On 1/5/2012, I decided to follow my own advice and check on cemetery records sooner than later. With that in mind, I called Calvary Cemetery in Woodside Queens, NY to check on the final resting place of my Great Great Grandmother Catherine McPartland McConville, who died in Brooklyn 1913. When I gave this information to the clerk that I spoke to, I was told that she needed an exact date of burial, which I did not have. So I told her about Catherine's son, Peter McConville who died July 30, 1948 and is buried in the same cemetery. She put me on hold for about five minutes and returned by giving me the location of his grave in the cemetery as: Section 4B, Range 30, Plot D, grave 6. When I asked about Catherine, who is buried in the same plot, I was told that I had to write to them requesting the information and enclosing a fee of $115.00 for the info. That was pretty much the end of the conversation.
The next day I called back, figuring that I would get info on when they had someone on the property to show me where the plot it, preferably on the weekend. I spoke with a very nice woman who asked for the plot number. When I gave it to her, she said that the plot is in Old Calvary or First Calvary, which is located in Long Island City, but the office is in Woodside. The she looked up the plot and told me that it was purchased by Catherine McConville in 1907. I casually said " then I guess that someone I am looking for who died in 1894 isn't gonna be there". That's when she said well actually she bought a different plot in 1894, and two people were buried there. They were removed to this plot in 1907. The old plot # Section 5, G6 was never resold, there may have been some type of problem with it. Then I told her I was looking for Maryann Sullivan buried in 1894, and she offered to look up one of the 1894 burials. She put me on hold, and came back a few minutes later saying "I don't think I solved your problem, but I may give you another one". The two people buried in 1894 were babies: James McConnell (McConville) who was just four days old and the mystery was Jenny Milford, who was just one day old, now for the strange part - they were both buried on 24 Sep 1894.
So I called my ace in the hole, Aunt Florence, and told her about the babies and asked if the Milford name sounded familiar She immediately said "Well, there was an Olive Milford who was a cousin, I think There were also cousins named Dawson." She also said that the Milford's had a son who was a fireman in New York, I don't know if it was FDNY or not. She said that if may have been her grandfather's sister who married a Milford.
So now I know four of the seven occupants of this plot: Catherine McConville, Peter McConville, Jr, James McConville and Jenny Milford, hopefully I can find info on the remaining three.
So last night I am on Ancestry.com checking on Catherine McConville, and I found three census records that I had never seen before. All of the records are from Brooklyn, NY and the 1870 census has Catherine and her husband, Peter, children Edward (my Great Grandfather) age 11, John age 9, Mary Emma age 5, and William age 9/12, with a notation that he was born in NY in Sep 1869. Everyone else was born in England, and I think William is actually Peter Jr, but I don't know why he is listed as Willilam. In 1880, Catherine is widowed, Edward is a cooper, John is a cork cutter, Mary Emma is a book binder, and Peter (not William) is at school. There is also a boarder named Elijah Cash, who is a book binder. In 1900, John and Peter are living with Catherine. John and Peter are both foreman at the Cooper Works. The interesting part is the family listed right before Catherine and her sons. They are the Milfords: Robert, his wife Mary, children Mary, Elizabeth and Robert. I wonder if this could be the parents of Jenny Milford.
Today I called Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Maspeth, Long Island to check on the final resting place of Mary Emma McConville, who was buried in 1924. The cemetery had no record of her. Then I called back and told the lady that I think Mary Emma married and her last name could be Milford. That did it. Lot 4161, Section F is the location of the Milford family burial plot. Grave 1 is occupied by William and Elizabeth Dawson Grave 2 contains Mary Emma Barth and Frederick Barth. Grave 3 Robert J and Mary E Milford, and Grave 4 Olive Shields (Milford ?) and Elaine Shields. I think I hit the jackpot, and it hasn't cost me yet.
One last thing before I stop. I was checking some census records and I found one from 1910 for Catherine McPartland McConville and while looking at it, I can see the questions about children. It asks how many children born to this woman and how many are now living. Catherine had 11 children and four of them were living. I called my daughter Chrissy, who was the only one home at the time, because I had to tell someone about this amazing fact. Chrissy came in the room and when I started to tell her, she says to me "Daddy, I was calling you,and you didn't hear me. I'm alive and you're paying more attention to a dead person than you are to me." I have to work on that slight defect.
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