52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 43

The past few weeks I have been out of town and didn't have access to my genealogical information in order to write, so I am getting back in the swing of things with this post about Cause of Death. The most unusual and perhaps saddest cause of death that I have come across so far is that of my 2nd great-uncle, John A. Colgan. John was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in late June of 1880, and he died 22 August 1881 in Cincinnati at the age of 14 months. He was buried 23 August 1881 in Section 2, Lot 12, Part S, Range 10 of the Saint Joseph’s New Cemetery, where the rest of his family was also laid to rest.

His parents were Edward C. Colgan and Bridget (McHugh) Colgan, both of whom were born in Ireland and died in Cincinnati. John was the youngest of nine children, six of whom died in infancy or early childhood. On a death card which I found at the Cincinnati Department of Health, the cause of death for John was listed as “inanition”.

John A. Colgan death record

Inanition is the same as starvation, which is a severe deficiency in caloric energy, nutrient, and vitamin intake. It is the most extreme form of malnutrition, which is the biggest contributor to child mortality. The most common cause of malnutrition is poverty. But were the Colgans impoverished?

On the 1880 census, taken on 10 June 1880, Edward Colgan was listed as being 45 years of age and working as a bookkeeper. His wife Bridget was 35 and a homemaker, and also living in the home were the following children: Catherine age 16, Charles age 11, Barbara age 9 and Clara age 7. (Clara died the next year of smallpox at the age of 8.) Obviously John was not yet born at the time the census was taken. This particular census year doesn’t indicate if those listed owned or rented their homes, though if someone was a boarder, that was noted. The Colgan family was not shown to be boarding at the home on Mill Street.

It would certainly seem like Edward would have been able to adequately provide for his family. What caused the baby to die of starvation? And how did these parents handle the loss of yet one more of their children?

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 35

For this week’s writing prompt, Back to School, I’m going back to the early to mid-1800s in Ireland. First, it’s important to understand a little bit about how children of the poor began to get educated in Ireland.

The Commissioners for National Education (National Board of Education) was established for the purpose of administering funds for education of the poor in Ireland. The Board was empowered to make grants to existing schools for the payment of teachers and the provision of equipment and to provide for the building of new schools, to appoint and pay inspectors and to establish a model school for the training of teachers.

Prison East and school location

It was through such a grant that the Prison School (also spelled Prizon School) was built. The name actually has nothing to do with any prison, but is derived from the townland in which it is located - Prison East. Located in County Mayo, Prison East is in Civil Parish of Manulla. The building of the school began around 1823, according to letters written by Father Patrick Nolan who helped to establish the school. The original dimensions were listed as 40 feet by 20 feet. In 1937 a new building erected on the same land just to the west of the old school. At some point the original building was torn down. The 1937 building is still standing today, but the school closed in 1970.

Prison School

The earliest records on the school are found in a report by the National Board of Education (NBE) from 1850. It mentioned that the Prison School had a male teacher and received funding of 10 pounds from the NBE that year. Both boys and girls attended the school, with the total number of pupils ranging from 56-65 during the school year.

Slates and chalk were the writing tools, and while some books were supplied to the school, it is unclear whether each student had their own or needed to share. The school had a timber floor with a large open fireplace for heating the space. Each student was required to bring a sod of turf each day to keep the fire burning.

Subjects studied at the school included reading, writing, spelling, grammar, arithmetic, music, geography, and history. For girls, sewing and needlework were added, and for boys, agriculture and book keeping. It was originally forbidden that students speak Irish in school. Those who did were punished. From that it would seem that a child who did not speak English would not be allowed to attend the school.

Attendance at the school fluctuated depending on the time of year. The older boys and girls would stay at home to help with the planting or harvesting of the crops. During winter months, attendance was higher.

According to a website on the history of Prison School, the first teacher at the school was a man with the last name of Carlos. He was followed by a man named Colgan from Bailefaidirin, who had been trained as a gardener. Colgan, it is said, had a very beautiful garden around the school. In 1864 Edward Colgan was listed as the teacher for the boys school, and Bridget Colgan (his wife) was shown as the teacher for the girls school. The one room school was split in half with a partition separating the boys from the girls. The website states that Colgan was a Fenian and was dismissed by the NBE, so he and his family emigrated to America.

Edward Colgan was my maternal 2nd great-grandfather. He was born 31 December 1834 in Drumadoon, Balla, County Mayo to Thomas Colgan and Catherine (Carroll) Colgan. On 26 December 1863 he married Bridget McHugh in Balla. They had eight children, with the first three (Catherine, Anna Marie, and Edward) being born in Prison. Children Charles, Barbara, Clara, John P., and John A. were all born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

As noted above, Edward and Bridget were both teaching at Prison School in 1864. I am guessing that Bridget only taught for that year (and perhaps only part of the year) as daughter Catherine was born 27 December 1864.

In our family it had been discussed that Edward was a member of the secret society Fenian movement, a band of warriors dedicated to overthrowing British rule in Ireland. They staged an unsuccessful revolt in 1867. Was Edward an active participant in that? Is that why he lost his teaching post at Prison School?

While I have not located any emigration or immigration documents for Edward, I did find information on Bridget Colgan. She was 23 when she arrived in New York on 19 November 1868 aboard the ship S/S Minnesota. With her were 2-year-old Ann and 1-year-old Edward. Also listed above Bridget on the ship’s manifest was 17-year-old Catherine McHugh, Bridget’s younger sister. Where were Edward and their 4-year-old daughter Catherine? Did they travel to the United States earlier to get a home established in Cincinnati before the rest of the family came over?

Life in the new world was not easy for the Colgan family. Little Edward died 9 December 1868, a month after arriving in America. One has to wonder if he contracted something onboard the ship. Anna Marie died in 1869 at the age of 3, Clara was only 9 when she died in 1872, John P. was less than a month old when he died in 1876, and John A. just a year old when he died in 1881. Only three of Edward and Bridget's eight children lived to be adults.

Edward continued to teach, at least initially, at a Catholic school in Cincinnati. The 1870 Cincinnati Directory lists him as a teacher, but by 1873 he was working as a bookkeeper. It would be so interesting to know what he thought about the educational system in Cincinnati versus what he left behind in his old country school.

The 30 September 1870 issue of the Cincinnati Daily Enquirer contained an article stating that 40 Irishmen met the previous evening to organize themselves into a section of the United Irishmen. Edward Colgan not only attended but was appointed temporary Treasurer. I wonder if he was again dismissed as a teacher due to his Fenian affiliation?

Bridget died 30 March 1886, and by 1910 Edward was living with his daughter Barbara and her family. He died 20 October 1921. Most of the family is buried in New St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Cincinnati.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 17

On Day 3 of the Family History Writing Challenge I wrote about Catherine Colgan, who married Michael J. Crusham in 1887. I also talked about her parents, Edward Colgan and Bridget McHugh, as well as Catherine's siblings. But I did not discuss the parents of Edward and Bridget.

Edward Colgan, my second great-grandfather, was born 31 December 1834 in Drumadoon, a townland in County Mayo, Ireland. From Edward's death certificate I knew that his father was Thomas Colgan and his mother was Catherine Carroll. Thomas Colgan was born about 1796 and he died on 10 February 1866. Catherine Carroll Colgan was born about 1814, but I have been unable to locate any death information on her. She was only 52 when Thomas died, so I wonder if she stayed in Ireland or came to the United States like her son Edward and his family did in 1867. I have not found any records of her in Cincinnati, so it is possible she stayed behind. So far I have not found any birth information on siblings for Edward. It is hard to imagine that the Colgans only had one child.

Colgan land

When we visited the Mayo history center in 1987 they were able to provide me with the location of the property where Edward was born and his dad died. Located near the village of Prison, Drumadoon is a beautiful area of Ireland. We actually were able to drive onto the property, and it is a lovely farm with rolling hills and a view of a mountain in the distance. The property at that time was owned by a man from England, who told us that he had just plowed under the remains of two houses a couple of years prior to our visit. Too bad! He certainly did not understand my enthusiasm in wanting to walk the property. For me it was a thrill to be able to gaze out on the lands that my ancestors saw every day of their lives.

Right down the road from Prison is the village of Cregg where Bridget McHugh, my second great-grandmother, was born in February of 1844. Her father was Peter McHugh, born in Cregg in 1805 and died in Cregg 1 March 1875. On 26 January 1843, Peter married Catherine Long. Catherine was also born in Cregg around 1820. Bridget was their first-born, but they also had the following children: Patrick, born in 1845; Catherine, born in 1850; Winifred, born in 1852; John, born in 1853; Martin, born in 1857; Thomas and Michael, born in 1859; and Peter, born in 1865. Following her husband's death in 1875, Catherine Long McHugh emigrated to the United States. While I have not found her passenger list, she appears in the 1880 census in Cincinnati as the head of household along with her children Catherine, Martin and Michael. Interestingly, they lived at 57 Mill Street - the same building that Edward and Bridget lived in. That certainly was a popular residence for my immigrant families!

Family History Writing Challenge Day 7

1937 Flood

The year 1937 was an important one in Cincinnati history. Heavy rains in January and February led to extensive flooding along the Ohio Rive and many tributaries. January was the wettest month in Ohio since 1866 with a state average of 9.57 inches of rain. The highest rainfall was 14.88 inches in an area just west of Cincinnati. The Ohio River at Cincinnati stayed above flood stage from 18 January until 5 February, cresting on 26 January at 79.99 feet. Schools, stores, theaters, and factories closed. Authorities rationed electricity and suspended streetcar service. The water supply was shut off except for four hours daily. One-fifth of the City of Cincinnati was under water, making it likely that the old living quarters of the Crusham family were impacted by flood water. They must have been very relieved that they had moved west of town back in 1913. It is hard to imagine what the residents of the city were facing, coupled with the fact that the country was in the depth of a depression as well.

After Michael died in July of 1937, Catherine continued to live in the home home that they owned on West Liberty. The 1930 census lists their daughter Mary and her husband Lawrence Schwartz also residing in the home, along with their three children: Mary, Catherine, and Lawrence. It must have been comforting for Catherine to have her daughter and family there when her husband passed on. The grandchildren slept up in the attic, where they had skylights above their beds. By the 1940 census, only Mary and her three children were living with Catherine Crusham. The two granddaughters recall their grandmother as a kind woman who always had a book in her hand except when she was doing chores. They especially enjoyed her homemade raisin bread. Another favorite memory was their grandmother's waist-length hair, which she kept wrapped in a bun.

Catherine Colgan Crusham

Catherine remained in her home on West Liberty until her death. She was 86 when colon cancer claimed her life on 18 January 1951. After fourteen years apart, she and Michael were finally reunited.

Catherine Crusham's Death
Certificate

St. Patrick's Church

From their humble beginnings in Ireland, to making the sacrifice of leaving family and friends behind to search for a better life in a new country, Michael and Catherine fulfilled many of their dreams. Michael had a long-time career with the railroad, which enabled him to buy property. That is something he probably would not have been able to do in Ireland. Their nine children were all educated at St. Patrick's Catholic School, located at 3rd and Mill Streets, which would have been very near their home when they lived downtown. For Michael in particular, this must have made him very proud as he could neither read nor write when he arrived in America. And ultimately through the unions of eight of their children, thirty-two grandchildren were born. That is quite a legacy to leave behind.

May you live to see your children's children. ~ Irish Proverb

Family History Writing Challenge Day 6

First Electric Streetcar 1889

By 1913 when the Crusham family moved to the west side of Cincinnati, they no longer had any immediate family living in the downtown area. Although Michael was still working for the railroad, the expansion of the electric streetcar system made it possible to get to his job from a more suburban area. Cincinnati had horse-drawn streetcars as early as 1859, but the electric cars did not come into play until 1889. These streetcars probably played a factor in Michael's decision to make this kind of move.

Cincinnati Streetcar Routes 1911

Michael with daughter
Mary & Agnes

Michael and Catherine's oldest son, Michael Aloysius, married Barbara Metz in 1911. Michael A. was a pressman, and he and Barbara set up their own household in Cincinnati. The second oldest child, Edward, married Ida Coyne in 1915. Edward was a salesman, and he and his wife lived in their own home as well.

The 1920 census indicates that Michael is 68 years of age, and seven of their nine children are still living with them at the home on West Liberty. By 1930 only the three youngest, Thomas, John and Dorothy, are still living with Michael and Catherine. This census also indicates that Michael is a naturalized citizen, and that he owns the house, valued at $8,000.

The other children married as follows: Mary married Lawrence Schwartz in 1923; Clara married William Frese in 1921; Charles married Edna Sauer in 1923; Agnes married Walter Volz in 1921; Thomas married Barbara Keckler after 1930; and John married Iona (maiden name unknown) after 1930. The youngest child, Dorothy, became a nun.

Michael & Catherine

Michael J. Crusham was 75 years old and retired when he died at home on 23 July 1937. His obituary remembers him as a man who was noted for Irish Folk Dances. His wife and all nine of his children survived him, which was quite something in a time period where many children died shortly after birth or through childhood diseases. His story carried on through Catherine and the children.

Michael's Obituary

Family History Writing Challenge Day 5

Fountain Square Cincinnati !876

After Michael and Catherine got married in 1887, they continued to reside at 57 Mill Street. Michael's mother Mary lived there as well, perhaps in the same apartment, as did Catherine's father Edward. Unfortunately, Catherine's mother Bridget had died in 1886 at the age of 42. How sad she must have been not to have her mother at her wedding!

Central Union Station

As mentioned earlier, Michael worked for the Cincinnati Southern Railroad as a freight truckman. His responsibilities would have included loading and unloading cars in the rail yard, and shifting freight in the freight-houses. The Cincinnati Southern Railroad is owned by the City of Cincinnati, the only municipality in the country to own an interstate railroad. Running from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, the first freight train completed the route on 21 February 1880, with the first passenger train following on 8 March. With the addition of rail routes into the city, a new train station was completed in 1883. The three story head house was on the corner of Third and Central, and the train shed was wide enough for eight tracks and five platforms. The station was called Central Union or Grand Central Depot.

The railroad yard was an easy walking distance from the Crusham's home on Mill Street, as can be seen on the map below. The approximate location of the home is illustrated by the black star, with the station indicated as Grand Central Depot on this particular map.

Cincinnati, Ohio

It must have been of great comfort to Catherine to have the extended family so close when her first child was born later in 1887. Michael Aloysius Crusham entered the world on 8 November 1887. He was at a minimum the fourth first born son to be named Michael in the Crusham family. Two years later the family expanded with the addition of Edward in 1889, and then Mary in 1892, Clara in 1894, Charles in 1896, Agnes in 1899, Thomas in 1902, John in 1906, and Dorothy in 1908. The children were all most likely born at home with the assistance of a midwife or a female neighbor.

Perhaps the size of the family is why they finally left Mill Street around 1906 and moved five blocks north to Hathaway Street. Also, Michael no longer had to take his mother into consideration. Mary had died of heart disease in 1902. She was 80 years old.

Michael and the ten other members of his family stayed at the home on Hathaway Street until 1913, the last year the Crushams lived in the City of Cincinnati. What made him leave the only area he had ever known in the United States?

Family History Writing Challenge Day 4

Michael Crusham

Michael Crusham did more than marry the girl next door - he married the girl who lived at the same address as him! The Colgan family had long lived on Mill Street, mostly at the building numbered 57. Michael and his mother also lived at 57 Mill Street in 1887, and it is most likely there that Michael first met Catherine. He was 30 years old, and she was 23 when they married. Michael was thin and of average height, and proud of his Irish heritage. He could dance a mean Irish Jig, and even won a loving cup at Coney Island on Irish Day one year. His children stated that he never lost his Irish brogue.

Catherine was quite petite, perhaps not even reaching five feet tall. She is shown in the center of the photo below with her daughter-in-law and two of her granddaughters. The photo gives perspective to Catherine's height.

Catherine Colgan Crusham, center

Marriage Application

Michael and Catherine appeared before Herman Goebel, Probate Judge, on 6 July 1887 to apply for a marriage license. The Marriage Return at the bottom of the document indicates that Michael Cresham (interesting to note that his last name is misspelled) and Catherine Colgan were married on 21 July 1887 by John M. Mackey, a Catholic Priest. They may have been married at Saint Peter in Chains Cathedral at 8th and Plum Streets as that is where John Mackey was assigned in 1887. Saint Peter first opened in 1845, and its single spire was the tallest man-made structure in the city for many decades. The church is located very near City Hall, and not too many blocks from where the Crusham and Colgan families lived, so it is very conceivable that this was the location of their marriage ceremony.

Saint Peter in Chains

Conceive is a good word for this couple, as they did a lot of it over the next 21 years.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 3

When Michael arrived in Cincinnati in March of 1879, he came to a city with a population of around 255,000 people. How astounding and overwhelming that must have been to someone coming from a town of 4,600 residents! He could not read or write, so perhaps his half-brother Patrick helped him find work as a laborer. He settled in an apartment downtown at 2nd and 4th Streets, which would have been very near the Ohio River. Cincinnati was the largest city in Ohio, and also the densest with an average of 37,143 people per square mile. The city was served by fifteen railroads, with the major industries being iron production, meatpacking, cloth production, and woodworking. There were 130 newspapers and magazines, a large public library, an art museum, opera house and a music hall. There were also more than two hundred churches and five hospitals.

City directories and census records indicate that Michael was employed as a laborer. True enough, as he worked for one of the railroads as a freight truckman. His job would have involved loading, unloading, and transferring freight. He had only lived in America for one year when his father, also named Michael Crisham, died on 18 July 1880 in Tuam, Galway, Ireland. Later that year, his mother, Mary Crisham arrived in Cincinnati along with his youngest sister Julia. The three of them lived together for several years at 57 Mill Street.

On 21 July 1887 Michael married Catherine Colgan. She was born in County Mayo, Ireland on 27 December 1864 to Edward Colgan and Bridget (McHugh) Colgan. Here is her birth record.

Catherine Colgan's birth certificate

Digressing for a moment, I have an amusing story about the birthplace of Catherine. The record indicates that she was born in Prison, so my family had a lot of fun trying to guess why Bridget was in prison when she gave birth. Edward was a member of the Fenian Brotherhood (a fraternal organization dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic) after the family arrived in the United States in 1867. Did some militant action land him, and by association his wife, in jail in 1864? When I visited the Mayo Family History Society in 2007, I asked if the prison was still standing. Or if not, perhaps records existed to indicate why someone was incarcerated? The genealogist helping me busted out laughing. When he could finally catch his breath, he explained that Prison was a nearby village! I told him he had ruined our favorite family story as we had been certain Catherine was born in a prison. His reply? "Oh, and to be sure she was. Just not the kind with bars on the windows!"

Prison School

Edward and Bridget were both teachers at Prison School in Ireland. The school was founded around 1835 and served children in Prison as well as the surrounding communities. It was a one room school with a curtain that was drawn across the middle to separate the boys from the girls. The Colgans had another daughter, Anna Marie, as well as a son, Edward, who were also born in Prison. The family emigrated to the United States in 1868, setting up their household in Cincinnati. Little Edward died later that year at the age of one. Five additional children were added to the family in Cincinnati: Charles, Barbara, Clara, John P. (who only lived one year), and John M. As the head of the family, Edward held many different jobs in their new homeland, including that of a school teacher.

The Colgans lived on Mill Street, just like the Crusham family. Did Michael marry the girl next door?

Family Stories

Catherine Colgan's Birth Certificate

This was actually the BlogHer writing prompt for yesterday, but due to the fact that we were having 35 of my husband's associates and family members at our house for dinner last night, I was too busy to write on Friday.

My most interesting story involves my great-grandmother Catherine Colgan, who married Michael J. Crusham pictured in a previous post. One of my cousins had obtained Catherine's birth certificate which indicated that she had been born to Edward and Bridget Colgan on 27 December 1864 and listed the Place of Birth as Prison. The birth was registered in the District of Balla in the County of Mayo in Ireland. There was much speculation in the family as to why she might have been born in prison. Both Edward and Bridget were school teachers in Ireland before emigrating to the United States in 1867. Her father was rumored to have been a member of the Fenian Brotherhood, so perhaps he and his wife were thrown in prison because of that?

Catherine Colgan in the hat circa 1942

In 1987 my husband and I traveled to the Republic of Ireland, so one of my missions was to find out what I could about the prison birth. At the Family Research Center in County Mayo I showed the genealogist Catherine's birth certificate. I said that while I was pretty sure the prison was no longer standing, I was wondering if they had any records available so that I could see why the Colgans were in prison when they had their baby. He looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face, and then told me that Prison is a village! We laughed about the misunderstanding, and I told him that he had ruined our favorite family story as we had thought Catherine was born in a prison. He said, "Oh and to be sure she was, just not the kind with bars on the windows!"