Mumblings - Patrick and Bridget (Daley) Skeffington

Introduction

 

Since I started posting Mumblings on my blog, I have traced the ancestry of three of my four grandparents from the earliest arrival in this country forward to my grandparent.  I started with Milligan family from Thomas Milligan (1832 – 1901) and his descendants to my grandmother Alice (Milligan) Tompkins (1902 – 1981).  I then moved on to the Tompkins family from Ralph Tompkins (about 1585 – 1666) and his descendants to my grandfather Harold Tompkins (1893 - 1953).  Recently I finished a series on my Dewey relatives starting with Thomas Dewey (1602 – 1648) and descendants to my grandfather Francis Osman Dewey (1877 – 1925).  If you have been following this blog, you have noted that there is a lot of information available on my Milligan, Tompkins, and Dewey ancestors.  I’m sad to say that now when I write about my Skeffington ancestors, I know very little about them.  I will share the little I know in this one blog.

George and Mary (Hoar) Skeffington

I have no information on George and Mary except that their names appear on documents as the parents of Patrick and his brother Michael.

Patrick and Bridget (Daley) Skeffington

Patrick Skeffington (also spelled Skiffington, Skivington) was born in Ireland probably about 1843 and died on April 7, 1905 at Lowell, MA.  There is some conflict as to when he was born in 1843, 1845, or 1855.  Calculating his birth date from the 1870 and 1900 US Census records would indicate that he was born in 1845.  However, calculating his birth date from the Lowell recording of his 1870 marriage and the 1880 US Census would suggest that he was born in 1843.  His obituary indicates he was 48 when he died in 1905 (born 1855), see obituary below.  All of these birth date discrepancies make it difficult to search for additional records on Patrick.

Obituary [April 7, 1905]:

Skiffington-Patrick Skiffington, who was removed to St. John's Hospital in the ambulance, Tuesday morning, died at the hospital last night of pneumonia.  It was at first thought that he would recover, the physicians entertaining strong hopes, but he took a sudden change for the worse and passed away despite all that medical skill could do.  It now appears that he was delirious from illness when he slashed his throat with a razor.  The deceased was 48 years of age and leaves to mourn his loss a widow, a daughter, Mrs. Osmond Dewey, and a brother, Michael. The remains were removed to the funeral parlors of Funeral Director Charles H. Molloy, and afterwards taken to the home of Mr. Michael Skiffington, 63 Mt. Grove Street, Pawtucketville. The funeral will take place tomorrow morning at eight o'clock from 63 Mt. Grove Street.

Patrick’s marriage record of 1870 says he was the son of George and Mary (Hoar) Skeffington.  Patrick had a brother named Michael as listed in his obituary.  There is also a Lowell marriage record of Michael for December 18, 1868 saying that Michael was the son of George and Mary.  Further research on Michael Skeffington might provide more family history.

Patrick married Bridget Daley on February 27, 1870 at Lowell, MA.  Bridget was born in Lowell, MA on April 11, 1848 and died in Lowell, MA on January 9, 1911.  She may have been the daughter of Patrick and Mary (Haley) Daley.  I have no additional information on Patrick and Mary Daley.  

Patrick and Bridget had one child, Katherine, born June 13, 1871 in Lowell, MA.  Katherine married Francis Osman Dewey and is my grandmother.

Bridget Daley (seated), Katherine (Daley) Skeffington (left)

Residences

Patrick appears in Lowell, MA for the first time in the 1870 Lowell Directory (page 250).  The directory lists Patrick Skeffington as a machinist boarding at 123 Lowell St. and his brother Michael, machinist, living at 19 Dummer St., Lowell.  Michael appears in Lowell, MA for the first time in the 1868 Lowell Directory (page 244).  The 1874 Lowell Directory (page 286) lists Patrick living at 10 Willie St.  Patrick also lived at 34 Willie St, Lowell, MA.  The 1910 U.S. Census lists Bridget Skiffington, widow (age 60), working as a housekeeper working for the Conway family on what appears to be Epping St., Lowell.  The census record says she become a U.S. Citizen in 1862 (year she arrived in US?).  The Lowell directories tell us that Patrick and Michael probably immigrated to the US from Ireland in the mid to late 1860s.

 

Cemetery

Patrick and Bridget are buried at St. Patrick's Cemetery, Lowell, MA in yard 4, range 25, lot 28 with many of his brother Michael’s family.  See page 52 of this site for details.   Sadly, there is no family monument marking this site.

Skeffington/Skiffington/Skivington Origins

 

More on derivations and history of the name Skeffington (Skiffington, Skivington, Skyvington) in a seven chapter book written by Australian William Skyvington .  Read the Preface, Chapter 1 – Overview, and Chapter 4 – Massereen Lords (Irish Skeffingtons) on-line here.

Fotos

I am going to change my "Friday Fotos" posts to just Fotos.  I don't want to be rushed or constricted to publishing on Fridays (and I have had trouble getting photos out on Friday the last couple of weeks).  So, here on Sunday I am posting Fotos.

Before I get to fotos that I took yesterday, I would like to share a web page with photos from World War II.  My cousin Bob sent me a link to a story about one of the most famous and somewhat controversial photos of all time, the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima.  This web page starts with an article about the photographer Joe Rosenthal, the controversy, and then the photos of the flag raising, other Iwo Jima photos, and other WWII photos.  Here is the link to these photos: Joe Rosenthal and Iwo Jima.  After the photos by and about Joe Rosenthal are two links to more WWII photos:  Photos from World War II: The Anniversary of D-Day on the Normandy Beaches, and Photos from World War II: The Pacific and Adjacent Theaters.  Allow yourself plenty of time to view the photos on these sites.  The WWII photos from the Pacific Theater of Operations have special significance to me as my father participated in several of the battles that occurred there.  Thanks Bob for the link!

I don't know if I should be putting my photos on the same post as above, but some of you may be skipping the WWII photos or skipping my photos.  Yesterday, I joined several people from the Plymouth Digital Photographers club to take pictures of Two Bridges Sunrise on the Canal.  Twice a year, spring and fall, the sun rises at such an angle that it appears beneath the Bourne Bridge and the Railroad Bridge on the Cape Cod Canal.  So, hardy souls willing to be at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at about 5:45 AM get an opportunity to capture dramatic pictures.  That is the theory anyway.  Yesterday's weather did not cooperate, as shortly after my arrival it started misting and then it began to drizzle.   I did not get any pictures of the sun rising beneath the bridges, but I did get a couple of good pictures after which I went to downtown Plymouth and took a few more.  Here are the better fotos.

5:15 AM - Bourne Bridge is barely discernible below RR Bridge

5:30 AM - A little brighter I like the light reflecting off the canal

5:40 AM - Last photo before the mist and drizzle moved in

Mass Maritime Academy building

 5:50 AM - Where is the sun?

I was up and about before the birds at Jenny Mill Pond (near downtown Plymouth)

Jenny Mill

Town Brook

Weather fit for a duck

Friday Fotos (posted on Saturday?)

I was in California last week and did not get the chance to post photos and I am a bit behind this week, so my Friday Fotos are being posted on Saturday. 

We were in California because our daughter Suzie works for Google and Google held its first ever "bring your parents to work day".  Google really did the day up nicely starting things off with a few speakers telling us what it is like for our kids to be working there.  Of course it is wonderful.  Parents got to walk the campus, be entertained, eat in their renowned cafeterias, and attend a cocktail party (things that our Google kids probably do at work every day).

Opening ceremony for google kids and their parents

Google phone booth (remind you of Dr. Who?) and Android Phone

Welcome parents (and granddaughter too)

Other than going to Google and playing with our granddaughter, we took a lot of walks in and around Palo Alto, home to my daughter's family.  The first hike was through a beautiful park nicknamed the Darma iniative by Suzie and Matt.  Very picturesque but there was one particular object that drew our attention.  Is Big Brother is listening to everything we say.

We were able to walk within a few feet of this radio antenna

Interesting tree sculpture

We also walked around the Stanford University campus.  What a beautiful place to go to school!  They have several Rodin sculptures around campus.  This one is named the Burghers of Calais. Information on this sculpture can be found here. 

Burghers of Calais

Burghers of Calais

Burghers of Calais

We visited a Palo Alto park (restricted to residents of Palo Alto and their guests).  There was a beautiful pond with a picturesque wooden bridge leading to a small island.

Lastly, we walked around downtown Palo Alto.  The first few pictures are of a sculpture made by Mildred Howard called Clear Story.  To read about Mildred and this sculpture click here.  The wood frame of this structure is filled with clear glass bottles.  It was impressive from every angle, inside and out.  The last photo is also from downtown, one of the many beautiful houses in Palo Alto.

Mumblings - Francis Osman and Katherine (Skeffington) Dewey

Francis Osman Dewey (11^th generation)

Francis Osman Dewey was born in Reading, MA on July 13, 1877 and died on March 10, 1925 at Danvers, MA.  He married Katherine (also spelled Catherine) Skeffington on July 10, 1901 at Lowell, MA.  Katherine was born in Lowell, MA on June 13, 1871 and died in Reading, MA on February 25, 1963.  She was the only child of Patrick and Bridget (Daily) Skeffington.  Francis, Katherine and son George are buried with Francis’ parents in lot 905_601 in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Reading, MA.  George was named after Admiral George Dewey (my aunt Elizabeth had a letter from Admiral Dewey talking about how George was named for the admiral).  George died at 4 years old of scarlet fever.

Francis Osman Dewey

Katherine (Skeffington) Dewey with Daughter Elizabeth

Edgar Osman, Elizabeth, Francis Osman, and Katherine Dewey - Laurel Hill Cemetery, Reading, MA

Katherine Skeffington (Dewey) standing on left, Bridget (Daley) Skeffington seated

Francis did not have a father figure as he was only 13 years old when his father Edgar Osman Dewey died in 1890 (see previous post on Edgar Osman Dewey).  At this time I do not know where the family lived from the time of his father’s death until Francis' marriage to Katherine.  He married Katherine in Lowell, MA on July 10, 1901.  It is unclear how Francis an English Protestant probably living in Reading, MA, met Katherine, an Irish Catholic mill girl living in Lowell, MA.  I speculate that Francis met her as a result of the sales of F.O. Dewey mill lanterns in Lowell.  (1910 census records show that Francis’ occupation was “lamps” indicating that he likely worked at F.O. Dewey & Sons in 1910.)  It is likely that neither the Dewey nor the Skeffington families were happy that their children married outside their religion.


Francis and Katherine’s daughter Elizabeth was born in Lowell on February 13, 1903.  So it is probable that Francis and Katherine lived with or near Katherine’s parents for several years.  Francis and Katherine were living in Reading by 1905 when their other children are born:  George (1905), Marion (1907), Robert (1910), and Donald (1912).

F.O. Dewey & Sons mill lantern

 [Although some family members might find the following material sensitive, I believe that other family members would want to know the following information about Francis’ life.]  Not having a father may have led to Francis' troubles later in life.  For many years, family members were reluctant to reveal details about Francis, however, I was finally told a little about what happened to him.  Sometime before September 12, 1918 (from Francis’ 1918 draft registration form), Francis became a patient at Danvers State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Danvers, MA.  I was told that Francis tried to commit suicide by standing in front of an on-coming train in Reading, MA.  As a result of that incident, he was committed at Danvers State Hospital for the rest of his life.  He may have had a nervous breakdown and/or been severely depressed.  The Dewey family was probably angry that he married an Irish Catholic mill girl from Lowell (the Dewey's did not provide much if any financial assistance to Katherine after Francis' commitment).  He could have suffered from what today we would call job stress.  The F.O. Dewey & Sons lamp business was by his uncle Frank and was soon to close.  His job may have been imperiled.  He could have could have created stress from raising a family.  Family members have stated that Katherine could be very hard to get along with.  It appears that she lied to Francis about her age.  Her birth certificate and marriage certificate (copies appear below) show a six year difference.  Francis may have found out about this discrepancy and been troubled by having married a women 6 years his senior.  Whatever the reason, he was removed from the household and resided at the hospital from at least 1918 until his death in 1925.


When Francis died, Katherine was left to cope with raising four young children.  Much like her mother-in-law Elizabeth, Katherine had to learn to raise the family without an income, without support from her own family (she was an only child and her parents had died before Francis was hospitalized: Patrick Skeffington died in 1905 and Bridget died in 1911).  It is unlikely that she received much if any financial support from the Dewey side of the family. The Dewey side of the family may have been tapped out if it had already provided assistance to Katherine's mother-in-law Elizabeth after her husband Edgar had died in 1890. Uncle Frank predeceased Francis in 1920.  I'm sure all of Francis children were affected by his hospitalization.  Katherine lived with her daughter Elizabeth for most of her life after Francis death.  The effect on my father Donald will be discussed in a future post.

Marriage Certificate - Francis O. Dewey to Catherine Skeffington

Catherine Skeffington's Birth Certificate

More about Katherine, her parents, and her life after Francis’ commitment to Danvers State Hospital will be in the next post.  

Francis and Katherine had five children:

Elizabeth Winifred (1902 - 2001)

George Franklin (1905 – 1909)

Marion Katherine (1907 - 2003)

Robert Francis (1910 – 1980)

Donald Lester (1912 – 1980)*

Edgar Osman (1878 – 1940)

Mumblings - Edgar Osman and Elizabeth (Kemp) Dewey

Edgar Osman Dewey (10^th generation)

Edgar Osman Dewey was born in Brighton, MA on May 9, 1846 and died on May 10, 1890 at Boston, MA.  He married Elizabeth Davis Kemp on March 12, 1866 at Boston, MA.  Elizabeth was born in Boston, MA on February 14, 1844 and died in Reading, MA on October 23, 1926.  She was the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Jane (Alden) Kemp.  Edgar, Elizabeth and many of their children are buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Reading, MA.  More will be written about Elizabeth Davis Kemp’s ancestry in a future post(s).

Elizabeth (Lizzie) Kemp Dewey (picture courtesy of cousin Bob)

Edgar was a 32 degree mason officer of the Mount Olivet Chapter of Rose Croix, Boston and the Lafayette Lodge of Perfection, Boston (several listings for Edgar Dewey here).  He died mysteriously and tragically at the early age of 44.  A newspaper report states:

            “Edgar O. Dewey, 40 years of age, was found dead in a hallway at 28 Canal street

             yesterday morning. . . He did not return home Saturday night, and yesterday 

             morning one of the clerks, unable to enter the store, got a ladder and entered by   

             one of the windows.  It is thought that Mr. Dewey fell down the stairs as he was 

             about to close the store, Saturday, and broke his neck.  The body was removed to 

             the North Grove street morgue and Medical Examiner Harris was notified.”

Edgar Osman Dewey's Death - Newspaper Story 

Edgar is listed in the Death Register for “the City of Boston for the year eighteen hundred and ninety” on line 3963, “May 10 Edgar O. Dewey, M(ale), M(arried), 44, Accidental fall down stairs, 28 Canal St.”  In the late 1970s, we bought a lamp for our kitchen on Canal Street (I think the business was Mass Lamp and Electric).  I always wondered if that was where the original F.O. Dewey & Sons business was located.  Many of my blog readers live near Boston.  Next time you are in the North Station area of Boston, take a walk down Canal Street and think of the Dewey lantern business.

Edgar left behind his widow, Elizabeth age 46 at the time, to tend their 4 unmarried children, Minnie (23), Marion (15), Francis Osman (13), and Edgar Osman (12).  The impact of Edgar’s early death may have had a tragic effect on my grandfather Francis Osman Dewey's life (subject of next post).  More research will be needed to see where Elizabeth and her children lived and how she provided for her children.  The oldest daughter Minnie Evelyn married within a year of her father’s death (January 14, 1891) to Philip Emerson.  I can find no information on daughter Marion Kemp Dewey.  (I do wonder if my aunt Marion was named for her aunt Marion Kemp Dewey?)  My grandfather Francis Osman married Katherine Skeffington at age 24 in 1901. Edgar Osman married Bertha Ursala Brooks at age 25 in 1903.  So where did Elizabeth’s  family live after Edgar’s death?  Did she:

• Remain in Reading, either living in her own home or with her father-in-law Francis Osman Dewey (until his death in 1898).  The Reading Public Library has street lists which could show if she resided in Reading.  The U.S. Census for 1900, 1910, and 1920 probably would show where and with whom Elizabeth lived. 
• Move into Boston with her father Robert Kemp (died 1897).  Hard to determine if she lived with Robert since census is every 10 years.  Also, where would she go after her father’s death? 
• Live with her daughter Minnie and son-in-law Philip Emerson.  The Dewey genealogy book that I own states that Minnie and Philip lived in Waltham where their first child Dorothy was born in 1893 and they later moved to Natick, MA.  Census data should show if Elizabeth (and children) lived with Minnie and Philip.
• Live in the home of her brother or sister in-law (Edgar's siblings)
• Census records for 1910 and 1920 do not show Elizabeth (Kemp) Dewey living with my grandparents Francis Osman and Katherine Dewey.

Here is more on the family lantern business.  Ken McCown (Jan. 29, 2012) wrote on the web site, the International Guild of Lamp Researchers, the Dewey company names were:

Francis O. Dewey 1863 to 1878

F.O.Dewey and Sons 1879 to 1888

F.O.Dewey Company 1889 to 1922 

The founder of F.O. Dewey and Sons, Francis O. Dewey, lived to age 74 dying in 1898.  The “sons” were Edgar Osman and Francis (Frank) Henry.  Sometime after Edgar’s death, McCown states, that Frank H. became president of F.O. Dewey Company.  F.O. Dewey Co. distributed the Armspear line of lanterns from 1901 to 1922.  Frank H. Dewey was Vice President of Armspear from 1913 to 1920.  Frank held U.S. Patent 611858 and died in 1920.  I don't know who would have run F.O. Dewey & Son between Frank's death 1920 and 1922 the date the company closed.

Edgar and Elizabeth had four children:

Minnie Evelyn (1867 - 1932) - Minnie married Philip Emerson who was the 

     Principal of Central Junior High School in Lynn, MA.  He wrote a book 

     “The Geography of New England” in 1922 (quite a few interesting photographs 

     in the book). 

Marion Kemp (1875 - ?)

Francis Osman (1877 – 1925)*

Edgar Osman (1878 – 1940) - Edgar was the postmaster, treasurer, and selectman in the town of Reading, MA.