My Irish Immigrant

Happy St. Paddy's day, everyone! I have spent the last month spending every waking moment either 1.) moving all my earthly possessions from Ohio to Pennsylvania, or 2.) researching my Irish family, which I previously knew next to nothing about. And not actually in that order (halfway through our first month here and I am still surrounded by boxes!)

I have learned an incredible amount these past few weeks, with PLENTY of research left to do, but I'm excited to share what I have so far!

What I knew going in.

Before this month, I had only one census for Michael Warde, who was born in Ireland, and two for his wife (also born in Ireland.) Both in San Francisco, and the first showing that the eldest daughter was born in Canada, and the next in California 2 years later. I knew they had 5 kids and that Michael had a liquor wholesale company, and i had rather recently found out that he had made pretty good money, as when he died in 1889, there was a newspaper article that said his estate, left to his wife, was estimated at $20,000 ($503,267.93 in modern dollars!)

But, that was about it.

UNTIL NOW!

Photo courtesy of distant cousin Eleanor McIntyre, who sent this to me a
few days ago. First picture I have ever seen of Michael Warde!

Michael John Warde was born about 1842 in County Galway, Ireland, to Peter Ward and Mary [---?---] (born about 1809 in Oranmore Parish, County Galway, Ireland.)  It is unknown when they left Ireland, but his eldest daughter was born in Montreal, Quebec, and in his mother's San Francisco obituary there is a request for both Montreal & Galway newspapers to copy it into their own obituary sections. Thus, Michael may have moved to Montreal with his parents, possibly at a rather young age. Besides his daughter's baptism record in the records of the  Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal in 1868, we have no record of him before his 1870 census in San Francisco, so when --or why-- he left Ireland is still not known.

I only found his parents - via an obituary of his mother, Mary Ward, that I stumbled across - two days ago, and I'm having a hard time finding anything about them yet, but hopefully I will unravel them, too. And the siblings! There are quite a few Ward/Warde's in San Francisco at the same time as my family, and I'd love to know which are related!

While I will need more documentation to back this up, the sibling names & connection to both Galway & Montreal have me pretty much convinced that this is my family. My great-grandfather - Michael Warde's eldest son- is named Daniel Maurice. I've always wondered where the Maurice came from! Looks like he was named after two uncles. His younger brother is John, so he seems named after an uncle as well. There was also a Dan Warde living with the family in the 1880 census. 

 Career

On the 1870 census, Michael is listed as "liquor dealer," but on the 1872-1875 city directories he is listed as a clerk for the Chenery, Souther & Co. liquor company. 1875 is likely the year he began his own liquor wholesaling business, M. Warde & Co.

This ad can be seen frequently in San Francisco Newspapers at the time,
this one is from the Daily Alto California, 30 Mar 1884.

The business did very well, and in 1889 (the year he died) he had made it into "The Industries of San Francisco, California : a review of the manufacturing, mercantile and business interests of the Bay City : together with a historical sketch of her rise and progress." (Cosmopolitan Publising Co., San Francisco, 1889:)

Michael also owned quite a bit of real estate in San Francisco & San Rafael. I've found his addresses and clippings here and there of some of the real estate transfers & mortgage-letting involving him or his widow once he passed, but I have yet to plot all the areas and figure out how to find -ALL- of what he had owned. 

I have also found several clipping about his involvement with The Farmers Steamship Company, which he was a director and the secretary of. The company was made to create and operate steamships on the Pacific coast to help reduce the cost of transportation of goods between San Louis Obispo to South Santa Monica. The company began with 50,000 shares of stock, valued at $20 each. $75,000 worth of stock was subscribed in the first few weeks. Each boat was expected to cost $75,000-$80,000 each. This company started in the spring of 1881, and I have not been able to find any record of it outside of the business listings & articles pertaining to it's inception for that year, so I cannot yet say how the business did.

Community Involvement

Image from http://www.annapolisaoh.com

Michael has definitely made me work on this one. I have spent WEEKS looking through newspaper clippings. I have so many I've had to organize them in tables, by topic, in separate OneNote pages... 13 of them! From what I know so far he was involved in the following organizations:

• The Ancient Order of Hibernians - He was elected state delegate 4 times only a couple years after he moved to the US. He helped start new chapters around the state, including Los Angeles. There were around 7,000 members at one point of his officership.
• The Knights of St. Patrick
• The Young Ireland Parliamentary Club
• The Irish National League
• The Irish National Land League
• The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
• The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
• He was the President of the San Francisco Saint Patrick's Day Convention for a while
• He was the secretary of the Convention of Irish Societies (San Francisco) for a while

Not only was he a member in all these organizations, but he was extremely active. He often held positions and gave speeches and attended important community events. He was a passionate Irish-Catholic who was involved in the fight for Irish independence from Britain at every opportunity. 

This photo also courtesy of distant cousin Eleanor McIntyre!
And also my first view of Margaret Toohey!

Family

Michael's issue is as follows:

1. Margaret TOOHEY (b. Abt 1809, Oranmore Parish, Co. Galway, Ireland; d. 16 Apr 1907, San Francisco, San Francisco, California)
1. Mary G. (b. 26 Mar 1867, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; d. Between 1920 - 1927)
1. Married Frederick W. Noble (1871- 1918)
1. Margaret Worden Noble (1901 - ?) - No issue
2. Elvian Marie Noble (1909 - 1977) - No issue
2.  Margaret Helen (b. 27 Mar 1869, California; d. 16 Apr 1959, Shelby, Cleveland, NC)
1. Married John Henry McDowell (1866-1924)
1. Henry McDowell (Abt 1897, lived a few days or less) - No issue
2. John Lewis McDowell (1897-1984) m. Docia Bowen
1. Harriet McDowell 
3. Dorothy McDowell (1901-1988) m. Robert Leslie Alexander
1. Robert McDowell Alexander (1926-2004)
4. Geraldine McDowell (1903 - ?) m. Manuel Cruz
1. Alberto Cruz (1928-1997)
2. James Cruz  
5. Robert Garren McDowell (1912-1961) m. Evelyn Potter
1. Robert G. McDowell Jr. 
3. Daniel Maurice (b. 19 Aug 1872, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; d. 12 Jul 1949, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, CA) -- My great-grandfather
1. Married Laura Frances Landers
1. Robert Fletcher Warde (1921-1998) - My grandfather - m. Helen Mjoseth
1. Denise Warde  
2. Dana Michael Warde (1952 - 2000) - My father
3. Brian Warde  
4. Eileen Warde (1961 - 1994)
4. John Davis (b. 6 Jan 1876, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; d. 13 Oct 1941, San Francisco)
1. Married Stella Ward
1. John Davis Warde Jr (1906-1992) - no known issue
2. Katherine Warde (1908 - ?) - issue unknown
5. Henry W. (b.Apr 1879, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; d. 5 Jun 1915, Lodi, San Joaquin, CA) - no issue

I'm not sure how many Warde-descendants are in my generation and beyond yet, but at the least we know that Michael and Margaret had 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and at least 9 great-grandchildren. 

Death

Michael Warde died 28 Aug 1889 in San Francisco. He left his entire estate, initially valued at $20,000, to wife Margaret. After probate was filed (I still need to try to get my hands on it, as these are currently just numbers from the papers) and his estate was appraised and submitted to the courts - it's value was actually $43,161.10! That is is $1,086,079.87 in today's money!  Not bad for an Irish-Catholic immigrant during a time when most of his fellow countrymen were working as highly underpaid laborers who had to deal with so much discrimination and anti-Catholicism. 

Daily Alta California, 30 Aug 1889

This is only really a part of what I've found so far, and much more needs to be done to fill in the gaps & validate many of these facts, but after spending so much time fully immersed in Michael Warde's life, it seemed absolutely ridiculous that I wouldn't post about it on St. Patrick's Day! So, here is a rather rough sketch of Michael John Warde's life. As time goes on I will continue to post about the stories I've found and more about his descendants. 

Until then, Happy Saint Patrick's Day, everyone!

Genealogy Snapshot

Name: Warde, Michael (1842-1889)
Parents: Peter Ward and Mary Carich
Spouse: Margaret Twohey
Surnames: Ward, Warde
Relationship to Me: 2nd Great-Grandfather

1. Michael Warde
2. Daniel Maurice Warde
3. Robert Fletcher Warde
4. Dana Michael Warde
5. Ameya

Genetic Genealogy & DNA Link Roundup - 20 Feb '14

Epigenetics:

• Grandma's Experiences Leave a Mark on Your Genes 
  Your ancestors' lousy childhoods or excellent adventures might change your personality, bequeathing anxiety or resilience by altering the epigenetic expressions of genes in the brain.
• Phobias may be memories passed down in genes from ancestors
  Memories may be passed down through generations in DNA in a process that may be the underlying cause of phobias

Genetics:

• Fossils of Neanderthal DNA Clump in Human Genome
  Next time you call someone a Neanderthal, better look in a mirror. Many of the genes that help determine most people's skin and hair are more Neanderthal than not, according to two new studies that look at the DNA fossils hidden in the modern human genome.
• Tracing Ancestry, Researchers Produce a Genetic Atlas of Human Mixing Events
  The rise and fall of empires, the march of armies, the flow of trade routes, the practice of slavery — all these events have led to a mixing of populations around the world. Such episodes have left a record in the human genome, but one that has so far been too complex to decipher on a global scale...
• DNA Populations in Europe
• Portrait of an Irish Genotype
• The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture
  Follow human geneticist Spencer Wells, Director of the Genographic Project of the National Geographic Society, as he tracks down the genetic changes associated with the ability to digest lactose as adults, tracing the origin of the trait to less than 10,000 years ago, a time when some human populations started domesticating animals.
• Richard III's DNA decoded: Scientists to sequence King in car park's genome
  

A Pilgrimage to Ellis Island!

I spent the week around New Year's in NYC with friends. I've been there many times, but somehow, I had not yet been to Ellis Island. So, I drug two of them, somewhat unwillingly (unexcited, at the very least) and OFF WE WENT! :D

EXCITED AMEYA. ^

First off, can I say. DANG. It was frigid cold out, and the line for tickets was HOURS long. We stood out there freezing for quite a while before I was like... wait... I have the internet on my phone.....

So, I got on my phone and I bought 3 tickets. And then I walked straight to the front of the line (several minute walk you guys!!!) and grabbed my tickets from the online order windows, where there was only one person in front of me. They were talking to the person behind the window "why don't these people just buy them on the phone if they didn't order them in advance?" and I was like "that's what I just did!" and we all thought I was very smart, the end.

Anyway, so after that we just waltzed into the line. The line for the airport-like security, that is. I wasn't expecting that! And then came the impossibly cold ferry ride. Naturally my friends wanted to ride the open top level for the views, so I was sitting up there with them, wondering if the immigration hospital was still open for frostbite & pneumonia patients..

Icicle photo op on the ferry

Baggage Room

Me in the Registry Room

Research Room

The museum was quite good. We got there near the end of the day & around half the place was closed due to damage for Hurricane Sandy last year, so I'll definitely have more to see next time I go, which is exciting.


You can see the rest of my Ellis Island Photos HERE. I tried to take lots & make them as readable as possible so you can take a vicarious pilgrimage yourselves. :)

Paleography makes my brain hurt so good

A large part of genealogy is reading old documents. The problem is, that shi* is hard. The good part is, that means that if we study it and master it, people will pay us to read things for them! And that shi* is awesome.

But the learning process, man. I love/hate it.

The National Archives of the UK is a godsend for wanna be paleographers. On their website, they have 10 (huge, enormous, challenging) documents (letters, wills, court documents, etc) that give you a mini-lesson on, and then walk you through as you transcribe each, line by line.

I'm currently working on "the registered probate copy of the will of Thomas Pike, a shipwright, dated 15 February 1722/3 (Catalogue reference: PROB 11/593 quire 196)"

Aka this hot mess:

Can you read line 5 there? BECAUSE I CAN'T.

(Yet!)

I did pretty well on the first document (Princess Elizabeth I's letter to her sister Queen Mary) and so I'm kind of surprised at how ABSOLUTELY AND UTTERLY LOST AND CONFUSED I am on this will. It's incredible how much handwriting changes over time and based on location. Which, while making me shake my metaphoric cane at this damned lesson, just confirms how important it is that I actually start taking paleography seriously as a dedicated genealogist.

So, what about you? Have you studied paleography? Have you mastered the National Archives's educational brain torture? Do you know how to properly make the word Archives into a possessive? I am seriously considering the University of Strathclyde's Msc in Genealogical, Palaeographic, and Heraldic Studies, and I also have the book Reading Early American Handwriting (if your research extends into early America, you should get this book!). I need to sit down and work on it some more when I move and am able to retrieve all of my belongings out of storage, but as for now I find this online tutorial from the National Archives (UK) to be the best study of old handwriting available. And it's free! Free is also awesome!

PS: Line five there says "and other uncertanties of this transitory"  -- if you got that on your own, you are a much better wo/man than I!

Genealogy Goals for 2014

Personal Goals:

• Get my mother's, son's, & paternal aunt's (my father passed away a long time ago) DNA tested. And possibly my paternal uncle's DNA as well if I can get back in touch with him.
• Get my paternal grandmother's copy of Final Verdict by  Adela Rogers St. Johns. The book is about St. John's father, Earl Rogers, and my paternal grandfather's aunt was his second wife. The book apparently mentions my great and great-great grandmother a number of times as well. I want to get the copy of that book & also transcribes the parts that describe my ancestors.
• Trace the decendancy of my paternal-line immigrants.
• Have current information for all of the descendants of my maternal great-great grandparents. 
• Write the main Hixson family researcher whose work I find all across the interwebs & local libraries.
• Get (buy or print if available online) all the possible certificates for my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents!
• This:
  

Organizational Goals:

• Find a good way to back things up on paper (I know, TEH HORROR!) and organize files, and then do eet.
• Decide on a software program to use! Ugh. Really I want to design my own, but I have -1000 desire to learn how to code.
• Standardize my OneNote files as much as possible. (I DO love OneNote, but I don't count that as a regular genealogy program, I just use it heavily)

Professional Goals:

• Write 3 articles to submit to professional journals
• Join APG
• Go to a conference or similar meeting
• Join a local genealogy society
• Get a professional website 
• Get business cards! 
• Have at least one new client a month
• Advertise!
• Learn how to properly utilize courthouse records for genealogy.
• Figure out how to utilize the Family History Library local branch(es) to check out research material.

Travel:

• Visit Bedford/Fulton Co, where my PA ancestors lived.
• Visit the national archives!

I might even start working towards a MSc in Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies through the University of Strathclyde's distance learning program! :-o I am so, so excited at this prospect, guys! But 3 years? Dang. D: And so much money.... but I think i'm going to do it!

I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch. Did you make a similar resolution list? Link me up in the comments!