Surprises! Who is The Little Girl in the Photo – and Whose Bed Am I Sleeping In?

The prompt for the #52Ancestors challenge this week was “Surprise.” I planned on writing about why Scott and I were at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC last week, but as usual, another opportunity presented itself which is an even better match for the topic this week.

A Seeley Surprise

If you have been following my blog, you are aware that I just completed a book project about Scott’s great-grandmother, Catherine C. FitzAllen (That’s the name she chose. Her “original” name was Catherine Kenny Seeley.) There are several unanswered questions about her life (birth, marriage, a motive for her antics…) and I am always on the lookout for documents that may help. So, I was very happy to hear that Scott’s nephew, Greg and his wife, Kathryn, had found some old photo albums among the many family boxes they are storing. (Shout out to Greg and Kathryn for being such wonderful stewards. Not only have they been willing to store what is found, but they also pass the items along so the stories won’t be lost!)

We spent my birthday weekend together – great fun! But we also took some time to go through some family archives. So, it was with great hope that we opened up the aged, dried-out leather album. After pretty much destroying Kathryn’s white tablecloth, we had a few “nuggets” to treasure. (Word of advice: temper your excitement – take a minute to put an old towel or sheet under old albums before examining them!)

Among the images of people we didn’t know and places we couldn’t identify, were wonderful childhood photos of Catherine FitzAllen’s only grandchildren; Kathryn, John, and William “Bill” Holman. There were photos of Catherine’s daughter, Katherine “Kitty” Pearl, who married John “Jack” Holman.

Sadly, there were no pictures of Catherine’s older daughter, Ida Mae, but there was… surprise!... the only picture I have seen of Katherine and Ida’s half-sister, Ada Seeley!! What a great find!

Ada Seeley and her half-nephew, William "Bill" Holman - mid-1920s

There were also a few pictures of family in Albany, New York which verified the accuracy of some family relationships.

Keniston family in Albany, NY. Catherine's sister, Maria married a Dunn. Their daughter then married a Keniston. 

The best surprise was a few portraits from a photography studio in Albany. On the back of one is written, “two years, ten months.” I have been unable to verify the birthdate of Katherine Pearl, Catherine’s youngest daughter so this could be extremely helpful. I have scheduled a photo consultation with Maureen Taylor, the Photo Detective, during my visit to RootsTech at the end of the month. Hopefully, she will be able to assist me in making a determination!

Possibly Katherine "Kitty" Pearl SEELEY

Poor quality photo of Catherine C. FitzAllen (Catherine Kenny SEELEY).
Catherine is seated to the left of grandson William "Bill" HOLMAN.
Standing behind William is his mother, Katherine Pearl Seeley, youngest daughter of Catherine FitrzAllen.
Others are unknown. This was possibly taken on Catherine's farm in Illinois. Possibly 1914-1915

The Bed – A Holman Family Heirloom

And now, in keeping with this year’s theme of documenting “Our Stuff,” I share another surprise. For years, Holman family lore passed down the story of “the bed.” The four-poster bed (possibly mahogany?) has been moved around the country for years! 

This four-poster bed has been in the Holman family for more than a century!

According to the family story, Scott’s dad, William Winchester Holman was born in the bed. Bill was born on June 12, 1910, in the family home at 418 Oakdale Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. That makes the bed at least 108 years old. I’m betting his parents owned the bed since their marriage began, so that dates the bed back to 1900. Over the years, the bed “traveled” to Connecticut, back to Illinois, back to Connecticut, New York, Connecticut (again!), Nova Scotia, and Georgia, before settling in its newest home, North Carolina.

As I lay in the bed (new mattress, don’t freak out!) during our stay with Greg and Kathryn, a thought occurred to me—what if Bill’s mother brought the bed with her into the marriage? It is possible the bed actually belonged to her mother, the “infamous” Catherine C. FitzAllen. I lay there thinking, “What if Catherine did own this bed? Will she come and haunt me?” It took all I had not to climb under and around the bed to look for identifying marks. I did ask Greg who said there weren’t any clues as to where the bed was made. Hmmm…. another mystery to add to my list. For now, we will have to remain content with the knowledge that this family story is accurate; the bed is at least more than a century old! Thank you, Greg and Kathryn, for giving it such a beautiful home in the “Lackey Bedroom.”

This is the 6th post for Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge. This year, I am focusing on telling the story of “Our Stuff.”

Thoughtful Thursday - Is Insanity Hereditary?

The old joke goes, "Is insanity hereditary? Yes- you get it from your kids!" But, truly, mental illness is no joke. So, I tread very carefully when dealing with this difficult issue in my research. What purpose does it serve to expose ancestors' mental health issues? In the case of my current project, the story of Catherine Kenny Seeley [alias Catherine C. Fitzallen], I think it may be helpful. Without the context of a history of mental illness in her family, Catherine's life appears to be a series of criminal acts, committed by a crazy old lady who just wanted to amass as much money for herself as possible. Somehow, at least to me, the possibility that she suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness, makes her a much more sympathetic character.

Research into her family (assuming I am researching the correct family), indicates that Catherine's eldest sister, Rose had been committed to an “insane asylum” in Utica, New York, sometime between 1855 and 1866.  Another sister, Theresa, died quite young, at the age of 26. Theresa married a man named Solomon Shattuck in 1866. They had five children, one of whom was William Henry Shattuck, born in 1870. 

In September, 1893, William was on trial for killing his wife, Sadie Radley, to whom he had been married less than a year. In the course of William’s trial, it was brought out that his mother, Theresa,  had suffered from “violent headaches which rendered her flighty” since the birth of her first child. During her last illness, in 1876, her husband described her as being irrational. William Shattuck’s defense at her murder trial, was that, like his mother and aunt, he was insane.

The insanity defense failed. William was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. On October 5, 1893, a few weeks after entering prison, the Albany Morning Express reported that William had been sent to the prison hospital because he was “mentally unbalanced.” The reporter added, “It is really too bad that the Dannemore [prison] insanity expert was not secured to testify for the defense at the trial.” William died in prison on January 16, 1897. He was 26 years old.

The words used to describe William’s mental condition certainly could apply to Catherine as well. Her behavior over the years most definitely demonstrated “exalted lies, the telling of strange stories…” and “delusions.” The fact that she did “foolish things” can not be denied. Thinking about Catherine as possibly suffering from serious emotional issues sheds a different light on her life story - one that is actually quite heart-breaking.

Census Sunday - Found 'Em (Or Not???)

A few days ago, I posted two census images, hoping to use the power of "crowd-sourcing" to untangle a riddle. Alas, no one commented. I even posted my dilemma on the Facebook page of the Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness (RAOGK) group. Usually, I get at least 2-3 good ideas from the RAOGK folks. This time - nada. Ah well....maybe in time. That's the beauty of the Internet. Once you post it, it's there forever!!

Anyway, since I posted the original images of the Kenney family in Albany, it has been bothering that I never could find them in the 1860 US Census. It makes no sense that a family would be enumerated in both the 1855 and 1865 NY Censuses, but not  be counted in 1860. Maybe if there were only a couple people, I could understand it - they might be easily missed. But a family of ten??

The most likely reason could be a transcription error. I've seen some pretty crazy ones. My favorite so far is that of my mother. I couldn't find her in the 1940 census and I knew she was there! She was there alright - instead of Doris, her first name was transcribed as Dong. Really?

So, with that thought in mind, I decided to browse the 1860 US census for the Kenneys. They lived in the 8th Ward in both the 1855 and 1865 NY censuses, so I figured I'd start there. Hmmmm... 202 images to go through. When I got to image 75 and still found nothing, I started to doubt my plan. Then I thought of all the genealogists who had to do research the "old-fashioned" way - microfilm and a hand-crank. If they managed to stick with it, I certainly could. Image 90 - still nothing.....Then - Eureka! I hit paydirt on image 101. Not too bad!!

I started to compare the information. Parents' names and ages matched up. Good. The first four children matched up to ages and the span between them. The 5th child, Catherine was no longer listed in 1860. That would be correct as she married by then. But - what? The 6th child listed in 1855 - Frances - female - age13 was now listed as being 18 - that would be right. BUT her name is spelled Francis and she's listed as being male! I'd chalk that up to a mistake, but there is also an occupation listed - plasterer's apprentice. Now, I can't be 100% certain, but I'm fairly sure a woman would not be working as a plasterer's apprentice in 1860.

This family is making me crazy! I'm putting this out there a second time - anyone care to comment on whether or not these three censuses reflect the same family?

 New York, State Census, 1855 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. 

New York, State Census, 1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Opinions Wanted!!

What do you think? I'm "crowd-sourcing" for an answer! I know what I think, but I may be just seeing what I want to see. Compare these two NY censuses. Do you think these are the same family? Both censuses are for the city of Albany in New York. Unfortunately (and strangely) I haven't located a similar family in the 1860 US Census. Note: although the last name is written "KINNEY" it is really "KENNY" - this was verified by looking for KINNEYS in Albany city directories

Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1855 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1865 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Now - here is Part Two of my question: I am trying to recreate Catherine's early life. I have NO BIRTH CERTIFICATE, immigration information (if she even was born in Ireland as she occasionally said) nor a marriage certificate. She lied on pretty much every form she completed as as adult, so her death certificate is really of little use. The question is: Do you think the Catherine in the 1855 census above is my Catherine?

Here's what I do know:

• Catherine was probably born between 1834-1840
• Catherine's mother was named Mary Allen.
• Catherine's father had the last name Kenney.
• Catherine married in 1860 so she would not be in the family home in 1865.
• Catherine had a sister named Frances (Information verified from a letter she wrote). 
• Mary (Catherine's mother) had a "William" listed on her probate papers as "next-of-kin" 
• Mary named her daughters in her will: Teresa, Maria and Catherine.Frances was her executrix.

Post your opinions in the comments. I'm interested to see if I can finally solve this riddle with the help of my genealogy friends!!

Tombstone Tuesday- Rosehill Cemetery - Chicago, Illinois

If you have spent more than two minutes with me lately, you are most likely aware of my current project - the fascinating story of my husband's great-grandmother, Catherine Seeley FitzAllen.

Every time I think I found all that can be found, I am proven wrong. I recently became aware of a new blog: Chicago and Cook County Cemeteries. Fascinating place! Even Catherine's final resting place has a story attached to it!

By Thshriver (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The recent post, Elevator in a Cemetery described the uniqueness of this cemetery located in Chicago, Illinois. Apparently, back in the early days of this cemetry (mid- to late 1800s), the most common ways to get to Rosehill was by horse-drawn hearse of a local funeral train.

The problem was that the railroad tracks and the cemetery station platform were above grade. As a result, moving the casket from the funeral train to the ground-level cemetery was quite a problem. Rather than having pallbearers manuever the casket down a steep set of stairs , an elevator was built. The manually operated elevator was in a separate building next to the railroad tracks. Once the casket was lowered to ground-level, it could then be loaded on to a horse and wagon for the procession to the gravesite.

The funeral train and elevator are no longer used, but the elevator still remains. I have no idea if the elevaor was still in use when Catherine died in 1916, but I suspect it certainly could have been. I wouldn't be surprised in the least. Everything about her has been a surprise!!

I don't have a picture of Catherine's grave nor that of her daughter Ida, who is also buried there. I plan to post a photo request on FindAGrave - maybe I'll get lucky!!

To learn about some of the fascinating headstones and memorials at Rosehill, click here and here.

Why I Go To Genealogy Presentations

Today's presentation at the JGSCT (Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut) was given by Ron Arons. I have heard Ron speak no less than five times and every time I come away with a new idea. The presentation, "Sex, Lies, and Genealogical Tape", was an updated version of a talk Ron gave a few years back. Even though I already knew the story he was telling, this talk focused more on the strategies and resources he used to determine if his relative was, in fact, the same person he had located on a variety of documents, using a variety of names.

Not unlike the story of my husband's great-grandmother, Catherine Seeley FitzAllen, that I am struggling to untangle. I've been stumped (ok - stalled) by the lack of some vital records for Catherine; namely birth, immigration, and marriage. I'm okay without the marriage record, as the lack of that information doesn't really affect the story. But I can't accurately recreate Catherine's early years without the birth and immigration information.

So, in hopes of getting a new idea, I attended today's presentation. Here are a few things I hadn't thought of. Maybe some of these ideas will help you find some obscure information you've been searching for.

1. Search the records of the siblings. (I have done this, but not as thoroughly as I should.)
2. Track down the living relatives. They may have the information you're looking for.
3. Use maps. I might be able to use the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps to determine the square footage of the Kansas City home Catherine lived in. That would give me an idea of the size of the home and thereby wealth of the family. Maps can also provide a picture of how close in proximity people lived to other family members.
4. School records can provide verification of birthdates and maybe even list parents and siblings.
5. Property records can help verify residence.
6. IRS Tax Assessment records can help verify occupation and residence.

The biggest tip Ron gave was to make that phone call and be persistent! Emails go answered and snail mail may not make its way to the correct person. I really need to work on that - it is perhaps my weakest research technique.

Oh - and it didn't hurt to hear that Ron has been researching his particular ancestor for 20 years. I've only been tracking Catherine for two years! So, I'm feelin' pretty good!!

Teaser: Soon to be Finished Story - "Slick Swindler or Sweet Grandma?"*

Yesterday I mentioned that I was very busy working on a project about my husband's great-grandmother, Catherine Seeley FitzAllen. Here is a teaser, from the first paragraphs of the book:

~   

     “She had an inordinate desire to be prominent in society,” testified Catherine’s soon-to-be ex-husband, William Seeley, “and my limited salary was not sufficient to permit her to assume the role her ambition prompted.”

     After nearly 30 years of marriage, William was done. In March 1889, he filed for a divorce from his wife, the former Catherine Kenney. He loved his daughters, Ida Mae and Katherine Pearl, and while he didn’t want to bring disgrace upon the family, William was beginning to fear for his life.

     He was sitting at their dining room table, in their well-appointed home on Quality Hill, a prestigious neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri when Catherine appeared in the doorway with one arm under the other. “What’s the matter, Ma?”, William asked. “Carrying your arm in a sling?” Catherine said nothing but began purring over him. “What are you hugging me for?”, he asked. At that, Catherine pulled back William’s coat, shoved a pistol under his arm and snapped it. The gun didn’t go off. Catherine ran from the room, uttered a loud scream and locked herself in her bedroom.

     William left the house, found his daughter Ida sitting on the lawn and informed her that her mother had shot at him. 

      Ida was nearly 30. She was certainly of an age to be independent of her parents. But Katherine, nicknamed Kitty, was only 15. What would become of her if William broke up the family?

~

I have been researching Catherine for well over two years. Every time I think I'm finished another surprising piece of the story surfaces. I'm pretty sure I'm ready to call the current rewrite the "final version." I hope so - I have so many other projects to finish!!

* A friend of mine suggested I call the story "Bad Grandma!" Certainly, a more catchy title - but not so sure relatives will appreciate it. 😏 Hopefully, a better title will emerge as I work through the final draft!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #15 - Kathryn Winchester Holman

418 Oakdale Avenue Chicago, Illinois
(google maps)

Kathryn Winchester Holman was born on April17, 1902 at 418 Oakdale Avenue Chicago, Illinois. Kathryn was the eldest of three children born to John “Jack” Winchester Holman and Katherine Pearl Seeley. Her brother John was born in 1904 and her youngest brother, William, nicknamed “Bill”, was born in 1910. Bill would later become my husband’s father, making Kathryn his aunt.