Standing (L-R): Laura Masoner Christian Muse (1872-1951), Charlotte Masoner Freeney Stephens (1870-1946). Sitting (L-R): Mary Effie Masoner Price (1880-1941) and Martha Ellen Masoner Ross (1874-1944). We used to have this photo on display in the kitchen. It’s of the four Masoner sisters. Back in the 1990s, before Ancestry and FamilySearch, in the early days of internet genealogy, there were message boards so genealogy enthusiasts could find each other. I still have printed copies of emails from that time, and a distant relative kindly sent me a copy of this photo, with each person labelled. If you’re closely related to my husband, the woman of most interest to you will be Charlotte. She is the one standing on the right, with the smaller hat. They were the daughters of Thomas J. Masoner and his wife Sarah E. McCracken. Thomas, born in Illinois, and Sarah, born in North Carolina, likely met in Texas. [1] Charlotte was the eldest of their daughters. [2] She was named after her mat...
Agnes Fennessy and her grandmother Bridget Rourke Kinane in June 1919 My great great grandmother was Bridget Rourke or O’Rourke. It has been hard to find information about her. In fact, I’m not sure if her name was Rourke or O’Rourke, since there are records for her that used either name. Also, I’m not 100% sure this photo is of her. The photo album page it was on was labeled “Dan Agnes & Grandma June 1919.” I’m guessing this is her, because my grandmother (Agnes Fennessy, on the left, labeled Nana) and her brother Dan lived in Jersey City, and Bridget also lived in Jersey City. Their other grandmother, Mary Mullaney, lived in Brooklyn. That is not terribly far, but correspondence I’ve had with other descendants of Mary’s indicates the Jersey City and Brooklyn families didn’t spend much time together. I have not yet found any record that states exactly when and where Bridget was born or when she married. However, all records available show she was born in Ireland about ...
I have copies of two photos of my great great grandmother Anna Wilhelmina (Ladewig) Bruguier. One was taken when she was young. The other looks like it was taken when she was in midlife. She looks a little sad, doesn't she? She had good reason to be sad. I’ve been doing genealogy for over 25 years, and when I survey all the ancestors whose lives I’ve studied, my great great grandmother Anna Wilhelmina (Ladewig) Bruguier stands out as the person who suffered the most losses of family members. It makes me wonder how this affected her. Was she bitter? Apathetic? Depressed? Religious? Angry with God? Alcoholic? We will never know, since there is no one left alive who knew her, and I have never seen any diary or letters from her. One thing is sure, however, had she lived today, all of those deaths could have been prevented by today’s medical care. In 1900 and 1910, the U.S. government was so concerned about childhood mortality that it instructed census takers to ask how many chil...
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