Delaney Update

Wow! Have I been a slacker! Here is some new information I found on my trip to NYC Department of Records.

Anne Loretta Delaney (1883-1907)

• Birth Certificate 378451

Anne's baptismal certificate and death records list her name as Anna

Thomas Francis Delaney (1885-1886)

• Birth Certificate 418958
• Death Certificate 566676

Thomas was one of my random people in random graves, but now I know for a fact he was William and Elizabeth's missing Delaney baby.

Answers

I haven't been able to do much work this week, but I did get answers to two of the questions I had floating around cyberspace.

The first was an email to a cousin...

• Do you know what the ^E means in the 1872/1873 Brooklyn Directory?
• ^E Blanchard Edward, carpenter, 204 Freeman

Answer

• ^E stands for Eastern District of Brooklyn, namely Williamsburg and Greenpoint

The second question was posted on a message board in May 2009...

• I am looking for the birth/baptismal record of George Blanchard. I have a date of 26 February 1864. I am not sure if this is his birth or baptismal. I have been to the online baptismal index but it is not there. I was wondering how would I go about getting in touch with St. Simon St. Jude, Tignish. Or could anyone go to the parish and look up the record for me?

Answer

• You could also call the Tignish parish house at (902) 882 2049. They have a staff person who answers requests for genealogical information. 

Thanks Suzanne and Ron for the help!

Delaney Update

Today I braved the Nor'easter and ventured into Manhattan.  It is supposed to be seventy degrees by the end of the week, and as much as I love researching, I really don't want to spend beautiful vacation days inside NYC Department of Records.

I am not really sure how to write up my new findings.  For some people it is not a problem because I haven't posted their story, but for those I have, I feel it is too soon to post them all over again.  For the time being I think I am going to break up my findings by families, and later I will rewrite the stories that need to be rewriten.

The Delaneys

Birth Certificates
William Delaney and Elizabeth Blanchard

• William Delaney (1872-1908)
• Thomas Edgar Delaney (1874-1878)
• Catherine Delaney (1879- ) 

All of the above children were born at 444 West 37th Street, Manhattan, New York. 

Birth Certificates
William Joseph Delaney and Anne Greenwood

• Joseph Edwin Delaney (1903-1905)
• Edward Delaney (1906-1995)

Missing Children

• William Delaney and Elizabeth Blanchard between 1880-1892 updated Tuesday, August 17, 2010
• William Joseph Delaney and Anne Greenwood between 1903-1906

Tigers and Lyons...

I have been organizing my paperwork in anticipation of my visit to NYC Department of Records.  Next to George Illegitimate, Helen (Ellen) Blanchard and the Lyons' prove to be the most confusing.

I posted Ellen's story about a month ago.  Since then I have stumbled upon new information.  The first thing I found was an old interment list.  The list provided the following names and dates of burials:

• William P Lyons, 7 June 1869
• John J Lyons, 27 August 1872
• Anne Lyons, 28 June 1875
• Annie Lyons, 11 October 1875

On my last visit to NYC Department of Records I found the death certificates for William, John, Anne, and Annie Lyons.  On the death certificates, the places of death were mentioned.  John and Annie died in Manhattan, New York, at 304 Rivington Street.  Anne died at 302 Rivington Street.  William also died in Manhattan, New York, at 125 Goerck Street.

In light of this information, I decided to examine the 1880 United States Census.  I discovered there were still Lyons' living at the addresses.  Michael Lyons, age 32, tailor, and William H Lyons, age 10, were living at 304 Rivington Street.  At Goerck Street, Daniel Lyons, age 5, was a boarder of Mary Lyons.  The ages of Michael and Daniel, as well as Michael's occupation, all correspond to Ellen's husband and son.

After Michael's death in 1891, Ellen and her family moved to Brooklyn.  In 1894 William H Lyons was living with Ellen Lyons, widower of Michael, at 100 1/2 Dupont Street.  William lived with the family through 1900.  William and Daniel Lyons were also connected to Lyons Brother Cigars.  They, as well as the business, were listed under the address 566 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, in both 1897 and 1898.

The other piece of information I found was Stephen Blanchard's baptismal record.  He was baptized in 1880.  Ellen was listed as a sponsor on her nephews baptismal record; however she was not listed as a Lyon, she was Ellen Blanchard.

Based on this new information, it appears Michael was married before Ellen.  It also proves William and Daniel were not Ellen's biological children.

Fun Mail

I love getting mail, especially fun mail.  Fun mail is all mail dealing with genealogy and/or travel.

I recently started writing to churches in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  I started with St. Cecilia's.  They were able to locate a few records.  The records included my grandfather's baptismal record, as well as his parent's marriage record.  St. Cecilia's was extremely helpful and generous.  They even sent me copies of the original cards.

The next parish I wrote to was St. Anthony/St. Alphonsus Parish.  I waited.  Fun mail!

Baptismal Certificates

Mary Cecilia Colahan
Child of Thomas P Colahan and Sophia Blanchard
Born 25 March 1889
Baptized 10 April 1889 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
Sponsors Stephen A Blanchard, Cecilia Colahan

Stephen John Colahan
Child of Thomas P Colahan and Sophia Blanchard
Born 15 January 1891
Baptized 4 February 1891 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
Sponsors John J McElroy, Elizabeth Colahan

Stephen Blanchard
Child of William Blanchard and Eliza Kidd
Born on 12 September 1880
Baptized on 26 September 1880 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
Sponsors Thomas Kidd, Ellen Blanchard

Prior to this record I had no knowledge of Stephen.  What happened to him?  This baptismal record gives Helen (Ellen) Blanchard a new documented date, the earliest found in New York.

William Blanchet
Child of William Blanchet and Elizabeth Kidd
Born 16 January 1882
Baptized 5 February 1882 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
Sponsors Stephen Blanchet, Johanna Kennedy 
William is another child I had no knowledge of.  This record lists Johanna Kennedy as a sponsor.  Is Johanna Kennedy connected to Mary Kennedy?

Edward Blanchard
Child of William Blanchard and Elizabeth Kidd
Born 1 August 1892
Baptized 15 August 1892
Sponsors Francis Kidd, Ella Delany
     Marriage Notation
     To Anna Smith
     Date 7 July 1937
     Church St. Joan of Arc
     Place Jackson Heights, New York

William Blanchard
Child of William Blanchard and Lizzie Kidd
Born 26 May 1896
Baptized 16 June 1896 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
Sponsors George Blanchard, Katie Kidd

Catherina Blanchard
Child of Stephen Blanchard and Elizabeth Briordy
Born 22 October 1896
Baptized 16 November 1896 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
Sponsors Thomas Hawkins, Sophia Colahan
     Attached note
     Elizabeth Briody
     Born 16 March 1875
     Baptized 1 April 1878 at St. Alphonsus Church
     Parents John Briody, Brigid Briody

Helen Elizabeth Blanchard
Child of George Blanchard and Alice Leigh
Born 19 March 1905
Baptized 2 April 1905 at St. Anthony of Padua Church
Sponsors Stephen Blanchard, Ellen Novnan

Marriage Certificates

Thomas P Colahan, Sophia M Blanchard
25 June 1888
St. Anthony of Padua Church
Witnesses Stephen Blanchard, Mary Colahan

William Blanchard, Elizabeth Kidd
7 December 1879
St. Anthony of Padua Church
Witnesses Edward Blanchard, Joanna Kennedy

I assume this is the same Joanna Kennedy that sponsored their son William at his baptism.

Robert H McDermott, Eileen Corrigan
18 May 1946
St. Anthony of Padua Church
Witnesses Thomas A Kavanagh, Mary Kavanagh
     Attached note
     Robert H McDermott
     Baptized 7 March 1920
     Immaculate Conception of BVM
     Brooklyn
     Eileen Corrigan
     Baptized 17 September 1922
     St. Cecilia's
     Brooklyn

Edward H Blanchard

Edward Blanchard was born 2 October 1851, Tignish, Prince Edward Island.  He was baptized Roman Catholic, 21 October 1851, at St. Simon and St. Jude Church, Tignish, Prince Edward Island.  His parents were Stephen Blanchard and Catharine Ferris.  In the 1861 Canadian Census, Edward was living with his family in Tignish, Prince Edward Island.

In 1874-1875 Edward was living in Brooklyn, New York, at 180 Green Street.  In 1877 he was living at 140 Huron Street, Brooklyn, New York.  In 1879-1880 Edward was living at 179 Java Street, Brooklyn, New York.  In the 1880 United States Census Edward was living at 595 Lorimer Street, with his mother Catharine, his two brothers, Stephen and George, and his sister Sophia.  His occupation was listed as a stair builder.  In 1881 Edward was still living at this address.  In 1894 Edward was living at 183 Eagle Street, Brooklyn, New York.  In 1897 he relocated to 116 Eagle Street, Brooklyn, New York.  In 1900 Edward was living at 190 Freeman Street, Brooklyn, New York.

In the 1900 United States Census Edward was living with his wife, Ellen Easton, at 152 Java Street, Brooklyn, New York.  On 3 December 1900, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle stated, Edward Blanchard of 153 Eagle Street, was promoted to bridge tender on the Blissville Bridge.  His salary was $839.50.  Two years later (7 February 1902) the paper reported Edward was dismissed.  In 1910 the United States Census stated Edward was living at 130 Huron Street, Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, Ellen.  On 2 September 1915, Edward H Blanchard fell down a flight of cellar stairs at 236 West 144 Street, Manhattan, New York.  He died from a fracture, at the base of his skull.  Edward was buried in Calvary Cemetery with his wife.

To complete my research on Edward I need to find his immigration and marriage records.   Also Edward was listed as having two children in the 1910 Census, Edward (17) and Edith (12) Blanchard.  This was the first and last time they were mentioned.

Churches in Greenpoint

St. Anthony-St. Alphonsus
862 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222

St. Cecilia
84 Herbert Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

SS Cyril and Methodius
150 Dupont Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Holy Family
21 Nassau Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11222

St. Stanislaus Kostka
607 Humboldt Street
Brooklyn, New York 11222

Catharine Ferris Blanchard

Catharine Ferris Blanchard is one of the more interesting stories in my family tree.  She married very young and had quite a large family.  She appeared to be living a rather normal life; however things changed.  For reasons yet unknown Catharine left her husband, her home, and everything she knew in Canada,  to start life over in the United States.  Here, with most of her children by her side, she lived to become a very "old lady."

Here is Catharine's story...

On 29 September 1839 Catharine Ferris (abt 1825-1915) married Stephen S Blanchard in Bathurst, New Brunswick.  On 27 August 1843 her son John (1843-1867) was baptized in St. John Baptist Church, Miscouche, Prince Edward Island.  In September of 1847, Catharine gave birth to her son Daniel (1847- ).  He was baptized at St. Simon and St. Jude Church, Tignish, Prince Edward Island.  Catharine's children Helen (1849-1927), Edward (1851-1915), Anne (1853- ), Sophia (1856-1948), and William (1858-1932) were also baptized in this Church.  In 1861 Catharine was still living with her family, in Tignish, Prince Edward Island.  She was listed with them in the 1861 Canadian Census.  In 1877 Catharine was living at 140 Huron Street, Brooklyn, New York.  From here she moved to 179 Java Street, and in the 1880 United States Census she was living with Edward, Sophia, Stephen (abt 1861-1936), and George (abt 1864-1940) at 595 Lorimer Street.  During the next twenty years some of her addresses included 692 Leonard Street and 148 Meserole Avenue.  In the 1900 United States Census, Catharine was living with Sophia's family at 105 India Street.  Catharine died 3 January 1915.  Her cause of death was listed as bronchial asthma and pleura-pneumonia.  At the time of her death Catharine was living at 147 Twelfth Avenue, Queens, New York.  Catharine was buried 5 January 1915 in Calvary Cemetery.  

Those are the facts, but there is plenty I still need to learn.

When was Catharine born?
Her year of birth ranges from 1825 in the 1900 United States Census to 1832 in the 1880 United States Census.  In the 1861 Canadian Census she was listed as 21 to 45, which puts her birth between 1816 and 1840.  Considering she was married in 1839 and John was born in 1843, Catharine was probably born closer to the 1825 date.

Where was Catharine born?
Catharine states she was born in Ireland in the 1861 Canadian Census and the 1900 United States Census.  In the 1880 United States Census she states she was born in Massachusetts.  Her children list her birthplace as Ireland, Nova Scotia, England, or Canada depending on the child and the year of the census.

How did Catharine wind up in New York?
Catharine was living in Canada in 1861.  She was probably living there when Stephen and George were born as well, but right now I do not have those records.  In 1877 Catharine is living in Brooklyn, New York.  She is actually living in New York earlier; however I need to double check my source.  Last time I went to NYC Department of Records  I found Catharine in an earlier directory.  She was living at 204 Freeman; however I did not write down the exact year.  I wrote Freeman Street, 1872/1873.  I am going to have to verify what directory this is from next time I go.  updated Tuesday, March 30, 2010  I have yet to find immigration records for Catharine or her family.

As to why Catharine left Canada we may never know; however we can speculate...My speculations will be in another post.

Dad and Michael Joseph

I have been doing genealogy since 25 May 2007.  What started out as a few names and dates, has quickly turned into extraordinary lives and stories, some of which, I couldn't make up if I tried.  I have two people who are responsible for my journey to the past.

Dad (1949- )
It was a few months after my Grandfather died, when my Dad decided to take another shot at figuring out who Hiram Blanchard and Elizabeth Ferris were.  As I watched him click around ancestry.com, I became more and more frustrated with how slow he was working.  I also realized some of his research techniques were a little "shady."  For example he would just open a directory and look for the name Blanchard.  It wasn't long before I took over the whole project.  I quickly found out Hiram and Elizabeth were not my family, and all the Blanchard's listed in the 1851 New York directory weren't either.

Michael Joseph Lyons (1884-1891)
The name Michael Joseph Lyons was on one of the first interment lists I ordered from Calvary Cemetery.  I had  to figure out who he was, so I visited the Italian Genealogical Group.  Armed with the certificate number, my next stop was the  NYC Department of Records.  How excited I was to find out his death certificate stated his Mom was born in Prince Edward Island.  Maybe I was related to Lucy Maud Montgomery!  

So why am I writing a blog about all this.  First I would like to capture my feelings and emotions, as I continue my journey to the past.  Second, and more importantly, I need to record what I am doing, and what I have done.  I have found I have been forgetting my reaseach, and in some cases doing research I have already done.  Hopefully this blog will help prevent me from doing this in the future.