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.