unknown father of my great-great grandmother Anna Ambrose Gillespie), I'm going to stick with Katherine and Margaret.  

My lack of a last name for Katherine is hands-down one of the most frustrating things I've researched to date.  Because I actually do (or should) have her last name.  As mentioned above, I have a death certificate for Margaret McCormick dated 4 Jan 1927.  My great-grandfather, Dr. John S. McCormick, was the informant, so I have hopes that the information noted about Margaret's parents is somewhat accurate.

Extraction from death record of Margaret McCormick.

My chief problem is that I can't read the handwriting noting Katherine's last name.  I've shown this to a couple of other people who haven't been able to decipher it either.  

But what I do know from this is that Margaret and her parents, John and Katherine, were all (probably) born in Ireland.  Given immigration related questions in the 1900 and 1910 censuses, I know that Margaret Gilligan likely immigrated to the United States sometime between 1855 and 1860, which would make her between 4 and 9 years old at the time.  So given her age, I hypothesize that Margaret probably would have come with her mother. Whether her father arrived at the same time or earlier is unknown.  Also, contact with a distant cousin tells me according to family stories Margaret and her family may have come to Canada before entering the United States.  Any other children of John and Katherine Gilligan are unknown.

While on a trip to the Family History Library about a year ago, I spent some time pouring through vital records and city directories from the 1880s-1890s for the towns of Norwich and Sprague in the county of New London, Connecticut - the farthest back I've traced the McCormick family.  

In the death records for Sprague, New London, Connecticut in 1882, I found a death entry for 49-year-old widow Catherine Gilligin, born in Ireland, who died 21 Dec 1882 in Sprague.  This would make her birth date around 1833.  Is this Margaret's mother?  I don't know, but it seems plausible - the age is not out of the question.  Unfortunately the death record lacks details like street address or parent's names, and lists her north location only as Ireland.  I have yet to find a woman, married or widowed, matching this name and age, in this geographic area, in the 1880 census. 

Extraction of death entry for Catherine Gilligin.  Sprague, Connecticut.  Registrar of Vital Statistics.  Records of Deaths, 1879-1905.  FHL Microfilm no. 1311443.  Accessed 3 Nov 2011.

Where does this leave me?  The same place I've been for a while - I need to finishing analyzing the data I collected at the FHL last year and need to track down church and/or cemetery records for Norwich and/or Sprague in the early 1880's.  I also want to lay the information I have on-hand out again and go over it with a fine tooth comb as there may be other pieces of information I haven't picked up on.  

If you have any thoughts on what Katherine's maiden name is in the death record above, please hit the comments!

Ancestors' Right to Vote - Part the second

Oi. Somehow I got distracted before finishing a proper analysis for my ancestors' voting rights for my last post, Ancestors' Right to Vote.


I think I was so caught up in thinking about Mary Young Worrall and Margaret Gilligan McCormick that I forgot to finish analyzing all of my great-great grandparents.  I added 4 more folks to the table, above (which should scroll down if you're in the little window).

And I found one more ancestor in this generation who never received the right to vote.  Christine Williams Biddle Cadwalader was born 14 Feb 1847 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died 27 Mar 1900 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania - well before women received the right to vote in 1920.

Christine's younger sister, Emily Williams Biddle (1855-1931), who I've written about in other posts, did live long enough to have the right to vote.

Ancestors' Right to Vote

Thanks to an idea from Michael John Neill over at RootDig, I spent election night (in addition to watching the television coverage) examining my ancestors and their rights to exercise the right to vote.

Michael embedded a nifty little Google Doc into his blog, which I confess caught my eye more than anything else, so I decided to take a look at my own ancestral heritage when it comes to voting rights.  My parents, grandparents, and I all had the right to vote when we came of age - 21 or 18.  I was more interested in how far back I had to go, both generationally and specifically, to find an ancestor who was not able to vote.

Here's my chart (modeled after Michael John Neill's):

My great-grandparents were all able to vote.  In particular, the women received that right with the 19th amendment in 1920, and they all lived long enough to vote if they so chose.  The next generation back, that of my great-great-grandparents is where I find the one ancestor I'm certain was never able to vote.

Mary Catherine Young Worrall was born in Pennsylvania in 1845, and died in Connecticut in 1913.  Her death notice appears in the Philadelphia Inquirer, 13 Aug 1913.

"Worrall," Philadelphia Inquirer, 13 Aug 1913, p. 13, col. 6; digital image, GenealogyBank (http://www.genealogybank.com : accessed 6 Nov 2012).

The ancestor I'm not certain of is my great-great-grandmother Margaret (Gilligan) McCormick.  Margaret was born in Ireland in 1851, and died in Albany, NY in 1927.  If she was a naturalized citizen, I presume she would have been able to vote when the 19th amendment was passed in 1920.

In the 1900 U.S. Federal Census, her husband, Thomas McCormick is enumerated as a naturalized citizen who immigrated in 1865.  Margaret's immigration date in this census in noted as 1860.

Thomas died in 1905, so I looked next at the 1910 and 1920 censuses to see what additional information I could glean about Margaret.

1910:

birthplace - Ireland

year of immigration to the U.S. - 1855

whether naturalized or alien - blank

1920:

birthplace - Ireland

year of immigration to the U.S. - blank

naturalized or alien - blank

year of naturalization - blank

I assume, though, that because her husband was a naturalized citizen, she was also.  I don't know when Thomas naturalized, nor do I know when they married.  My best guess for a marriage date is around 1870 (give or take a few years), but I think Margaret would have received citizenship whether she married a naturalized citizen or he naturalized after they married.  Margaret probably did have the right to vote, but I'm not confident saying so with absolute certainty.

Note: I goofed this up a bit by forgetting a few folks on the chart.  See also, Ancestors' Right to Vote - Part the second.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Ancestor Name Roulette

Tonight's fun from Randy Seaver is Ancestor Name Roulette!  We take the year one of our great-grandmother's was born and divide by 90.  The resulting number is used to match the person with that ahnentafel number in our family tree. 

For this challenge, I used my great-grandmother Irene Gillespie McCormick, born in Albany, NY in 1891.  Dividing 1891 by 90 gives me 21.011, rounded down to 21.  Person number 21 is Irene's mother-in-law, Margaret Gilligan McCormick.

This branch of my family is the one I know the least about, though I do have at least 3 facts on Margaret.

Records I have turned up thus far tell me that Margaret Gilligan was born 18 Jan 1851 in Ireland.  I have yet to find where in Ireland Margaret was born.  

The 1900 federal census indicates Margaret's year of immigration to the United States was 1860, which would make her about 9 years old if the date is correct.  But so far it's all I have about her entry to the U.S.  A distant cousin I connected with recently has reason to believe Margaret and her family may have come to the United States via Canada, which is a theory I'm currently exploring as a possibility.  

Margaret's last residence was 540 Mercer St., Albany, where she died 3 Jan 1927.  She in buried in St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands, NY.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Genealogy Posters

Tonight's challenge from Randy at Geneamusings is to use memegenerator.net to make one or more genealogy posters.

I don't usually go for the creative challenges.  I'm usually more fact and technology-based, but for some reason this one intrigued me, so here are my contributions.  "Geneamemes," perhaps?