The Bradleys of Schuylkill County

Wow, I didn't realize that it had been three weeks since my last post.  Time flies when you have five kids or when you're having fun (which is usually the same thing in my house).  I know my last post was about my home town in the 1940 Census, but I have uncovered some new information since then that I want to share.

Remember that I had mentioned that I found date of death for my Great Great Grandmother Anna Bradley in the Pennsylvania Archives website?  Well, while looking through that same year, I found another Bradley who died in Minersville on May 22, 1928:  James Bradley.  Last weekend I drove to my sister's house near Scranton Pa, with two of my sons, to visit for the weekend.  On my way back, I gave the boys a thrill of a lifetime by taking them by the Pottsville Free Public Library to search through microfilm of the Pottsville Republican for 1928 for obituaries.  They were nearly thrill to tears.  But it turned out to be a short sentence for them - only an  hour, because I had to get Jack home so he could get to work.  He has a real appreciation for work now.  My search was successful and I found two obits for the Bradley family, the first one was for Anna:

Don' you just love the way that she is treated as a second class citizen.  She is listed as the "widow of the late James Bradley", no mention of her maiden name and the killer (no pun intended) is that the funeral will be held at the home of "his" son, Joseph Bradley of Carbon St in Minersville.  It doesn't happen to mention that he is "her" son also.  Now I could be wrong, but I think the US government even allowed women to vote in 1928, but I guess citizenship and voting doesn't trump dead.  I was expecting to maybe see it mentioned that she lived in Pottsville with her daughter, that she had other children still living and some who predeceased her.  I also expected to see grandchildren and great grandchildren (my father and his siblings), but nothing.  Even in death she was still only the widow of James Bradley.

On to the more important obituary (just kidding) James Bradley, her son.  Here is his obit:

Now that's an obituary.  Well known Minersville Man - he must have been an important guy.  Remember, that this was May 1928 - prior to his mother's death, and she is not mentioned by name in his obit either.  He is survived by his mother ("what's her name" Bradley), brother Joseph, who is starting to have a real bad 1928, and sisters: Mrs Chas Long of Philadelphia, Mamie McMurtha of Pottsville (this is the daughter that Anna lives with until her death in December) and Susan of Gordon.  Gordon is the same town that James Brady and Madge (Maggie Bradley) Brady lived in when Maggie died in 1892.  How would you like to be Joseph having to have two funerals in his home in 1928 - I guess it beats the hell out of being James or Anna, but a pretty depressing year when you think about it.

I just feel compelled to mention that perhaps in the twenties and thirties, women were treated as second class citizens and just an extension of her husband (unless of course she was unmarried by the age of 16 or 17, then she was a "Spinster"), I think the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction today.  You can't watch a television show or commercial without seeing the husband or boyfriend or baby daddy, depicted as a complete moron.  Wives or girlfriends or baby mamas are all infinitely wiser and relish every opportunity to make him look stupid.  His children are smarter and have a higher IQ than he does.  Hell, most of the pets can hold a more intelligent conversation than he can (except the fish - cause you can't understand them speaking underwater).   I guess the times are changing, and I'm not so sure it's for the better.

One last thing to note about these two deaths: they are both interred in St Vincent de Paul Parish cemetery in Minersville.  You may remember that this is the same cemetery where Madge (Maggie Bradley) Brady was buried in 1892.  The same cemetery that charged me a $20.00 genealogy fee to obtain information about where in the cemetery she is buried - only to find out that they cannot find any record of her burial.  I called the church and found that several of the local churches have merged, and now I must write to St Michael the Archangel (the church not the saint) for any genealogy information - burials, baptisms, etc... Being that St Michael the Archangel is the Patron Saint of  Police Officers and I am a retired cop, perhaps I'll get a little professional courtesy - I better get out my PBA cards.

The 1940 US Census

If you are a genealogist, professional or as a hobby, and you don't know that the 1940 US Census was released to the public on April 2, 2012 - just turn in your membership card now.  Every past census that has been released, has been on microfilm and later digitized.  The 1940 Census will be released in digitized format only and easy to find: Just Google 1940 US Census, and you will find several websites that offer the census free of charge.  The thing about this census is that it has not yet been indexed, in other words you cannot search it by name yet.  You can, however, search by place or by ED (Enumeration District not the other ED).

So I did some searching, I found my wife Katrina's mother in Red Bank at 5 years old, Katrina's father in Shrewsbury at 6 years old, my mother Claire in Jersey City at 14 years old, but man are those Bradys elusive.  The first three, Katrina's parents and my mother, were easy because I knew where they lived.  Dad - well I just don't know,  I have ideas, but have not been successful yet.  In all fairness,  Jersey City is a big city to search if you don't have an idea where your people live in Jersey City - at least a street, hopefully a house number.  If you don't know an approximate address, you have to scroll through probably thousands of pages of census to find your people.

Today I was home and on the computer, and I started checking  our first address on Evergreen Ave in Neptune City and I'll tell you why.  I have been thinking alot lately about how a young family in Jersey City in the 1950's would find a house to move to in a small borough like Neptune City, which is about an hour and change south along the Jersey Shore.  I got my answer by talking to my sisters Pat and Joan and asking them if they knew how it happened.  Both of them said that my father's best friend, Jack Specht, had moved down to Neptune City, and my mom and dad had visited with the kids a couple of times.  One time when they visited, Jack told dad that the woman across the street had her house for sale.  Mom and Dad went across the street and saw the house, fell in love with it and the rest is history.

So, I am on the computer and I decided to  "scroll" through Neptune City in 1940.  It turned out to be almost a "stroll" through the town that I would live in eighteen years later.  The first person I came across was Darwin "Bucky" Glover on Laird Ave.  He was 12 years old at the time and lived with his  siblings and his parents, the records list his father as a boatman.  The reason that his name jumped out at me is that he would later become a Police Sergeant in Neptune City and worked with my brother Paul, when Paul was a Policeman in Neptune City.  He was still working when I worked as a Policeman in Neptune Township (the town next door) so I actually worked many a night shift with "Bucky" Glover before he retired.

Another person I strolled past on my way to my old address, was a man named Forest Cottrell.   He was 39 years old and lived on South Wall St. with his wife Carol, and his children Gloria age 11, Catherine age 10, and Richard age 9.  He jumped out at me because his occupation is listed as Policeman.  I happen to know, from living in the town for about 30 years, that he was the Chief of Police, 9 year old Richard would later become the Chief of Police (when my brother worked there) and I went to grammar school and high school with his (Richard's) son Richard (who would also become a Policeman in Neptune City).

I also came across five year old James Dugan living with his family on Sylvania Ave.  He would also become a Police Sergeant in Neptune City who worked with my brother (I also worked many a shift in Neptune when he was still working).

I finally found my way to the area Evergreen Ave and Steiner Ave where I lived in 1958.  The first person that looking familiar was Richard Ruppel, living with his wife Dorothy and daughters Dorothy, Lorraine, and Barbara.  His occupation was listed as Banker, my memory tells me that he was an accountant.  He and  my dad became friendly later, and his daughter Mary was friends with us growing up.  The other thing about Mr. Ruppel is that I remember his wife as being Isabel, because she was friendly with my mom.  Maybe there was a second marriage but I don't know.  I kinda think that he had something to do with the Board of Education, but I could be wrong.

The other day I was talking to my sisters, and Joan remembered a woman named Carrie who was a nurse and lived a few houses down on Steiner Ave and Third Ave.  Well I found her - Carrie Clayton living with her widowed mother, her sister, and an aunt.

I found the Trimbles living next door at 20 Evergreen Ave, Robert and Nettie and their four children: Annette, June, Lois and Robert Jr.  There was also Mr and Mrs Merkel across the street at 25 Evergreen.  They were both born in Germany, he was a painter and she was a presser, I can remember both of them from my time living there.

Last, but not least, I found our house - but it is listed as 24 Evergreen, instead of 22 Evergreen. Fred and Margaret Slater are listed as the owners and Fred's occupation is listed as Gas Station Attendant.

We had many a memorable moment in that house, but looking back the thing that I remember most about the house was that there was a basement.  In the basement under the stairs was a large safe - I don't think it was locked, but it looked like something out of a bank.   I remember it as being very large, but that may be due to my small stature and large imagination.  There was one other thing that my sister Joan pointed out. When we moved from Jersey City, we lived at 422 Bergen Ave.  We moved to Neptune City and lived at 22 Evergreen Ave.  Joan said that she remembers the house number being painted on the house as 22, but there was an 8 in front of it that was not painted over.  She asked mom about it, and my mother said that it was because we lived on the eighth block from the ocean (the first seven of which are in Bradley Beach).  This could be true because I seem to remember that Bradley Beach and Neptune City were part of the same  town at one point in time.  So my stroll through the 1940 census turned into a history lesson of Small Town USA, and the great town that I grew up in.

Bad News and Good News

I'm sure you've heard the old saying: "I've got good news and bad news, which do you want first?"  Well, in genealogy you hear this every other day.  Remember the obit I was waiting for from the Pottsville Republican and the Shenandoah Evening Herald for Anna Bradley, well I got it in the mail this week.  So much for good news.  The bad news - after paying the $10.00 fee, she is not MY Anna Bradley.  The first clue was the title of the obit: Miss Anna Bradley - I wasn't a Detective for ten years for nothing.   Well  back to the drawing board.

Next good news:  I got a letter from the Hoboken Cemetery in the mail today.  Bad news:  They have no records of Jack (John) Brady - the younger brother of my father who died at about two months old.  They also have no record of Mary Ann Sullivan - which does not surprise me because I know her last name was not Sullivan, but I don't know what it was because she married before her death and I don't know her married name.  Actually there is more good news in this letter - they did not request a genealogy fee.

Now I have some good news with no bad news to counter it.  I was listening to a podcast - The Genealogy Guys - and they go over news and answer e mail questions.  One of the news items was that Pennsylvania Births and Deaths between 1904 and 1961 are now public records and stored in the PA State Archives.  They are indexed on line on the PA Archives site by year.  Once you get the year, they are indexed in one of two way: either alphabetical or in the Russell system.  The Russell system is a combination of key letters and numbers used to find the page on which your name is listed in the ledger book.  They include  instructions with the on line index, but I find it difficult to understand sometimes.  I have never used it by myself,  I usually have someone there to help.  So this exercise should at least help me understand it better.

When you look up the name, it will give you a date of death, and the place, and a state file number (which is the important thing).  Well, actually it is all important. I find the place of death is a great clue.  If I had looked up Anna Bradley in the index, I would have seen that she died in Philadelphia, but I knew she lived with her daughter in Pottsville for at least ten years (1910 census and 1920 census, and the family is still there in 1930, but she is not). So if I were a betting man, my money for place of death would have been Pottsville not Philadelphia and I could have saved a few bucks.  Are you picking up the underlying theme here - all of the $10.00 and $20.00 fees that I don't like paying - so a free one here and there helps keeps you going, cause this can get expensive.  So anyway, I looked up Ann Bradley starting in 1929 and working backwards to 1920, and I found her.  She died 27 Dec 1928 - Merry Christmas, in Pottsville, PA (don't forget the important part) State File #124066.  So now you download the form on line to order a Non-Certified Death certificate and the best part - $3.00 each.  I have ordered death certificates before and they were $20.00 to $25.00 each, so this is really good news - Break out the party hats and blow up some balloons YAHOO.  The form does not give you a turn around time, but it has to be quicker.  The last one I sent for took about four months.

Just in case you're new at this and don't know why I am so happy about finding death certificates, I'm going to tell you.  Death certificates help you big time in genealogy.  They are usually filed within a couple of days of death, which means it is fresh information.  The person getting the information writes it down right away, so there is a smaller window for memory to screw up, and secondly it helps you go back further because it usually lists the names of the deceased person's parents (including mother's maiden name) and their place of birth, it usually gives the birth date and place of birth for the deceased, if your ancestor is a married female, you also get her maiden name (and her mother's maiden name).  The last tidbit that you get is the name of the informant.  That is the person who gave any personal information to the doctor - like birth date, parents names, etc (obviously the deceased didn't spill his guts before he checked out).  So you might find a name you know, or someone else to look up.  For example when I got our Great Grandfather, "Pop" Bergen's death certificate, the informant was our mother Claire Bergen.  It was actually kind of sad to see her name there.  It was 1943 and both of her parents had died, her two brothers were off to war and she was living with her mother's family, and giving information to a doctor on the last of her father's family.  It may have made it easier because she was in Nursing School at the time and becoming more used to seeing people dying, (this is no reflection on my mother's nursing skills - just a fact of life) but this was a man that she had grown up living with.  I don't care if she was an undertaker - that had to be tough.

When our Great Grandfather, James E Brady, died in Gordon, PA, his death certificate coughed up some info that I had been trying to find for awhile.  The informant was his sister, Mary G Brady of Scranton, PA.  She informed the doctor that their parents: Thomas A Brady and Bridget Convey were both born in Ireland - but she added a place in Ireland - Swinford.  I don't know how she let that slip out, apparently her parents must have thought that if anyone knew the town that they were born in they could break the DaVinci Code with it.  Well, maybe not - but no one had ever mentioned where in Ireland they came from - now I know Swinford, County Mayo. Ah the joys of death certificates.

Technology

Well, I know I'm a little tardy posting this, but I just have not gotten any new information.  Yeah I'm still waiting on the library to send me the obit, but I have slowed my driving down a bit.  I also sent out a couple of more letters that I am awaiting responses to.  The first was to St Joseph's Church in Ashland, Pa -  I asked for any old church records from the Bradys of Schuylkill County, PA and the second was to a group that manages Hoboken Cemetery.  I asked them about Mary Ann Sullivan who died and was buried in a potters field, only to be disinterred and buried in Holy Cross in Brooklyn.  So while I'm waiting, I decided to write about some technological advances in the Genealogy field.

Let's see, technology and a 56 year old retired Police Officer and father of five - This should be good.  Prior to my recent endeavors in technology, the closest thing I got to be technically savvy was using a cell phone and taking 15 minutes to answer one of my teenage children's texts with a simple "k".  But I have moved up in the world.  A couple of years ago, I got an iPod touch.  My kids set me up with an iTunes account, probably just to get my credit card number, but they were very helpful.  I found the world of Podcasts and found several genealogy podcasts on the web.  In case you are not familiar with podcasts, they are basically taped radio episodes where the hosts will talk about genealogy. Sometimes they interview guests, such as professional genealogists and authors among others.  So I could plug in my ear buds and get blissfully lost in a conversation that no one else in the house wanted to hear anyway.  So everyone else was also blissfully happy that they could not hear what the iPod was telling  me.  It was a win/win.  Just in case you are interested my two favorites are the Genealogy Guys Podcast and Genealogy Gems with Lisa Louise Cook.  In fact, Lisa Louise Cook is the one who kind of talked me into blogging - so you can blame this on her.

Then I would take my iPod on my cemetery jaunts and use the camera to photograph headstones, while strangers whispered to each other, stared, and pointed.  This was the new extent of my technological knowledge.  Now my son, Jack asked if he could use my iPod to download an app (short for application), much like a program on a computer.  Well the app he chose is an editing app which is very similar to the Power Point program.  You can use photos, music, and talking to narrate a series of pictures.  This will come in handy for pictures I have of headstones, documents, obits, etc (that is of course if Jack consents to help me through it).

I have recently found another app.  It is the Ancestry.com app.  I downloaded it awhile ago, but I had never uploaded my family tree to Ancestry.com, so it was pretty useless.  Fortunately for the iPod, but not so much for me, I have recently had problems with my laptop.  So I figured I should take the plunge and upload my family tree to Ancestry before I lose it all (eight years of research down the drain).  So I uploaded my info to Ancestry - Not to worry my living relatives, your information does not show up to the general public, besides I don't know that much anyway.  The result of this is that now my entire family tree is downloaded to my iPod, so if I come to visit you, I'll have a Family Tree in my pocket.  Anyone inadvertently mentions anything about family history and I will just blurt out "Excuse me while I whip this out!", of course while reaching into my pocket.

The other technological breakthrough that I have experienced is my recent purchase of the Wolverine - Next Generation Handheld Scanner.  This thing is cool.  I got it through Costco.com and it cost less that $100.00.  It is powered by two AA batteries and the images are saved in a JPEG format to a Micro SD card (my card is a 4 gig, so I can save a lot of documents).  You can carry it anywhere and it will plug in to the computer with a USB adapter.  I can scan photos, documents, pages in books or ledgers, scrapbooks, etc...  It can scan up to 8 1/2" wide and just about any length.  All you do is push the button and roll in over the document, when you reach the end of the paper, hit the button again and the scanning stops.  The image is then saved to the memory card.  So simple it makes me sound like a tekkie.

I had the opportunity to try my scanner out last week.  My friend George and I took a class about researching property records - titles, deeds and mortgages in the county Clerks office.  Everyone else in the group had scanner envy because George and I each had our scanners and were not afraid to use them.  A member of our genealogy society who does Title Searches for a living gave the class and showed us how to look up deeds and such.  I found some stuff, but the best find was the deed to 22 Evergreen Ave, Neptune City.  I never knew when we emigrated to the Shore, but now I know.  Mom and Dad bought the house on 31 July 1958, from Mrs. Margaret Slater, a widow, for $12,900.00.  I always remember mom and dad saying what a nice lady she was, and that if it weren't for her, they never could have bought the house, because I think she held the mortgage.  Anyway they were always grateful to her.  I personally don't think she had much of a choice, she met mom and dad with four small children (me being the youngest at  2 1/2) and one more on the way.  How could she do anything else but help them out.  Just kidding, they could have been forced to live in the garage and dressed me in swaddling clothes.  After all, I have heard of it happening at least once before.

Annie Bradley - My Great Great Grandmother

Just this past weekend, I was thinking of my next "Most Wanted Ancestor" poster and I thought I would use my Great Grandmother Maggie Bradley AKA Madge Bradley AKA Marcella Bradley, wife of James Brady.  She was born to James and Annie Bradley in 1867 in Schuylkill County, PA.  According to the 1880 US  Census, Maggie was 15 years old and lived in Cass Twp, Schuylkill County, PA with her parents James and Annie and the following siblings: Susan, age 17, Lizzie age 11, Joseph age 9, James age 6, Mary age 4, and Ellen age 2.

I checked on Ancestry.com to see if there was any additional information available that I hadn't found before.  I found a Bradley Family Tree, which was about the Bradley family that I have been looking into.  The only mention of my Great Grandmother Maggie, is that she is listed in the 1880 Census, it does not list a husband or children - ergo no me.  Apparently the author knows less about Maggie than I do and the author is in for one heck of a surprise when he/she gets my message.  The author is in for a whole lot of new relatives.

I checked into the other info posted in the tree for the rest of Maggie's immediate family, especially Maggie's mom - Annie Bradley.  The post says that her maiden name is Pepper, born in 1840 in New York to Patrick Pepper and Magdeline Reilly, it also says that she died in PA, but no date is given.  The information also listed her living in Pottsville, PA in 1920.  For those of you who do not know, Pottsville is the home to the oldest Brewery in the USA, The Yeungling Brewery.  I click on the link for the 1920 Census in Pottsville, and find that Anna (as she is named in this listing) lives at 549 East Market St, Pottsville with the following family members: Nickolas Murtha, age 45 and Mary Murtha age 37, listed as Heads of Household, their children are Martha age 11, Mary age 9, Anna age 8, Dorothy age 5, and Anna is listed last as 78 years old and her relationship to head of household is Mother-in-Law.  So Mary Murtha age 37 is Anna's daughter.  You may notice that the ages may be off by a few years, not unusual.  You would think that over a ten year period and person would age 10 years - NOT.

I then checked the 1930 Census and find the Murtha family, but no Anna, so I am gonna guess that she has died sometime between 1920 and 1930.  My next stop is the Pottsville Free Public Library website.  There is a genealogy section of the site which includes some obits indexes.  This is where I found the obit for Anna's daughter Maggie.  There are large gaps in the indexes, every newspaper is not included, and every year is not included.  The only obits listed is most indexes are obits that people have requested from the library, and the library will list it.  I checked the Pottsville Republican - no luck, then I found the Shenandoah Evening Herald and BINGO, I find an obit listed for Anna Bradley, 14 Mar 1929 on page 3.  I called the Library and they will send me a copy of the obit, they will also check the Pottsville Republican for me.  Along with the obit, a bill for $10.00.  Actually quite reasonable, I couldn't get out of Monmouth County on ten dollars worth of gas these days.

So for the past week, I have been like little Ralphie Parker on "A Christmas Story", rushing home everyday to the mailbox to check for my Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, but my package is much more valuable, not a stupid ring.

So if this turns out to be my Great Great Grandmother, that would mean that my father, who was born in 1920, had a living great grandmother until he was 9 years old.  WOW. If true, he never mentioned her, there's a shock.  I also wonder if she attended my Grandfather Thomas' wedding in Jersey City in on 18 Nov 1914, after all she was his grandmother.  If this is my Great Great Grandmother, I am wondering if my father will be listed as her surviving great grandson.  Hopefully I will find out this week without getting a speeding ticket driving home to check the mail.

To be continued........

Michael Brady

We interrupt this Wanted Bulletin to bring you news on a developing story.  This Investigator has just learned the whereabouts of some distant relatives (so distant that we are probably not even related).  To properly report this story, I must take you back in time to October 1858 in Butler Twp, Schuylkill County, PA - is this sounding familiar?  That's right, it is the year before my Great Grandfather James E Brady was born, and at this time, my Great Great Grandparents, Thomas A Brady and Bridget Convey have just become the proud parents of a baby boy, Michael (N?) Brady.  Michael was born in Butler Twp, and at some point he moved to Long Island City, NY, which is where he was listed as living in obits for his father in 1905 and his brother William in 1917.  Michael is obviously an adult at this point, which tells you that I know as much about his youth as I do about James' youth.

Well, back in 2006, I sent a letter to every Brady listed in the phone book in Scranton, PA, looking for living descendants of my ancestors (relatives).  Mostly I got no reply, but in some cases I got an answer saying that we are not related, but wishing me good luck.  I did have good luck, I got a phone call from a Granddaughter of my Great Grandfather James' brother John Brady, and she had some information for me. My cousin Peggy and I met in Long Branch and discussed the family. She was there for a retreat and Long Branch, NJ is only 15 - 20 minutes from my home.  Peggy, who had done some research a few years back, was with her (our) cousin Mary, and we exchanged information.  Peggy told me about Michael and that he married a woman named Cecelia and they lived in Wildwood NJ.  She later sent me a photo of Cecelia on the front porch of a rooming house that she ran in Wildwood, NJ.

This is a copy of the picture, and maybe you can see the number 327 on the pillar next to her, and I think the sign hanging over the entrance says "The Cecelia".  Well, with this I started to check Cecelia Brady in the US Census in Wildwood, and found her in the 1930 Census living at 327 E. Magnolia Ave, Wildwood, NJ, and it says that she is widowed.  Now I go to the NJ Archives and I located a  Death Certificate to Michael N Brady of 327 E Magnolia Ave died 28 Jan 1929 of prostate cancer, and his occupation was listed as carpenter.  It also says that he is buried in New Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia.  Then I found Cecelia's Death Certificate, she died 30 Jul 1934 at the same address in Wildwood, but it listed her residence as 821 S 3rd St. Philadelphia, she is also buried in New Cathedral Cemetery.  Her father's name was Alex Clark born in Ireland, and her mother's name is unknown.  I called the cemetery and (after sending a check for $15.00) I received a list of people buried in this plot.  When I checked the plot, Section T, Range 4, Lot 19, I found mostly Shanahans: Tim, Catherine, John, Mary, John Jr, as well as, Michael and Cecelia Brady, Mary Ellen Rothwell and Mary Ellen Gill.  I was expecting Bradys or Clarks.  Who were these people that my distant uncle was buried with?

I got the answer, or some of it, last week while I was working on my second Most Wanted Ancestor.  Just for fun, I ran Michael Brady in Ancestry.com, and lo and behold I found him listed on a family tree submitted by someone else.  In the tree, it listed Michael as 2nd husband of Cecelia.  John Shanahan was married and had two children, his wife Mary, died in about 1880.  He married Cecelia Clark and she helped raise his two children (John, Jr and Mary).  John died in 1912, and somewhere between 1912 and about 1925, Cecelia married Michael Brady and together they lived in Wildwood, NJ and she ran a boarding house.

So the answer is that the Shanahans are the family of Cecelia's first husband, kind of odd that Michael is buried in a family plot of his wife's first husband's family.  That means that John Shanahan Sr. is buried, not only with both of his wives, but also with his second wife's second husband.  You can't make this stuff up.

Most Wanted - James E Brady

WANTED DEAD OR oh well let's be serious, we all know how this is going to end.

James Edward Brady                                
Date of Birth: 15 OCT 1859
Place of Birth: South Butler Township, Schuylkill, PA
Date of Marriage: 10 NOV 1890
Place of Marriage: St. Joseph R. C. Church
Spouse: Maggie Bradley AKA Madge Bradley
Children: Thomas J. Brady              
Date of Death: 4 Aug 1914
Place of Death: Gordon, Schuylkill, PA
                                     Crime: Destruction of Evidence that he lived for 54 years
 NO PHOTO
AVAILABLE

Okay, not a bad Wanted Poster, but now let me tell you a little about my Great Grandfather.  Like I told you in my last post, he was born in South Butler Township, this section of South Butler Twp would later be incorporated as Gordon Boro.  He was born to Thomas A Brady and Bridget Convey,  they were born in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland (I found their birthplace listed on James' death certificate).  He was born in 1859, which was two years before the start of the American Civil War.  As far as I can tell, none of the Bradys served in either army.

James became a Fireman, on the railroad. I realize that that I just covered about 20 to 30 years in seven words, but I really don't know that much about him. Next thing  that I know is that he married Madge (AKA Maggie, AKA Marcella) Bradley in St Joseph's Church in Ashland on 10 Nov 1890.  They were married  by Rev. Francis Coyle.  I have a letter from St. Joseph's that says that Jacobum E. Brady and Margaretum Marcellae E Bradley were married on 10 Nov 1890, and the testes (witnesses, I hope) were Jacobus J Davis and Joanna Darrah.  I am pretty sure the first and middle names are Latin.

Next event that I am aware of is the birth of my Grandfather, Thomas James Brady on 27 Aug 1891.  Thomas was baptized on 30 Aug 1891 by Rev. C. F. Patterson (man they didn't waste any time getting him Baptized).  The testes are listed as Joannis Davis and Lilly Bradley (Madge's sister?).  This letter also cost me twenty bucks - this is getting expensive.

Then his wife dies.  Here's where the facts get foggy.  According the the obit that I put in the last post, Maggie was buried in St. Vincent de Paul parish cemetery on 16 Feb 1892.  I can't find a headstone in the cemetery, and the church, after charging me the genealogy fee, can't find a record of her burial in the cemetery.  The obit also says that she had been married less than year when she died.  I must say at this point that my sister, Pat and my cousin Linda had told me that she died in childbirth.  This would mean that she died sometime around the end of August 1891, or thereabouts.  If that is true, she would have died before 10 Nov 1891 (her one year wedding anniversary.   Did they keep her on ice (for lack of a better term) until 16 Feb 1892.  Or is that fact an exaggerated fact (literary license).  Death certificates were not required in PA in 1892.

Anyway, now is when James remains in Gordon, while the majority of the family moves to Scranton, Lackawanna County, PA.  His son, Thomas, (my grandfather) lives with James' brother, William and his family in Scranton, then is listed living with his grandparents, Thomas and Bridget in Scranton in the 1900 census.  I always wondered why James stayed in Gordon and did not go to Scranton.  Was he inconsolable over the loss of his wife?  Did he turn to the bottle and become an alcoholic (as his son did later in life).  I don't know.  What I do know is this: Thomas married my grandmother, Marguerite O'Dea on 18 Nov 1914, two months after his father died.  There is also a story about James' death.  I was told by my cousin Linda (I guess she heard more stories from her mother than we heard from our father, or else she just listened).  But here is the story.

Legend has it that James was coming to Jersey City, NJ to see his son and his fiancee before their marriage. Supposedly he was going to give them money for their future.  However, when he got to Penn Station in NYC, he was mugged for his money, and he was injured in the assault and went home and died.  Now the death certificate says nothing about any injuries or assault.  He died of cardiac failure.  The death certificate is signed by Thomas McCutcheon, MD of Gordon PA.  I always assumed that his brother, William F Brady, MD would have cared for him and sign the death certificate.  Maybe there was a rift in the family, but over what?  Or maybe McCutcheon was just a local doctor was was accessible and happened to be around when James died.  Maybe William wasn't around when he died.  Either way, the mugging story is looking less likely, but you never know.

More information is WANTED to answer the many questions that I have about James E Brady.

Stay tuned for a new Wanted Person in my next post.