It's a long, long journey
Stories about my ancestors and my journey searching for them. I want my grandchildren to know my grandparents!
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Joseph F Cody 1870-1927
Monday, April 1, 2024
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."-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."
Thursday, March 14, 2024
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Alice "Allie" Reade
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
What a sad story. Jane McCandlish Murdoch.
Sunday, April 23, 2023
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!
Friday, January 27, 2023
#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!