Just in case you're wondering, the nickname "Electric City" was bestowed on Scranton because the nation's first successful continuously operating electrified streetcar "trolley" system was established in the city in 1886. The line is no longer operating, but the nickname is.
When I got to the city, I decided to check on property records. John Brady, my great grandfather James' brother lived at 522 Ripple St in Scranton since somewhere around 1900. I have found a Brady or two living at that address from the 1900 - 1940 census records that I have found on line. I know that there are still descendants of John Brady living in that house. I met John's grand daughter Mary Getz in about 2007 in Long Branch, NJ. She told me that she lived her entire life in that house, but that is a story for another day.
I went to the Recorder of Deeds on Jefferson Ave and asked one of the clerks for help tracing ownership of the property. Instead of sending me off to a computer with a lot and block number, she asked what the address was and asked me to wait a few minutes while she did some checking. Within a few minutes I was handed ownership changes of the property back to the date that John Brady purchased it from the Meadowbrook Land Company. The date was 26 Dec 1897, and the price was $450.00 lawful money of the United States. The property is described as being 40' X 130'. On 7 Dec 1906, Annie Brady, his wife, is added to the deed. In 1924, the property is sold to their daughter Agnes and her husband. Years later, it is sold to Agnes' daughter and her husband, and so on, until it was purchased by the current owner. So, John actually owned this property when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 1908, and the property is still in the family when the Cubbies finally broke their curse, and won the series again in 2016.
I was obviously very proud of myself for this discovery, even though the very helpful clerk did all of the work. Then I realized that Dr William Brady married Hannah Casey in Scranton in 1893. So they were probably in Scranton earlier than when John bought the property in 1897. Since there is no 1890 census, what do I do to find them between 1880 and 1900? Then it dawned on me - City Directories!!
I'm pretty sure that I talked about City Directories before, but just in case I didn't, the main thing to know is that City Directories were like a telephone book when not many people had telephones. Names of city residents were listed with their home address, occupation, and spouse's name (in parenthesis). Sometimes is a woman is head of house and is widowed, it will have (wid and her husband's name). The came out every year in some cities, and every other year in others. Residents were listed in alphabetical order, like a telephone book.
I'm pretty sure that I talked about City Directories before, but just in case I didn't, the main thing to know is that City Directories were like a telephone book when not many people had telephones. Names of city residents were listed with their home address, occupation, and spouse's name (in parenthesis). Sometimes is a woman is head of house and is widowed, it will have (wid and her husband's name). The came out every year in some cities, and every other year in others. Residents were listed in alphabetical order, like a telephone book.
I checked and found that ancestry.com had city directories for Scranton in1890-1892. I found Thomas A. Brady living at 1033 Lackawanna Ave in 1890. In 1891, he is listed at308 N Wyoming Ave, occupation is watchman. Then in 1892, he is back at 1033 Lackawanna Ave. None of these listings adds a wife, but in 1890 and 1892, I find William, Andrew, and Michael all living at 1033 Lackawanna. I am thinking that the watchman may be his grandson (John's son).
I think that the bright lights of the "Electric City" must have drawn my ancestors away from Schuylkill County like a bug light. The electric trolley was in full swing by the time they arrived and so was the railroad. It looks like there were a lot more opportunities in the big city. Scranton in the 1890s, was becoming a modern American city, with electric lights, paved streets and industry. The iron and coal industry was booming and the city's population was pushing 100,000. By 1900, the population was over 102,000. Sounds like Scranton was the place to be and my great great grandfather had the same opinion, so he acted on it.
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