Monday Madness: Got The Fever But No Body Found

Looking out the window at the overcast skies, it seems like a perfect day for running around my mind to see if I can pull together some more facts as I continue the search for good ole Uncle Robert.  As soon as I exhaust the paltry information I have, it's time to search around the internet to see if any other documentation can be found.   Arrgggg, it's Monday Madness alright.

Robert W HENRY(1827-1869) was born in Allegheny Co, PA, and was the brother of my 2g-grandma.  Robert was a godly man and eagerly went in to the ministry.  As a child, he and his family were members of the Associated Reformed Church of St Clair, which eventually became the Mt Lebanon UP Church.  In fact, two of Robert's grandfathers were founding members of the church and so many of his kin are spending eternity resting quietly in the St Clair Cemetery.

Robert received his DD in theology after completing his schoolwork and quickly found a church in Ohio.  He is found in the 1850 census as a clergyman living in Springfield, Clark, OH.  He returns home to marry a childhood friend, Mary Emma MATTHEWS in November 1851.  They are married by his childhood minister, the Rev Joseph CLOKEY. Ahh, CLOKEY, now he's an interesting man that we will have to examine later.  I surmise that Mary Emma's family, James MATTHEWS (abt 1795-aft1850) were probably members of the same church.  At the least, they did live in the neighborhood.

Robert and Mary move to Philadelphia where he pastored a church during the War of Northern Aggression (as mentioned in his nephew's Civil War diary).  Robert is also found in the City Directory in Phile with a house address of 850 N 7th.

In the spring of 1869, Robert applies for a passport.  What I haven't found is any evidence of a passport for his wife.  Was she included on his or was she not going over to Europe for a tour?  I find it difficult to swallow that she would have been left behind on this trip of a lifetime.

Now to a bigger mystery in the affairs of Robert.  He dies of Yellow Fever while visiting in Alexandria, Egypt.  This is verified by news of his death in the Presbyterian Banner.  The Banner made no mention of his wife.

Mary continues to live in Phile after the death of her beloved and teaches at a college.  Unfortunately, she has a stroke and falls in the bathtub on December 26, 1881.  Her death information has been found in Philadelphia, and her obit has been located in Pittsburgh.  Her body is brought back to Pittsburgh for the funeral and the burial.

Where are they?  Her obit tells us her father is deceased, and I have yet to determine when he died or where he was buried.  I suspect he is either at the St Clair Cemetery or the Mt Pisgah UP Church Cemetery as those were the two closest Presbyterian churches and cemeteries closest to his residence.  The HENRY clan is all buried at St Clair, but her tombstone has not been located.  To be fair, the early records for St Clair are all gone and many of the early headstones are damaged or gone.  I know where the HENRY clan is buried.  I know where Robert's parents are buried.  I know where his siblings are buried, but where are Robert and Mary?  Was Robert buried in Egypt or would his body have been brought home?  Would Mary have been buried with her family or with her inlaws?

Mary had at least one sister as determined by the 1850 census.  The sister was Harriet V MATTHEWS.  As they were living with one Emiline MOORE, I suspect Emiline could have been the eldest child of James and his wife, Margaret.  Either they all died before 1860, or they relocated, or they married.  I can't find any evidence of the family.

Robert and Mary had no children of their own, but I think of them often.  Did he resemble his sister in his looks?  If so, I can easily imagine his looks as I have a picture of her in my possession. 

I wonder if or when I will find them.  In the meantime, I think I'll sit and reflect as these gray clouds swarm outside the window.

Ahh, genealogy. I will guess that these storm clouds gathering would have been minor in comparison if his lovely bride had not been included on the voyage.

Sources:

Ancestry.com-  RW Henry passport application
                         1850 Federal Census
                         1880 Federal Census
                         1867 Philadelphia City Directory
                         1868 Philadelphia City Directory
Pittsburgh Commerical Gazettep Dec. 30, 1881
Family Bible
History of the St Clair United Presbyterian Church of Mt Lebanon, PA 1804-1904, pg 29

©AS Eldredge 2012

1849 Letter- Love is a Diamond in the Mud

Today seems like just the perfect day to sit and go through some of the thousands pieces of papers I have collected over the years while on the hunt for my past.

In my findings today, is a letter from July 1849 in which my 3g-uncle, the Rev. Robert W HENRY (1827-1869) writes to his first cousin, Margaret D FORSYTHE (1831-1919).

To set the scene, Robert is off studying to become a Presbyterian minister, and in his own words, "spent nearly all the day in digging out theology."  This is how he explains his lack of writing to his loved ones.  Robert tells us he has been preaching, or trying to preach, for almost every Sabbath.  He tells us he is happy.  His letter quickly turns to theology before he realizes it and changes the subject.

I find the third paragraph interesting---

...But, you will say, "I hate sermon letters" if I continue thus, and therefore, I forebear, I do not wish that my letters should be a bore in any particular.  Well, Cos, how is Mr. Fletcher?  Is he still paying such close attention to you? Has he still a claim upon your affections? And has he laid his heart and hand and fortune and all, an offering upon the altar of your will, and at the shrine of your beauty? Has he inquired of you?........ This love is a strange thing, it seems like the enchantment of the Sorcerer, or an influence of the evil spirit, it is always brooding over the hearts and frequently crosses the roses that are blooming there, to wither and die away, like the beauty of the setting sun, for its fruits are mostly disappointments and cares.....Loving is a dangerous thing. But it may not be so with you. I would not discourage you in the least. My own experience, in part, should not be taken as an infallible index in love.....I have looked for too much perfection where there could be no hope of finding it. For to look even for comparative perfection in a lady, would be to look for a diamond in the mud........

Wow.  Sounds like Uncle got burned!  I wonder by whom?

While I will never know the answer to that question, I do know he did find his perfect lady in the form of Mary Emma MATTHEWS, who he married in Allegheny Co, PA, in 1851.  Their time together was cut short when he died in Alexandria, Egypt, while on a voyage to the Holy Lands.  His lady died of a stroke while taking a bath and drowned in 1918.  They had no children.

As for Margaret, it is safe to say that the Mr. FLETCHER mentioned did not inquire of her as she married Joseph RYBURN in 1858.  They had four children and died in McLean Co, IL.

Ahh, genealogy.  These glimpses in to the lives of our ancestors remind us that they, too, lived, laughed and loved.  So much for just the name, rank, and serial number.  I need them to "come alive."

©AS Eldredge 2012

Monday Madness: Finally! I've Caught a Fish

I've caught a live one, or rather, a dead Fish, and I'm so very happy about it.

For quite some time, I'd heard of the Rev. FISH who was the minister way back in the early to mid 1900s at the Millsboro Presbyterian Church in Washington Co, PA. He was our family minister and held in very high esteem. He even baptized my dad when my dad was a young adult.

Jump time---
Jump place back to Union Twp in Allegheny Co, PA

I had also been researching the family of Edward Johnston YOUNG (1835-1905), son of Captain James YOUNG (1810-1869) who married Sara Smith HENRY (1814-1888.) As my great grandfather appears to have been named for this Edward Johnston Young, my curiosity was high. To date, I have yet to determine why. Perhaps, he was just a favorite nephew of my great great grandparents William S SIMMONS and Margaret HENRY.

I found EJ Young's wife's name listed as Elizabeth MATTHEWS, daughter of George MATTHEWS (1791-1860) and Ann CAIRNS (c. 1808-1860). Is this the Elizabeth MATTHEWS listed in the Civil War Diary of my great great uncle Addison? They did live in the same neighborhood and it is possible she wrote to her friend (and first cousin to her beau.)

More interesting to note was that EJ and Elizabeth had a daughter Harriet MATTHEW YOUNG who married a BULFORD who is also kin to me. Hmm. Did these people ever go out of the neighborhood to marry? Ah, another tale for another day. Today is FISH day.

I stumbled on the little fact that George MATTHEWS and Ann CAIRNS also had another daughter, Margaret P MATTHEWS (1828-1912) who married a William FISH.

Ok- so look further around this little neighborhood in the census records and there they are-- with a son named Frank FISH. Follow this Frank, and wham, I've got a trail.

I followed Frank as he first married Elizabeth Nichol CALDER (1868-1932) and then the widow, Cassie COULTER, nee McCAULEY, in 1935. While I could find death dates for both his wives, there was none for the good Rev. I searched and searched for a number of years. Since I live so far away, I have to do so much of my research through local genealogy groups.

Just this summer, a kind genealogy buff up in Washington Co, PA, sent me a history on the Vestaburg United Presbyterian Church in which the Rev. Frank FISH's death date is mentioned. He died in 1951.

Reel it in. Finally, another small mystery solved. I would like to know more of his family history as it is mine as well. Both sons of Frank FISH preceded him in death, but they did leave children.

So, if there are any FISH types out there, let me know. In the meantime, I'll just keep on casting lines and waiting for more fish to bite.