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!

#52Ancestors-Education

I am reposting a blog that I wrote on June 3, 2015, to address the topic "Education"! Above is a picture of Arthur and Nye Gray Adamson. It still amazes me that both of my grandparents graduated from college!

This week’s challenge was the topic “Commencement”.  I chose to write about my paternal grandparents. Both of my grandparents graduated from college.  I find this amazing since they were both born in the late 1800s when going to college was not often considered an option! 

My grandfather, Arthur Logan Adamson, was born on the 29^th of April in 1885 in Olney, Richland County, Illinois.  He was the eleventh of thirteen children and, as far as I know, the only one to attend college.  He graduated from Olney High School in 1903.  The family story is that his parents sold their farm in order for Art to attend Westfield College in Westfield, Illinois.

My grandmother, Lotta Nye Gray, was born on the 5^th of July in 1888 in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana.  She was the second of five children. One of her brothers also graduated from college. 

Art graduated from Westfield College in 1906 after “three years of hard work and summer school”.  While at Westfield he played quarterback for the football team.  Nye graduated from Westfield in 1907 and was president of her class (which consisted of five students!).    Art and Nye had begun dating each other before they left Westfield.   

The above picture was taken from The Lanz 1907, the yearbook from Westfield College.  It refers to her interest in my grandfather in the line:

"Being a descendant of Adam she has taken a special interest in one of his sons..." 

Art and Nye married in 1910 and went on to have four children.  All of their four children graduated from college during the years of 1935 to 1948.

Obviously, education remained very important to Art and Nye. 

 

#52Ancestors: Favorite Photo

This was fairly easy to choose!  It is my grandmother and my mother in about 1928!

 

#52Ancestors-I'd Like to Meet

 I may only hit some 52 weeks this year, but this is a start! The topic is who I would like to meet.  That was a pretty easy choice for me.  I want to meet and talk to my great-great-great-grandmother Mary Alice "Allie" Reade.  Allie was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1801. It was there that she married James H Murphy in 1831. 

I choose her because I would like to learn more about her Reade family history and her husband's history. And, at least in our family, it has always tended to be the women who know the secrets, and just knowledge of the families, so I am guessing that Allie could tell me a great deal that I have not been able to uncover!