Mary Keady (abt 1870-1937)

Mary Keady was born sometime between 1870-1873 in Ireland according to the US censuses for 1900-1930. 

Most of these records have her birth year as 1870 so I will use that one as the default until I find something with more direct evidence. 

As for most of the immigrant ancestors I have searched for, I have so far been unable to pin down when and where they left and when and where they arrived.

The 1900 census states that her year of immigration was 1888 and that she had been in the country for 12 years. 

1900 US Census, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania pg. 210, Micheal Curley household.

The 1910 census, the columns for immigration/naturalization for her name were left blank.

1910 US Census, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania pg. 9B, Kate Curley household, Merrimack Street.

The 1920 census has her immigration year as 1886 and date of naturalization as 1891.

1920 US Census, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania sheet 5B, Catherine Curley household, Merrimack Street.

The 1930 census lists her immigration year as 1875 and only states that she is naturalized.

1930 US Census, Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania sheet 16A, Mary Keady household, Merrimack Street.

Finally, 1905 she shows up on a passenger list sailing aboard the S.S. Teutonic from Queenstown on 12 October 1905 and arrived at the Port of New York on 19 October 1905. One of the columns asked if they have ever been in the United States before and when and where. For Mary it has 18 years in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It also says that she will be joining her sister Kate Curley on Merrimack Street in Pittsburgh which matches other records for Mary Keady.

S.S. Teutonic date unknown

Passenger List, S.S. Teutonic, from Queenstown 12 October 1905 to Port of New York 19 October 1905.

Since most of the records indicate that she immigrated in the late 1880s that is where I have focused my search so far. Mary Keady is a fairly common name and I have found a number of possibilities, but so far nothing to indicate one of them is the one I am looking for. Unfortunately, as with the other immigrant ancestors I have researched, I can’t seem to find them arriving or leaving their country of origin. They all just seem to appear in the US as if by magic. Just another reason for me to take a road trip to Pennsylvania to search for some answers.

Searching for Ed's first wife

Edward Vincent McFadden (1889-1977) married a Mary A. Curley (1894-1969) sometime between 1940 and 1942 when he was in his early fifties and she was about 47. So far no marriage record has been located. However in his World War II draft registration card he is listed as being married and his contact person is listed as Mary A. McFadden.[1] According to family stories this was his second marriage. At some point he is believed to have married a woman in the nineteen teens when he was in his mid to late twenties. It is also believed that she died in 1918 as a result of the influenza epidemic.

This is according to his nieces, my mother and aunt who have repeated the story over the years.

In the 1910[2] census he is boarder in the household of a Mary Gee and family. Then in the 1920[3] census he is back in the household of his father Dennis McFadden. Both records have his marital status as single rather than married or widowed. Of course that only indicates that’s the information provided to the census taker rather than it being completely accurate information. The 1930 census has a column for age at first marriage. Unfortunately no Edward McFadden has been located in that year that fits with the other sources of information on him.

I searched the available city directories for Pittsburgh between 1910-1920 on Ancestry.com. He was located in the 1915 directory[4] and the 1916 directory[5] but neither include a spouse for him in the listing. The next directory is for 1918 and it is incomplete and stops at the letter C. Edward is listed in the 1929 Pittsburgh directory[6] sharing a house with his widowed mother Elizabeth Neuland (1866-1949) and sister Ruth McFadden (1905-1985). At some point between the information for the directory was compiled and the 1930 census numerator visited in April, Elizabeth and Ruth moved to Baltimore, Maryland to the household of their son and brother, respectively, Cornelius. Edward does not appear in or near the household. 

On 10 April 1919 Edward filled out an application for a passport[7] to visit France and Great Britain as part of the Knights of Columbus war relief effort. The section that includes accompanied by my wife is crossed out and no other indication of marital status was included.

Finally my great great grandmother Elizabeth Neuland McFadden (1866-1949) had a diary for the year 1918. She was about as good at writing in it as I am about doing this blog. The dates where she wrote items could range anywhere between 1918 to the 1940s.

 

However, she did have several newspaper clippings regarding the deaths of family members some of which had occurred before 1918. She also included several mentions of people I assume to be friends and neighbors who died while she wrote in the diary. I think if Ed had had a wife who died there would have been an entry about it or there would have been a newspaper clipping reporting it glued to the back with the others.

My best guess for who the person, if she existed, who died may have been:

1. A girlfriend of Ed who died around the time of the flu.
2. A family friend, neighbor or acquaintance who died of the flu around that time.
3. A story that morphed over time whether it was about a family member or not.
4. A story about a different Ed that over time became associated with this Ed.

These are just the options off the top of my head. I'm sure there are many other possibilities I will think of later. I won't stop searching, but I think I'll put this question on the back burner for a bit.

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[1] “World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestrylibrary.com : accessed 18 August 2018), serial no. u 137, The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II draft cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Pennsylvania; citing   Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M1951.

[2] 1910 U.S. census, Washington County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, Monongahela Ward 2, p. not paginated,  enumeration district (ED) 215, sheet 4-A, dwelling 72, family 74, Mary Gee; NARA microfilm publication T624, roll 1426.

[3] 1920 U. S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, population schedule, enumeration district (ED) 624, 4A (written), dwelling 57, family 65, Dennis McFadden; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.library.com: accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives microfilm publication T625, roll 1523.

[4] R.L. Polk & Company and R.L. Dudley, publishers, Pittsburgh Directory, 1915, (http://ancestry.library.com: accessed 17 August 2018), 593, “Edwd. McFadden.”

[5] R.L. Polk & Company and R.L. Dudley, publishers, Pittsburgh Directory, 1916, (http://ancestry.library.com: accessed 17 August 2018), 835, “Edwd. V. McFadden.”

[6] R.L. Polk & Company and R.L. Dudley, publishers, Pittsburgh Directory, 1929, (http://ancestry.library.com: accessed 17 August 2018), 757, “Edw. V. McFadden.”

[7] Edward Vincent McFadden, 10 April 1919; Passport Application; U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Roll #: 759; Volume #: Roll 0759 - Certificates: 78250-78499, 29 Apr 1919-30 Apr 1919.

1927 gas tank explosion-Pittsburgh, PA

I was going through a few more pages of my great grandmother's (Elizabeth "Lizzie" Neuland McFadden, 1866-1949), diary and I came across this entry:

Pittsburgh      Monday 14, 1927
A gas tank explosion about 20 minutes to 9.  Lots of damage done and people killed.  The whole city shook, glass broke every where.  Our house shook.  I didn't know what had happened.  I was in laundry washing.

 

 



In 1920 they lived just across the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh on Amabell Street.  If they didn't live at the same address in 1927, it was the same general area.  By 1930 Lizzie and my grandmother, Ruth (1905-1985) were living in Maryland with her son Cornelius P. McFadden (1903-1977)

 

Here is a YouTube video on the explosion. 



Friday’s Faces from the Past - Dennis Cornelius McFadden



Dennis Cornelius McFadden 20 June 1847-10 February 1924
Center, sitting down
Other people are unknown
The picture looks to be around the 1920s probably around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania




Included with the first picture was this one with the label "The Boobs".  No idea what to make of that, but it did give the 13 year old in me a little chuckle.  The couple looks to be the same as the first picture judging by their cloths and hats. 

 

Those Places Thursday-Pittsburgh, PA

This is a photo of my grandmother Ruth McFadden Webb (1905-1985) from what looks like the early 1920s. According to the 1920 census* they lived on Amabell Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Here is another photo of Ruth with an unknown girl taken at the same location. It looks like she is wearing the same dress but has different footwear.

Searching for the street address on the 1920 census in Google Maps pulled up this image from 2011. After zooming in and out and virtually 'walking' around the area it does not appear to be the same location even though the geography in the background appears to be similar. The style and type of houses do not match. I first ‘visited’ this location about 2 years ago and decided that the picture must have been taken somewhere else. Since the McFadden family moved around the area quite a bit, it could have been at one of their other addresses. Unfortunately, the other addresses I have found don't match up with the Google Map images either.

Yesterday, while organizing my files I decided to return to Google Maps and take another look around to see if I missed anything.

I noticed that the house next door was having some work done so out of curiosity I took a look at it. The image from Google Maps is dated 2011, but I don’t remember if this is the same image that was online the last time I looked for this address.

Looking at it more closely it seemed familiar so I pulled up the photo of my grandmother and compared the two.

The location of the windows and the roof overhang definitely look the same along with the two houses to the right and the patio cover on the main house.

Another nice aspect of Google Maps is the ability to zoom out then click on and zoom into other parts of the map. Doing this I was able to determine that the large building in the background is St. Mary of the Mount Catholic church where Ruth attended school. I’m guessing the picture was taken at that location rather than in front of their house because the background was a bit more scenic.

Hopefully in the not too distant future I'll be able to visit Pittsburgh and even take a picture at the same spot. I'd also like to find out who the other girl was.

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*1920 U.S. census, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, population Schedule, Pittsburgh Ward 19, enumeration district (ED) 624, 139 (stamped), sheet number 4A (penned), dwelling 57, family 65, Ruth McFadden; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 5 February 2013); citing National Archives microfilm publication T625, roll 1523.