Joseph F Cody 1870-1927

Joseph "Joe" F Cody, Jr. was born on the 14th of November in 1870 in Peoria, Illinois. He was the son of Irish immigrants, Joseph and Mary Ann Lamb Cody. His parents had married in Peoria in 1863. Joe was the fourth of ten children. It appears as if two of the oldest children died very young as they are only listed in the 1870 census for the family. 

 Little is known of Joe's younger years. In the 1880 Peoria, Peoria County Census it showed that Joe was nine years old and attending school. 

 

 The earliest that I have found Joe working for his father as a boilermaker was in 1887 when he was seventeen years old. The family was listed in the Peoria Illinois 1888 Census, living at 815 First St. Listed were Joe's parents Joseph and Mary Cody with children Joseph, Jr., age 17, Edward, age 15, Mary, age 14, Roseanna, age 11, Margaret, age 7, and Francis, age 5. This is all the information that this census gives.

Joe Cody, Jr's father died in 1892. The same year, in the Peoria City Directory Cody and Sons was listed at 1014 S. Washington; Joe Sr's home was at 815 First. Listed as living there were: Edward M Cody, Miss Mary Cody, Mrs. Mary Cody (wid. of Joseph), Miss Rose C Cody (bookkeeper at Cody and Sons), and Joseph F Cody. 

On the 22 of January in 1896, Joe Cody married Alice Murphy, daughter of William Murphy (my gg-grandfather) in Peoria, Illinois. Witnesses to the marriage were Dennis O'Connell and Alice Smith (a cousin of Alice Murphy's). And in November of 1896, Joe and Alice had their first child, Ethel Marie Cody. She was baptized at St. Patrick's Church in Peoria. Her godparents were Patrick Murphy (Alice's brother) and Rose Cody (Joe's sister).

 The following year (1897) Joe was in Chicago at the annual convention of Knights of St. John where he was elected to the office of supreme trustees. From Wikipedia: "Today’s Catholic fraternal order of the Knights of St. John was officially incorporated May 6, 1886, though its roots run older, amongst a spectrum of Catholic knightly orders of the late 19th century. Its most valued traditions have held constant ever since: inward traditions of loyalty, fidelity, Faith, and honor, and outward traditions like its uniforms and insignia." In 1899, Joe was listed as employed as a boilermaker at Jos. Cody & Sons; He and Alice and daughter were now living at 1018 First St. in Peoria. 

 In the 1900 Peoria Census Joe and Alice were listed as living at 1018 First St. They lived there with their daughter Ethel, and Alice's two youngest brothers: Emmett, age 21, and Edward, age 19. Both of the brothers worked as clerks for the Board of Trade (Edward was my great-grandfather). Joe was listed as a Boiler Manufacturer. In 1901, Joe and Alice's first son was born. Sadly, he died in infancy. It appears that Joe and Alice had twins in 1903, a son was born named Robert, and a daughter was stillborn at birth on the 28th of November 1903.  At this time, the family had moved to a home at 1029 Moss Avenue in Peoria.

 

In 1904 Joe Cody was awarded the contract for a bridge across the Illinois River in Peoria. The price was $225,000. At this point in time, Joe was considered wealthy. His business was flourishing and he wanted to branch out. Before construction ever began there were concerns. No other bids had been considered, and Joe had never done any construction work like this. The work began in 1906 and took about 3 years. The words that Joe gave in a newspaper interview would haunt everyone- when asked if the bridge would stand Joe quipped "It will stand at least until the city pays me." A week later, a city engineer looked over the bridge and declared it consisted of "rotten cement" and "old steel". The bridge collapsed into the river on April 30th, 1909.  And in bad timing for Joe, he had just cashed the last check from the city a few days before, so his words were true (sadly for him). 

1905 brought the birth of Joe's second daughter Mary A Cody. She was baptized at St. Mark's Church in Peoria. Her godparents were Mr. and Mrs. Ed Cody (Joe's brother and wife).  Joe and Alice's son Robert died in 1905 when he was two years old. A daughter, Mary A. Cody was born in February of 1905, and in 1907, their last child, Elizabeth C. was born. 1907 was when the family moved into the new home that Joe had built for them at 751 Moss Avenue (now at 1635 Moss). I was only in the home once, in 1981, after Mary Cody (Joe's daughter) died. She and her sister Ethel had lived in the home with their spouses until Mary died. The home was absolutely stunning!

 The 1910 Peoria Census showed Joe and Alice living at their home on Moss with their 3 daughters and Alice's brother Robert Emmett, age 30, listed at the Board of Trade as a Grain Dealer. And there was a servant, Orlo Sullivan, age 22. Joe was listed as a Dealer in Boilermakers. In 1911, Joe was elected as President of the Trustees of Police Pension Fund. It appears that Joe and his family were doing well during these years, though other stories that I have read have declared him ruined and penniless. 

 In the years between 1910-1920 one of Joe's brothers died, 2 of his sisters died and his mother died. That must have been a lot for the family to deal with. 

The picture above is of Alice, Joe, and Ethel Cody on the steps of their home.

 

In 1920, Joe was listed as age 48 and was a Boiler Shop Owner. He lived at 751 Moss with his wife, Alice, and their 3 daughters. In 1924 the Peoria City Directory shows Joseph F and Edward M Cody worked at Jos. Cody & Sons, and that Joe's daughter Elizabeth was a student (at Bradley University). Joe saw his first daughter, Ethel marry in 1925. 

 Joseph F Cody died on the 1st of May in 1927. He is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Peoria, His wife Alice lived until 1944.  She and their daughter Mary, daughter Ethel, and Ethel's husband Hal Johnson are all buried with Joe.

Joe's obituary stated:

JOSEPH F. CODY PASSED TO HIS REWARD, AGE 56

Prominent as Citizen and in Business

Another old and highly respected Peoria resident has passed in the person of Joseph Cody, president of the firm Joseph Cody and Sons, boilermakers who died last evening at 8:50 o'clock at the St. Francis hospital at the age of 56, and following an illness of f___ weeks duration. A heart ailment was the direct cause of death. 

Mr. Cody was of a Peoria generation whose names are writ large in terms of a city, progress, and unceasing labor or civic betterment. A man enjoying an enviable reputation in the minds and hearts of his fellows, his passing will leave a pall of grief among those who called him friend and they are legion.

In High Esteem

In this and other cities, Mr. Cody's unusual business ability was well known.  He was regarded as a man of shrewd judgment, of rare perseverance and tact, and with a genuinely friendly disposition which made and led to him lifelong associates and workers in his employment. At the time of his death, he was president of the National Steel Tank Manufacturing company of Bradford.

Mr. Cody was born November 14, 1870 in this city. His father before him was of a family well known in Peoria, especially among residents of the South Side, where the family lived. He received his early education in St. Patrick's Parochial school and later attended Brown's Business college. Later he was taken into the firm of his father's founding and upon his death ascended to the presidency.

Funeral Wednesday

On January 22, 1896, he was married to Mary Alice Murphy in Peoria and to this union were born three daughters, who with his grief-stricken widow survive: Mrs. Robert Brown and Mary and Elizabeth Cody, all of Peoria. A brother, Edward Cody, Peoria and a sister, Mrs. Charles A Rudel, Los Angeles, California, also survive. 

Mr. Cody was well known in a fraternal and social way. He was a member of Spalding Council, Knights of Columbus and of the Creve Cour club. He had been a member of St. Mark's Catholic Church for the past 25 years. He was also treasurer of the Peoria police pension fund.

Friends will gather at St. Mark's church Wednesday morning at 9 o'clock to pay a final tribute to a man who held so high a place in their affection and esteem. Rev. Father J J B? will officiate and interment will take place in St. Mary's cemetery.

Etta May Bradley

This is the story of Etta May Bradley. She was my great-uncle's mother, and she seemed to live an interesting life, to say the least. She was taken to court at two different times to be tried for insanity, once by her father, and then by her husband. She disappeared with her five-year-old child for five months, Her relationships with her father and her stepmother appear to have been quite contentious.

 Etta May Bradley was born on the 13th of July in 1868 in Bloomington, Illinois. She was the oldest of six children born to Sylvester and Jennie Motter Bradley. 

In the 1870 Census for Bloomington taken on the 12th of July of 1870, Etta "Ettie" was listed as age three, living with her parents, a younger brother, and her uncle. Her father, Sylvester, and his brother (the uncle living with them) were listed as "Peddlers".   The following month (August 1870), Etta's younger brother William H. Bradly died. He was one year old.

Over the next ten years, three siblings to Etta were born: Bert Henry Bradley born in 1872, Cora Belle Bradley born in 1875, and Harry Bradley, born in 1877. All of them were born in Bloomington, Illinois. In the 1880 Census for Bloomington, "Ettie" was listed as twelve years old, living with her parents and three younger siblings. Her father, Sylvester Bradley, was listed as a "Lighting Rod Salesman".

In 1883, Etta's sister Daisy Alma Bradley was born.

Etta was listed in the Peoria, Illinois City Directory as living with her father at 606 W. Mouton in Peoria.  She was listed as "May Bradley".

Etta married William Nungester in May of 1890 in McLean County, Illinois. They were each twenty-one years old. They had a son in June of 1891 but sadly, he only lived for one month.

In the Monroe County Indiana Circuit Court in the December term of 1892 Etta stated that her husband had deserted her and did not leave sufficient provisions for her support. She asked for $500. It was also reported "That said plaintiff has no children but is now expecting to be delivered of a child in June 1893" and "That said plaintiff now resides with her father and is being cared for and supported by him."

In the Elkhart Daily News (Elkhart, IN) on December 7, 1892, the headline was TRIED TO GET RID OF HIS WIFE.  The article stated that William was trying to have his wife found insane. however, Etta was examined and found to not be insane. She was described as "24 years old, handsome, and has the appearance of being a girl of refinement and culture.", 

In June of 1893, Etta and William did indeed have a baby, a daughter named Florence. In August of 1893, Etta's mother died.

It seems as if William and Etta divorced between 1893 and 1896, as William married Eliza Parker in 1896, probably in Ohio.

On the second of September of 1897 Etta's father, Sylvester Bradley, alleged that Etta was insane. His witnesses were Carrie Bradley, Catherine West, and Harry Bradley (Etta's stepmother, her step-grandmother, and Etta's brother). After the evidence was examined, Etta was found to not be insane.

An article from The Decatur Herald (Decatur, Illinois) Sunday, September 5, 1897, stated the following:

"Bloomington, Ill., September 4-After a bitterly fought trial in the probate court Etta Nungester was declared not insane. The case attracted unusual interest on account of the attractive appearance of the girl and the efforts made by her own father to have her placed in an asylum. Her father is a business man of this city and the daughter married against his will to a young man who proved to be worthless. He deserted his wife and child and Mrs. Nungester and her little one were forced to stay at the home of her father. She was tolerated for a time, but recently Bradley's wife, the stepmother of Mrs. Nungester began to make life disagreeable for the daughter. She refused to have her about, and the father decided to have his daughter adjudged insane, as the cheapest way to get rid of her. The poor girl was without money and the friends who rallied to her support were equally penniless. Without a lawyer to defend, the outcome of the case appeared dark.  Before the trial came off, however, Jacob Bohrer, assistant states attorney, learned of the facts in the case and agreed to defend her. His handling of the case was successful, and despite the great number of witnesses placed on the stand by the plaintiff the girl was freed. She was completely prostrated by the strain of the examination."

By the end of the month, the following article was written about Etta (found from 29 September 1897, Bloomington):

"Sues for $2000- Etta M. Nungester yesterday began suit in the circuit court against Sylvester Bradley and wife for $2000. Mrs. Nungester is a daughter of Bradley by a former wife, and the suit grows out of daily troubles. The daughter and stepmother have not got along well together. The daughter is married and has one child, her husband having deserted her. A short time ago an effort was made to prove Mrs. Nungester insane. It failed and since then she claims she has not been provided for by her father. She has attempted to obtain work, but the proceedings in the county court against her have so injured her chances that no one will employ her."

From the 11th of November 1898, an unknown Chicago paper: 

Mrs. Nungester, No. 606 West Moulton street, Bloomington, has written Postmaster Gordon asking for information about her daughter, Etta May, who left her home several months ago. The daughter was accompanied by a 5-year-old child, and Mrs. Nungester is much distressed at the absence of the wanderers."

And then from the Bloomington, Illinois paper on the 30th of November 1898:

" Spirits Were Mistaken.
-Mrs. Etta Nungester, who has been missing, has returned home. A spiritualistmedium is said to have reported her dead in Chicago, as the result of a seance. She has been in Indianapolis ever since she left the city."

Then in 1900, Etta was living with her father and stepmother in Peoria, Illinois on Cornhill St. Her father was listed as a "Manufacturer". Also living in the household were her stepmother's mother, Etta's sister Daisy, and a boarder. Etta was listed as widowed. Her daughter Florence is not listed with the family. Florence is also not listed with her father William and his wife.

In 1901, Etta was listed in the Peoria City Directory as "Mrs. May Nungester, widow of William H." She was living on Cornhill St. with her father;

 According to a birth certificate found in Chicago, on the 2nd of November in 1901, in Chicago Illinois, Claude Thompson was born to William Thompson and Etta Bradley Thompson.  This is the birth of my great-uncle, Claude Sylvester Bradley. He is the reason why I began researching this fascinating woman, Etta May Bradley.

Etta was listed in the 1904 Peoria, Illinois City Directory as "Mrs. Etta Nungester". She was living with her father.

To finish this sad story, in 1905 Etta was listed in Peoria City Directory as Mrs. Etta Nungester, and she lived in Peoria Heights. So it is not a given that she had been married to William Thomspon if that was actually the name of Claude's father.

On the 26th of February 1906, Etta May Bradley Nungester died from pulmonary tuberculosis. She was thirty-seven years old. Her death record stated that she was a "widow by law". She is buried in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Bloomington, Illinois.

When Etta died her daughter Florence was twelve years old. In 1910 Florence was seventeen years old working as a Milliner at a store and living with Etta's sister Belle in Bloomington. She married later that year. 

Claude was four years old when Etta died. In 1910 he was living with his grandfather Sylvester Bradley and his step-grandmother. Sylvester died on the ninth of June in 1917. Caude had lived with him until his grandfather died. In 1918, before his sixteenth birthday, Claude joined the service. His sister Florence was listed as his next of kin. He joined Company B, 124th Machine Gun Battalion, 33rd Division.

My great-grandfather, Edward Richard Murphy

 I knew my great-grandfather, Edward Richard Murphy. I was ten years old when he died. It occurred to me that I was probably the only person living who remembers him. My sister was only one year old when Edward died. But then I remembered that I have a cousin who also has memories of him. So it is time that Edward is memorialized in this blog.

Edward Richard Murphy was born in Peoria, Peoria County, Illinois to William and Elizabeth Smyth Murphy on the 3rd of September 1880. The family was living at 1503 S. Adams St., in Peoria. Edward was the youngest of six children.  

Between 1880 and 1882, the family moved from Adams St. to 311 Chicago St. in Peoria. Edward was two years old when his mother died giving birth to a stillborn baby girl. His mother's death left his father with six children at home to care for. In 1884 Edward's father remarried, a year after his wife Elizabeth's death. He married Anastasia Heneberry Cunningham who was a widow with six children. 

In January of 1890, Edward's stepmother died. He was ten years old. Sadly, his father died in December of 1891. My guess is that the only real stability Edward had in his life during his younger years probably came from his siblings, most likely his sister who was ten years older than him. 

Edward's only sister married in 1896. The first record I have of Edward following his birth record is from 1899 when he was listed in the Peoria City Directory as a clerk at SC Bartlett and resided at 1018 First St., where his sister, her husband, and their baby lived. Edward was listed in the 1900 Peoria Census with his brother Emmett. They were living with their sister and her family. Both were listed as Clerks at SC Bartlett Board of Trade.

In 1902, at the age of twenty-three, Edward married Kathryn "Kitty" Hanauer. She was twenty years old. Their witnesses were Edward's brother, Charles Murphy, and Katherine Lyons. In December of that year, Edward and Kathryn were witnesses to the marriage of Charles and Katherine's marriage!

In 1903, Edward and family were living at 211 Armstrong Ave. in Peoria, Illinois

Sometime in 1903-the family had moved to 521 Fredonia Avenue in Peoria, Illinois. The picture below is of a pregnant Kitty awaiting the arrival of their first child!

A year after their marriage, Edward and Kitty had a daughter, Genevieve Elizabeth. Elizabeth was the first name of both Edward and Kitty's mothers. I would love to know where the name Genevieve was from!

1904- Genevieve Elizabeth Murphy 13 months old.

Edward and Kitty's first son was Edward Francis Murphy who was born on the 20th of August in 1906 (my grandfather). He and Genevieve were listed in the 1910 Peoria Census with their parents. Edward was listed as a Clerk at the Board of Trade (he was still with SC Bartlett). The family was still living at 521 Fredonia in Peoria.

Edward F. and Genevieve Murphy:

By 1912, the family had moved to 121 Clarke Avenue in Peoria.  Edward was still working for SC Bartlett as a clerk. In 1918, he was listed as a Buyer for SC Bartlett.

121 Clarke Ave. in Peoria, Illinois

The 1918 WWI Draft Registration Card shows Edward listed at 121 Clark and was a Grain Dealer for SC Bartlett. Edward was marked as "Short" with blue eyes and black hair.

In 1920, the Peoria Census listed Edward, Kitty, Genevieve, and Edward along with Edward's mother-in-law Elizabeth Hanauer living at 121 Clark St. in Peoria. Edward was listed as a Vice-President for Stacy Grain. Elizabeth is listed as a Nurse (she was a midwife). On the 16th of October of 1920, Edward's brother Patrick Murphy died, the first of his siblings to pass away. Patrick was fifty-two years old. Edward was forty years old at the time.

March of 1921 brought a new addition to the family. Joseph Francis Murphy was born to Edward and Kitty! Edward was forty years old. Their children Genevieve and Edward were seventeen and fourteen years old, respectively. In 1924, another brother, Charles Murphy died. 

1921 Edward R. Murphy holding his new son Joseph.

In 1927, Edward and Kitty's son Edward married Mabelle Linnea Seeber. And the following year, their first grandchild was born, Patricia Genevieve. She was named after Edward's brother Patrick and his daughter Genevieve.

Edward turned fifty years old in 1930. The Peoria Census shows him living at 121 Clark Ave. in Peoria with Kitty, Genevieve, and Joseph. In 1931, Edward's oldest brother James Francis Murphy died. The 1930s brought more changes to Edward's family. Another grandchild, Edward Charles Murphy, was born in 1933. 

Edward continued to work for SC Bartlett until 1936. At that time, Edward was listed as a grocer, living on Columbia Terrace. 

1937-house and shop at the corner of Columbia Terrace and Bestor in Peoria, Illinois.

However, The 1940 Peoria Census lists Edward as age 59 and employed as a Grain Dealer, Board of Trade, which indicates that he was still working for SC Bartlett. In this census, Kitty was listed as the proprietor of a grocery store.  It also showed Genevieve, age 36, as a secretary at a hotel (Pere Marquette Hotel). She had completed four years of high school. Joseph was listed as age 19 and had completed one year of college.

In 1942  Edward's WWII Draft Registration listed him as age 61, living at 901 Columbia. He was employed by Stacy Grain (which may have been SC Bartlett). Edward and Kitty's son Joseph's Draft Registration listed him as age 20, a student at the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana, Illinois.

From 1943 to 1945 Joseph served overseas in the United States Air Force. "Joe" married Catherine Freeman in 1948. They briefly lived in Chicago, but by 1950 Joe and Cathy had moved to Indianapolis. 

In 1944 Edward's sister Alice Murphy Cody died. She had dementia for several years and was kept at her home. I'm sure it was hard for Edward to lose her, the only mother figure he had known. He had two more brothers die, both in January of 1949. They were Robert Emmett Murphy and William Henry Murphy. Robert had spent the majority of his life in an institution in St. Louis. He was diagnosed with depression and dementia. Edward was then the only one of eight children left living. 

1947- Edward and Kitty in front of their home at 901 Columbia Terrace, Peoria, Illinois.

Edward and Kitty were listed in the 1950 Peoria Census still living on Columbia Terrace in Peoria. It appears that Edward had retired. He was listed as age 69 and had a confectionary retail candy and ice cream store. Genevieve was still living with her parents. She was forty-six years old and an Executive secretary at a hotel (the Pere Marquette Hotel in downtown Peoria).

In 1952 Genevieve (age forty-eight) married Wayne Matheny (age thirty-six) who went by "Wayne West", his show name. He had popular shows on the radio and later became a popular  TV star in Peoria.

1952-Edward and Kitty's 50th wedding anniversary. Pictured standing are their children Edward F., Genevieve, and Joseph Murphy.

I remember going to Edward and Kitty's little store on Columbia Terrace. It was attached to their home and next door to a grade school, so they often had many customers there. What I recall was the wonder of all the candy and ice cream. I was only five or six years old. And, of course, I was allowed to get whatever I wanted!

By 1955, Edward and Kitty were living in an upstairs apartment in the house where Genevieve and her husband lived. It was at 115 Samuel in Peoria Heights, Illinois. I have very clear memories of being there, but all I really remember of Edward (my great-grandfather) was of him sitting in a chair reading either a newspaper or a book. I also remember that he had a great smile! He was a very self-educated man and hated President Roosevelt. He was a very quiet man, small in stature.

Edward Richard Murphy died on the 12th of December 1959. He was seventy-nine years old.  His obituary stated that he had been "in failing health for about four years" and that he "had made his home for the last two years with his son, Edward F. Murphy". I was quite sure that this was untrue and so I sent for and received his death certificate. As I had recalled, he was in the Peoria State Hospital for two years and died there. My guess is that the family did not want it known that he had died there and thus changed the circumstances for the obituary.

Edward was survived by his wife, Kitty, his three children, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Sadly, his wife Kitty died in August of 1963 and his son Joe died in October of 1963. His son Edward died in 1976 and Genevieve died in 1992.  

Alice "Allie" Reade

For a St. Patrick’s Week Challenge, I am writing about my great-great-great-grandmother Mary Alice “Allie” Reade. She is as far back as I have been able to go with my Murphy ancestry, and she was one of the first I found when I went searching for Murphy relatives at the local Catholic cemetery in Peoria in about 1995. It saddens me that I don’t know a lot about “Allie”. She proved to be one of those elusive women who quietly lived out their lives. Yet she must have been a strong woman to endure as she did.

 Alice was born in 1801 in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Her parents were James and Alice "Ally" Lawlor Reade. Known siblings of Alice were Anne, Bridget, Joan, Thomas, and Catherine. Alice married James H. Murphy on the 23rd of October in 1831 in Kilmacow Parish, County Kilkenny, Ireland. Alice was thirty years old and James was twenty-eight years old at the time of their marriage. Alice’s sister, Anne Reade, was a witness to the marriage, along with Thomas Holden. 

James and Alice had seven known children all born in County Kilkenny: Johanna Murphy, born 25 March 1832; James Reade Murphy, born 25 July 1833; Mary Murphy, born around 1837; William Henry Murphy, born in 1838 (my great-great-grandfather); Catherine Murphy, born 19 March 1839; Ellen Murphy, born 05 May 1841; and Margaret Murphy, born 8 August 1844. Alice’s sisters, Bridget and Joan, were godparents for two of Alice’s children.

 Sometime in 1848, James and Alice and their seven children (ages four to sixteen) arrived in the United States in New Orleans and spent a year there. They then came on to Peoria County, Illinois settling in Kickapoo Township, Peoria County, Illinois. 

The 1850 Kickapoo, Peoria County, Illinois census shows the Murphy family living with the Philander Chase family. During these times, Philander Chase sponsored families coming over from Ireland. James Murphy ended up working for him for several years, as head gardener and opening up a quarry for him.  

Between 1849 and 1855 some of Alice’s family from Ireland came to the Peoria Illinois area. Patrick Reade and his children settled in Peoria, and Daniel Reade’s children settled in Peoria. I believe that Patrick and Daniel were cousins of Alice. Also, her first cousin, Nicholas Reade Henebery settled in Peoria with his family. Alice’s family appears to have been close to all of these relatives as they are involved through the years with each other, as witnesses to various sacraments, etc.

 Three of Alice’s children married between 1850 and 1860. Johanna married John Ryan in 1852. Mary married James Ryan (brother to John) in 1854 and in 1856, James married Julia Henebery (daughter of Nicholas Reade Henebery, and James’ second cousin). In 1855 James and Alice were listed in Kickapoo, along with one son and two daughters. Living next door to them was their daughter Johanna and her family. 

It seems that the families stayed in Kickapoo in the same places for a few years as they were listed in the 1860 census still next door to each other. In this census, James and Alice were listed with one son, William, and two daughters, Ellen and Margaret, but also living with them was their daughter Mary and her family. Johanna and her family were still next door to James and Alice. James was listed as a farmer.

 Over the next ten years, the remaining children of James and Alice married: Ellen married Edmond O’Neil in 1861; Catherine married John Dolan and William married Elizabeth Smith, both in 1864; Margaret married Francis Smith (brother to Elizabeth Smith) in 1866. All of the Alice’s children were married in Peoria County, Illinois. 

So by 1866, after thirty-five years of marriage, James and Alice Murphy had an empty household. By 1869, James was listed as living in Peoria, so he and Alice must have left farming and moved to the city. By then James was sixty-six years old, and Alice was sixty-eight. In the 1870 Peoria Census James was listed as a City Policeman. They were living next door to their son James R and his family.

 James continued to work and was listed in the 1880 Peoria census as a Policeman for the Depot. In this census, Alice was listed as “Invalid”. The census was taken on the 2nd of June in 1880. Alice died at her son James’ house on the 9th of July in 1880. She was seventy-nine years old. Her cause of death was listed as “Dementia and Old Age”. 

Obituaries found for Alice included the following: From the Peoria National Democrat--July 10, 1880: "DIED Murphy-In this city at the residence of her son, James R. Murphy, corner 2nd and Merriman streets, Mrs. Alice Murphy, wife of James H. Murphy, in the 79th year of her age; Funeral will take place from her son's residence Sunday, at 2 o'clock pm. Friends and acquaintances are invited to attend." 

 From the Peoria Evening Review-July 9, 1880 "MURPHY-In this city at the residence of her son, James R. Murphy, corner 2nd and Merriman streets, Mrs. Alice Murphy, wife of James H. Murphy, in the 79th year of her age. Funeral will take place from her son's residence Sunday at 2 o'clock pm. Friends and acquaintances are invited to attend." 

 And from Peoria Evening Review-July 12, 1880: "The funeral of Mrs. James Murphy, which took place on Sunday was attended by a large concourse of people. The procession of carriages that followed the remains to the grave was nearly a mile long." 

 I do wonder why there was not a church funeral for Alice. The family had been devout, active Catholics. She was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Peoria, Illinois. She shares a tombstone with granddaughters Alice and Jennie, children of her son James R. The tombstone reads: Alice Read Murphy, Alice and Jennie. Her tombstone is next to her son James Reade Murphy's tombstone. 

 Alice’s husband, James H. Murphy, lived for another ten years and stayed with their daughter Ellen in Crescent City, Illinois. James Murphy died in 1890 in Crescent City, Iroquois County, Illinois. He is buried in St. Mary's Cemetery in Gilman, Illinois with his daughter Ellen Murphy O'Neill and family. 

This always strikes me as so sad that James and Alice were not buried together after all that they had lived through. Having seven children, moving to a new country, and then having to deal with Alice’s dementia as they settled into older age must have been so difficult. Surprisingly for the times, none of Alice’s children preceded her in death. Alice had fifty-seven grandchildren when she died. Two more were born after her death. Six of Alice’s children had daughters named “Alice” after her. She left a large family that thrived throughout the years. 

As a side-note: Alice is the first of the Murphy side of the family who I have found with dementia. It has remained constant throughout the years in the direct line through her son William Murphy and his descendants. The family always thought it was from the Murphy side of the family, but actually, in our case, it appears that it is possible that it came from the Reade part of the family.

What a sad story. Jane McCandlish Murdoch.

I was working on going through some Ancestry Hints this morning and came across some records that, of course, led me down the rabbit hole. I was researching Jane McCandlish Murdock a second cousin once removed. 

Jane was born in 1854 in Scotland to William and Margaret Smeaton Murdock. She was listed as living with her parents and siblings in the 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891 censuses in Scotland. I also found a record that she had been admitted to the Woolie Asylum in Dunbartonshire, Scotland on the 21st of February in 1876 when she was 22 years old. I have yet to find records of how long she was there. 

 On the 10th of June in 1892, Jane married Alexander Edwards. Jane was thirty-eight years old and Alexander was 25 years old when they married. Alexander was a chemist's storeman. On the 27th of August of 1894, Alexander and Jane had a son, John Wilson Edwards. Sadly, Jane died on the 27th of October 1897 when she was forty-three years old, leaving a two-year-old baby behind. Her death certificate listed her parents and stated that she was thirty-nine years old. It said that she died of Acute Mania and Meningitis. 

Her father was deceased by then. The story gets sadder. I decided to see if I could find out what became of the baby that Jane had left. I found that in 1901, John Wilson Edwards and his father Alexander were living with Alexander's parents. The next record I found was a death record for John. He died on the 16th of June in 1915 at the Royal Lunatic Asylum of Aberdeen. He was twenty-one years old, single, and a schoolteacher. He died from Pyaemia (blood poisoning) from slight abrasions of the face that he had had for about one and a half months. His father's sister was the Informant for the death certificate.

 As of now, I have not located any other information on Alexander Edwards. I did see a listing for that name who was buried close to where John had been buried. That Alexander Edwards died in 1913.

Old Fashioned Genealogy

There are often mentions in different posts, blogs, etc. of the importance of writing and requesting records for genealogy.  Not all records can be found online, but you can find where to request the records that you are looking for online

This past week I sent off 3 different requests for records:

-One to the Arkansas History Commission for Confederate Pension Records for Thomas P Saunders

-One to the North Dakota Bismark-Mandan Historical and Genealogical Society for Naturalization Records for Olaus Hansson

-One to NARA for Land Warrants for two grants given to William Adamson, one in 1836 and the other in 1856

I was quite pleased with myself that I took the time to find where these records would be and that I actually sat down and requested them! I am very hopeful that I might learn some valuable and/or interesting information from my requests. I will post what I find!

#52Ancestors-Oops

 Oops is a great topic and there are so many things to write about, but I am sharing the first thing that came to my mind!

My father was born in 1927. His parents had married in 1910. They then had three children: in 1911, 1913, and 1915. And twelve years later...oops...my father was born!

My father's sister, who was born in 1913, would often recall how she would drop my father off at kindergarten on her way to college!