Menu
- Home
- Search▼
- List▼
- Add▼
- My Relate▼
- Admin▼
ViewsWatchersBrowse |
Family tree▼ (edit)
m. 2 Jun 1846
Facts and Events
The McBride immigrant to the USA was Francis McBRIDE, born in Ireland around 1820 judging from his age (30) given in the 1850 census record. I have not been able to document the year that he arrived in the USA, but it was prior to June 2, 1846, the date that he married Hannah MARTIN in Delaware County, PA. Records show there were both McBrides and Martins living in Delaware County in the 1840s, but I cannot identify any family connections. Delaware County is adjacent to Philadelphia, so I presume that Francis was one of the many immigrants who disembarked in Philly. Francis and Hannah were in Washington County in the far western part of Pennsylvania in 1849, the year that son George was born, but were back in Delaware County, but now in Smith Township, during the 1850 census. The census record shows that Francis was born in Ireland, had $300 in real property, and was living with Hannah and year-old son George. It is likely that Francis and Hannah traveled to Washington County to be with relatives during the birth of their children, although whether with the McBride or Martin families is unknown. There were McBride families living in Washington County back as far as the 1700s, and the Index to Washington County, Pennsylvania Wills, 1781-1900 lists 12 McBrides who died in Washington County and left wills. Several McBrides have historical sketches in the records of Washington County, but there is no information that ties them to Francis. Francis, Hannah, and George returned to Washington County for the birth of their daughter, Margaret Jane, in 1852. It is also possible that one of Hannah’s relatives lived in Washington County. A Francis McBride, probably my relative, made a declaration of allegiance to the USA in Philadelphia on October 10, 1852. Sometime between 1852 and 1857 the family moved to Rock Island County, IL. It was here that Francis died a tragic death at the age of 37, leaving his widow Hannah, son George, and daughter Margaret. Below is a transcription of an article in the weekly newspaper Rock Islander for September 9, 1857: “Buried in a Well. While Francis McBride was at the bottom of a well yesterday, some thirty feet in depth, in Cooperstown, this side of Camden Bridges, completely burying him. It is supposed that some eight feet of dirt fell upon him at first.--- One man was let down to secure the body. He worked for a time and had already cleared the dirt from the unfortunate man as far as his shoulders, when by looking above him, he found another quantity was about to fall. He was drawn up and the earth once more covered the doomed man. When seen life was extinct. We presume the body was secured some time last evening. No precaution had been taken to curb the well, and the ground being nothing but sand, its falling in was inevitable. The man, we hear, had been told but a few minutes before the fatal moment, that there was great danger going on as he was then, but merely laughed at the remark. His fate is an unfortunate one. He leaves a wife and two children.” Janet K. Pease (1978) provided an abstract of the above article and included this statement: “Francis McBride was killed in a landslide at a well he was digging for Mr. Sentlinger on Thursday at Cooperstown, this side of the Camden bridges. He leaves a wife and 2 children.” I do not find reference to Mr. Sentlinger in the article for which I have a photocopy and I cannot find property that he owned in Rock Island County files. Camden Bridges, and later Camden, are the former names for Milan, a suburb of Rock Island, IL, just south of Rock River and the now-abandoned Hennepin Canal. However, I have not been able to identify the location of Cooperstown. This community did not survive and does not appear on maps of the 1880s. However, the comment that the well was 30 feet deep puts some constraints on the location of the community of Cooperstown. The land between Rock River and Milan has such a slight elevation above the water table that a water well could only be dug 10 feet or so before encountering water. Furthermore, ”this side of the Camden bridges” indicates the well site was north of Rock River. The only place the water table would be 30 feet below ground level would be on the loess hills east of 12th Street in present Rock Island. Loess is light-brown silt that was blown eastward from the bed of the Mississippi River during dry spells during the Pleistocene ice ages. It is unconsolidated and can be easily dug by hand, and it has the ability to maintain vertical faces 10 to 20 feet high--but apparently not 30 feet high. I suspect loess was mistaken for “sand” in the newspaper article. [Johann August Udden, a former professor at Augustana College between 1888 and 1911 was the first geologist to prove that loess was deposited by wind and not water. Udden later became the first state geologist of Texas, a position he held until his death in 1932. I thought you would want to know this!] Rock Island County has no record of the death of Francis nor have I found his place of burial in the county. Larry Wendell provided a copy of the marriage certificate for Francis and Hannah in 2002 and here is a transcription: “This is to Certify, That on the 2nd day of June in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Forty six --before me, John Afflick Esqr.--one of the Justices for the Peace in and for the County of Delaware Francis McBride and Hannah W. Martin both of the township of Chester in said County of Delaware, were joined in MARRIAGE, they declaring themselves clear of all engagements, or other lawful impediments, and taking each other for Husband and Wife, according to law. In Witness Whereof, as well they the said Francis McBride and Hannah McBride (she assuming the name of her said husband) as I the said Justice and Witness present, have hereunto subscribed our names, the day and year above written. John Afflick JPeace (ss) Witnesses Elizabeth Bryan John Afflicke Cath. A Afflick” Afflick first wrote his name without a final e, later he used a final e and Cath. made a final blob of uncertain character that doesn’t look like an e. I found him in the 1840 or 1850 census as Afflick, Esq. The birth date of Hannah is uncertain. Her age as given in four different census records indicates that she was born either in 1825, 1827, 1829, or 1832 in Pennsylvania. The latter date is improbable, because she would have married at age 14. I believe young Hannah was the daughter of a senior Hannah MARTIN who appears in the 1830 and 1840 census records for Upper Providence Township, Delaware Co., PA. The 1830 census identifies Hannah Martin, age between 60-70, as the head of a household of three males and one female between the ages of five and ten. The William Afflicke family appears on the same census page. In the 1840 census, Hannah Sr., age 70-80, is still the head of household, but the household has increased to three males and two females of ages 15-20 and two females of ages 20-30. Hannah was either caring for children of family members or took in some foster children. There are other Martins in Delaware County, but none in Upper Providence Twp. There is a William Afflicke family on the same page as Hannah- but no record of John or Catherine Afflicke. In 1860 Hannah was living in Camden Mills, IL (now Milan) as a widow at “age 28” with her son, George, and daughter, Margaret Jane. Hannah had real estate worth $150 and personal property valued at $30. How did she support herself and children? The story now gets a bit fuzzy. A Mrs. Hannah McBride married Sewell Harris in Rock Island on 15 September 1858, and a Miss Hannah McBride married Michael Sollenburger in Rock Island County on 15 August 1861. It is possible, but I think unlikely, that one of these women was the widow of Francis. The 1870 census shows that Hannah McBride was living in Port Byron with her daughter Margaret, Margaret’s husband Charles Emeigh, and their son George (age 2 months?). Ten years later, at age 53, she still lived with her daughter’s family, but they had moved to Rock Island. If the widow of Francis married either Messers. Harris or Sollenberger, she quickly divorced her second husband and assumed her McBride name by 1870. Hannah’s date and place of death are unknown. The 1890 census record did not survive a fire and I cannot find Hannah in the 1900 census record. She apparently died between 1880 and 1900., , , , , , , , , , , References
|
||||||||||||||||
