When I discovered my family connection to the Davis family, I started checking ancestry.com for Pennsylvania Death Certificates for the children of Patrick Davis and Catherine Convey. That is when I found two death certificates.
The first was for Delia Loretta Davis, born 12 Jan 1885 in Gordon, Pa and died 4 Jan 1954 at 1392 N. Washington Ave, Scranton, Pa. The second one was for Mary Elizabeth Davis, born 5 Aug 1879 in Gordon, Pa, and died 9 Aug 1956 at 1392 N. Washington Ave, Scranton, Pa. That's right they lived at the same address. So the next thing I did was to look at Google Earth for 1392 N. Washington Ave, Scranton, Pa, expecting to find an old age home or something. When I got to the address with the "walking man", I didn't find a nursing home - I found a tavern with rooms upstairs. I don't think that they were 55 and over condos. It was more like rooms for rent over a tavern.
The business is currently Andy Gavin's Eatery and Pub, so I did what anyone would do, I Googled it. I found a bunch of different web sites with information about the business, including menu and reviews. Apparently it is a good pub that has been around since about 1904 when it was first built by a man named George Calpin. Then I found a couple of sites claiming that it is haunted. I should tell you that the business has changed hands and names several times since Mr Calpin built it, so I do not know what it was called or who owned it when the Davis sisters lived there.
Then I went back to death certificates, first Delia's, to look at the informant. This is the person who supplied the decedent's personal information to registrar. This information would include birth date and place of birth, as well as father's name and mother's maiden name. The informant is usually a relative. The informant on Delia's death certificate is Mary Tierney. Who is Mary Tierney? I looked for her on Ancestry.com and I found her death certificate. Turns out Mary Tierney's maiden name is Convey. The same name as my great great grandmother, and the same as Delia and Mary Elizabeth Davis' mother.
Before I go into another long confusing story, suffice it to say that there is a Convey/Davis connection to an Irish Pub in Scranton, Pa, which may or may not be haunted. What to do? I drove to my sister's house just outside of Scranton. My sister, her husband, and I then went to Andy Gavin's Eatery and Pub and ate dinner. It was a good find and is directly across the street from the Lackawanna County Prison, which looks like an old fortified castle in the middle of a city block.
I am told that there is an old rumor that,back in the day, the Guards would let the prisoners out on their honor to walk across the street to the Pub to get lunch. I don't know if the story is true or not, it sounds more like Andy Griffith than Andy Gavin.
Looks much friendlier. We talked to several employees and the current owner of the Pub and they all think it is haunted. They told of lights turning off and on without throwing a switch, and water in the restrooms turning on when no one was in there. It was a fun time researching my family tree, and I even bought a t-shirt.
So it would appear that the key to my Brady/Convey family roots may rest in a haunted Irish Pub in Scranton, Pa. Who would have guessed. Maybe I should plan a Family Reunion there.
Looks much friendlier. We talked to several employees and the current owner of the Pub and they all think it is haunted. They told of lights turning off and on without throwing a switch, and water in the restrooms turning on when no one was in there. It was a fun time researching my family tree, and I even bought a t-shirt.
So it would appear that the key to my Brady/Convey family roots may rest in a haunted Irish Pub in Scranton, Pa. Who would have guessed. Maybe I should plan a Family Reunion there.
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