With a Maiden Name Like Kelly

 

What are the chances that two families with the same surname would, after a migration path leading each family over three thousand miles away from home, end up in the same midwestern city? If we are convinced of the compelling concept dubbed the "F.A.N. Club," we could consider the possibilities high. But what if the surname—a maiden name, at that—turns out to be Kelly?

A quintessentially Irish surname, Kelly is now the second-most common surname in Ireland (Murphy ranks number one). Kelly certainly is a surname frequently appearing in American records, as well. So it might seem strange for me to wonder whether there was a reason why the subject of this month's research project—the Murdock family—would end up in a city like Lafayette, Indiana, solely based on the draw of relatives who had already settled in the area.

Even more so, the possibility that such a connection would be made based on the mother's maiden name—Sabina Murdock was originally a Kelly—seems slim. But consider this: after Sabina's husband's death somewhere during their migration westward through the United States, she was left a widow with four now-fatherless sons. Who else to turn to but family?

It so happened that there was a Kelly family already living in the vicinity of Lafayette at the time of John Murdock's 1853 death. This was the household of James and Mary Kelly, whose daughter Catherine eventually became the ill-fated first wife of John Stevens (his second wife being Eliza Murdock, daughter of Sabina Kelly). 

In fact, like Sabina's husband John Murdock, Catherine's father James Kelly himself also died in 1853. Could the sisters-in-law, Mary Kelly and Sabina Kelly Murdock, have found a way to connect? Did the Murdock sons seek out their Kelly cousins in Tippecanoe County to help them find their way in the business world?

Yes, it's true that Kelly is such a common surname, but I can't simply discard the possibility that an immigrant family might seek out their relatives to help get them established in a new country.

Fortunately, while entertaining such a "what if" possibility, I happened to stumble upon a record which opened my eyes to yet another possibility: that there were more family members in Lafayette than I had previously assumed. Thanks to the explicit details in the will of a very generous family member, I learned that the Murdock brothers—Samuel, James, John, and Thomas—had more than just the one sister I knew about. We'll explore that possibility tomorrow and see whether this new information leads us anywhere. 

Choosing the Path to a New Place

 

Do you ever wonder what made your immigrant ancestors decide to settle where they did?

For as many immigrant ancestors as there are, I'm sure there are almost as many reasons for settling in a particular place. Most, however, likely fall within a few broad categories: a safe, easy, or cheap passage; the same place where friends, associates, or neighbors were headed; or the source of a promising job.

In the case of Irish immigrants during the Great Famine years, all three reasons could easily have played out in an ancestor's life story. After all, the Irish had strong motivations for leaving home to better themselves—and possibly send help home to the rest of the family.

Other than remittances to help parents or siblings pay for food, supplies, or even rent, money crossing the Atlantic to those left at home in Ireland sometimes provided another answer: the funds enabling brothers, sisters, parents, or cousins to come join their loved ones in a New World.

That situation, seen often with Irish immigrants, has been dubbed chain migration. In the case of our Murdock family—widow Sabina and her four sons who arrived in Lafayette, Indiana, before 1860—it occurred to me that perhaps their decision to come to the midwest was bolstered by the desire to move closer to other family members.

Here's the reason that thought hit me: Sabina Murdock, recently widowed, might have needed to find some support in such a situation. Did she know about any other relatives who had settled in Lafayette? Why did her sons decide to strike out from their home in the midwest—wherever it turned out to be in Ohio or Indiana—to move to Lafayette?

It was not lost upon me that Lafayette also had other residents by the surname Murdock. Besides that, having learned recently of Sabina's own maiden name—Kelly—it hit me that I already knew another Kelly family in Lafayette. The future husband of Sabina's daughter Eliza was once married to someone named Kelly, whose many siblings also lived in that city. Could either of these possibilities have been enough to draw Sabina's sons to settle in Lafayette?

Granted, it's a long shot to surmise that just because someone else claims the same surname, that makes them kin. But I can't just ignore those possibilities, either. While, in the background, I am still seeking documentation to confirm that wandering immigrant pathway across Canada and the United States for the Murdock family, I need to keep my eyes open to the possibility that Sabina's sons, perhaps in desperation after losing their father, moved to Lafayette for the chance to connect with family. In a land of total strangers, even a distant cousin could possibly bring some solace to immigrants who have lost their way. 

The Murdock Brothers' Mother

 

It is always helpful to be able to push back a generation in our family history. In the case of Eliza Murdock and her brothers, we can easily do that despite the fact that census records during the family's stay in Indiana did not include any listing of family relationships. There are ample clues that the elderly widow listed in the Murdock household could be mother to Samuel, James, John, and Thomas Murdock.

The problem, however, is deciphering exactly what her name actually was. In the 1860 census—first one in which I can find any of the Murdock family—the entry for the widow named in Samuel Murdock's household looked like it was spelled Salle, or possibly Sally. Still, we learn that she was sixty two years of age, had come to Lafayette, Indiana, from Ireland, and that she could neither read nor write.

In the 1870 census, the same woman seemed then to be living in James Murdock's household. While that enumeration, like the 1860 census, did not normally indicate relationships, in this one exception we become fortunate: the then-seventy two year old woman was listed as "Mother." Only problem: now her name was given as Sibba.

Though we learn nothing further about this mother than what we had discovered with the 1860 census, we have other resources to help us. Thanks to her son James' business success, her full name was mentioned in his biographical sketch included in a 1909 volume of Lafayette history called Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana. From that record, we discover that Sibba's full name was actually Sabina, and that her maiden name was Kelly.

Though Sabina's age given in those census records consistently seemed to indicate she was born about 1798, her 1873 headstone in the Murdock family plot at Saint Mary's Cemetery stated a birth year of 1795. Other than that, there was no other documentation to consult. Deaths were not officially recorded in the counties or state of Indiana until 1882. While a librarian at the Allen County Public Library transcribed state and county records citing deaths before that year—and made that searchable list public on the library's website—there was no entry to be found regarding Sabina Kelly Murdock. And if there were any obituary published concerning Sabina Murdock after her 1873 passing, it is not one I could locate among the online resources for Indiana newspapers of that time period.

True, I could look for church records for any mention of Sabina. After all, years ago I availed myself of microfilm rental opportunities then possible at local Family History Centers to access the records of the Lafayette diocese; these are still available online and can now be accessed by going to a local center. However, if I remember correctly, the films contained mostly baptisms and marriage records, not deaths.

While musing over my next research step, something occurred to me about that maiden name Kelly. While Kelly is such a common name, could it be possible that the Murdock family finally ended up in Lafayette for a personal reason? Were there any Kelly relatives in the area? While a conjecture like that is such a long shot, let's take some time to review the possibility tomorrow.

Chasing the Wandering Immigrant's Story

 

Happy Labor Day! If you were expecting a post today about the history and importance of Labor Day—or even a discussion of how my ancestors once celebrated the day in its nascent years—I'm afraid today will disappoint you. If, however, you realize that planting such a pre-recorded episode here so I could be out enjoying the holiday with current family would be the perfect blogging strategy, think again; today's expected highs should spiral above one hundred ten degrees around here. I'll likely be hunkered down in an air-conditioned corner, scouring online resources for missing ancestors—and hoping we don't experience a power failure.

The search is on to locate documents to verify the wandering immigration story of James Murdock, successful businessman of Lafayette, Indiana—and, conveniently, brother-in-law to my husband's second great-grandfather John Stevens. See? In-laws can be useful for some things. (Can you tell the heat brings out the snarky side of me?)

Theoretically, we should be able to find documentation of James' parents, John and Sabina Murdock, in each of the places recorded in James' biographical sketch in one of those ubiquitous volumes published around the late nineteenth century. That means there should be some paperwork with their names in Wayne County, Indiana. And Vermillion—wherever that is. (County? City?) Some place in New York state might chime in with a record or two, although hope of finding the right Murdock family within a state the size of New York may be a daunting task. And finally, there might even be some sign that the Murdocks did indeed land first in Canada.

Now do you see why it might be a good thing that this holiday has been coupled with a weather report like this heat wave? I'll need every single roasting hour of it to pore over all those records. And you know how boring a recitation of such reading can become; hence I'll spare you the sausage-making aspect of genealogy.

In the meantime, another question just hit me full in the face: what about Sabina? There is one particular fact about James' mother that has me wondering about possible family connections. But before I can deal with that question, first I'll need to explain some details about Sabina. We'll spend some time tomorrow to introduce Mrs. Murdock.

A Little Bit a Day Can Add Up

 

Add a little bit here, a little bit there, and pretty soon we're talking about some real numbers. Going the slow but steady route does wake us up to the fact that consistency can make a big difference over time.

That's the way it's been around here, working a little bit each day on the two family trees I've been building: one for my family, one for my husband's family. I focus on one research goal per month, rotating through the various branches of our families so that I spend equal time working on each side. Checking progress every two weeks brings that encouraging realization that the progress which feels hopelessly slow actually does amount to worthwhile results.

Of course, a little nibble on cousin bait helps prod me into action, and the unexpected Tilson connections on my maternal side lately have been an inspiration for a side project. So it was no surprise today to discover that that inspiration added up to an additional 327 names in my family tree over the past two weeks. The tree now has 29,339 documented individuals in total.

Even more exciting was crossing the 30,000 mark for my in-laws' tree. For the past two months, I've been working on planned research goals concerning my father-in-law's family, but progress there didn't seem so sturdy. After all, in the last two weeks, I only added eighty new names. But it was encouraging to see the total count nudge up to a count of 30,004 documented family members in that tree.

While I still have doubts that exploration of John Stevens' related family lines will reveal anything further about this Irish immigrant who was my husband's second great-grandfather, it has certainly been a learning experience. Yes, I have still to complete the exploration of reading material and documents. And of course, I'll also explore what DNA test results can reveal about this Stevens line. But there is really more to this research issue.

Sometimes, it's fun to see numbers rocketing upwards. Other times, I know that the most helpful route in research is to delve into the background information that will endow us with deeper understanding of our ancestors' experiences. I'm not sure this makes it a matter of choosing a "best" option; perhaps both routes are needed to reach back through time to thoroughly grasp the family stories of past generations. To connect and comprehend may be beyond our grasp, but I'm trying my best to come as close as possible to such an ideal.

A Place Once Called Home

 

Ever have a need to do some in-person research but no excuse to travel to that particular location? In the case of my husband's Stevens ancestors in Lafayette, Indiana, I am now wishing I could see the place once called home by John Stevens' millionaire brother-in-law, James Murdock. But can I find a photo of this Queen Anne style home built in 1890? Not so far.

Taking a two thousand mile trip, just for the purpose of gawking at a century-old home isn't in my budget just now. But that's just about how much I want to see this place. So what do I do? Look even further online. Surely someone has parked a pic of James Murdock's home.

Of course, James himself didn't really help me find the place. Since his wife had died before him, it is possible that he had good reasons for dispensing with the upkeep of such a place. After all, all his children were grown by the time their mother passed away. Then again, realizing Joanna Burke Murdock's date of death was about the same time as the home's completion in 1890, perhaps staying in the home was more than her widowed husband could bear.

Looking for the place became a challenge in its own right. Since I couldn't quite find James Murdock in the 1900 census, I looked for each of his sons. In the 1900 census, Charles, the elder of the two sons, was living on a street labeled only as "B-12." This wasn't much help, as the Murdock home was said to have been located on Columbia Street in the Saint Mary's Historic District.

James' younger son, Samuel, turned out to live on the same street—B-12—along with his own wife and family including, thankfully, his father James.

Fortunately, online references to the historic district include an address for the James Murdock house—1307 Columbia Street—as well as one pertinent detail which might lead to our answer about the homes on B-12 Street. Apparently, the Murdock home was subsequently sold to a man by the name of Ferdinand Dreyfus.

No date was given for this exchange of property, but you know we can use another way to fact check this little detail. After all, a genealogist's first question might be: where was Mr. Dreyfus for the 1900 census enumeration? 

Not such an easy chase, the answer to that question. It turns out that Ferdinand—if that was ever his name to begin with—preferred going by the name Fred. And while Fred Dreyfus and his family did show up in the 1900 census in Lafayette, the address given for his home connected to an equally enigmatic street name: B-14. Luckily, though, we also had the house number—remember, we had found it on another website—and it strangely aligned perfectly with the house number for the former Murdock House: 1307.

Could it be that the road now known as Columbia Street once had the more austere designation of a simple letter and number? After all, many street names have changed over the years—not to mention, house numbering systems, and even the construction of roadways, themselves. 

Since I am, after all, well over two thousand miles from Lafayette at the moment, I can't very well simply scoot on over to take a look for myself. But I have a hunch the Murdock place became the Dreyfus residence not long after it was built. And "B-14" may well have been the street designation for the road we now know as Columbia Street.

While I did find some photographs of historic buildings in James' neighborhood on a virtual walking tour website for the city of Lafayette, and also a possible picture of the home of James' son Charles, I have yet to accomplish my goal of seeing what James Murdock's home looked like. In the process, though, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of melancholy at the realization of the man's loss in the process of bringing that home to life for his family. You know there has got to be more to this story...

Fact Checking James' Journey

 

It helps, when researching a hard-to-trace ancestor, to discover that ancestor had a well-known relative. I'll take a collateral line with lots of documentation any time. Such may be the case with Eliza Murdock's brother James. Heralded as a "self-made" man, James Murdock's passing in 1908 was reported in newspapers small and significant. Listed as a millionaire and "noted financier," this Irish immigrant started life in America working in a brick yard, and ended up a successful entrepreneur of his era.

Though he may have been an astute businessman, that is not why I am following his life story now. My only interest in the enterprising James Murdock of Lafayette, Indiana, is owing to the biographical sketches lavished upon someone so successful. In those reports are the details of his early life—details which may also reveal the path followed by the rest of his family, including his sister Eliza. And Eliza's story I am chasing in hopes of learning more about the second woman John Stevens, my husband's ancestor, chose to make his bride.

According to James Murdock's biographical sketch, he came to Lafayette in 1853, after the death of his father. Of course, there is no way for us to check that fact through such documents as census records—his first appearance there was in 1860. However, those reports in various local history books state that James' father, John Murdock, died in 1853 in Wayne County, Indiana, which gives us an idea of where to find the family before 1860.

Here, though, we face another problem: inability to find a death record or burial for John Murdock in Wayne County. Checking record availability for that county, though, shows that death records may not have been kept until 1882, far after our date of interest. Probate records for 1853 would be available in the county—if, however, an itinerant Irish immigrant family had stayed there long enough to acquire any property. At first glance, I could find no such record for any Murdock family in Wayne County, even using the alternate spelling of Murdoch.

Although one biographical sketch for James Murdock indicated the family's previous stop was in Ohio, that report didn't specify where. However, another sketch did include the Ohio county's name: Vermilion.

As we are beginning to suspect, there is also a problem with this part of James Murdock's biographical narrative. There is no county named Vermilion in Ohio. However, there is a city by that name in that state. Or how about the county named Vermillion in Indiana?

Fact checking the rest of the Murdock immigration story may be riddled with just as many problems. One option is to search for any signs of the Murdock family in those alternate name-alike locations. Another option is to continue the search through the earlier portion of the timeline—after all, at some point, we should bump into something promising. And I'll likely take time to pursue both options.

In the meantime, thanks to James' business success in Lafayette, and indeed in the larger region of Indiana, he did leave some mementos of his existence. His 1891 home on Columbia Street, now considered part of the Saint Mary's Historic District, still is designated by his name. Perhaps such tokens of his life are a sign that, if we keep looking, there may be more to find of this man's story—and thus, the story of the rest of his family.

Image: Photograph of James Murdock, from page 528 of the 1909 book, Past and Present of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, Richard P. DeHart, editor; in the public domain.