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Research in Other Countries => United States of America => Topic started by: RCB on Wednesday 09 January 13 18:36 GMT (UK)
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I know you all love a mystery ;) and you have helped me in the past.
A dear old lady here in the UK has asked me if I can find out anything about a man who was called uncle Joe by her granmother Frederica Barrett born 1863 Pensylvania. She has a silver plate like a luggage nameplate with the name Joseph C Foster, there's a diamond ring also, and the story she was told is that Uncle Joe was a riverboat gambler who met an untimely death, possibly something due to his gambling and mixing with the wrong people, no date sorry.
What else is known - He fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, and somehow married a nurse who was with the Union army, so it sounds to me like he was wounded and captured and treated by this nurse (name unknown) He may have met her after the war of course, but the story makes a point about them being on different sides so seems to point to them meeting because of the war.
For him to have known Frederica he must have moved North to Pensylvania, I imagine there were riverboats on rivers in the North not just on the Mississippi. Also to be Frederica's uncle he must have been born about 1840? As I said her surname was Barrett, her mothers maiden name was Rutledge (born Ireland and often spelt wrongly) the Barrett's may also have come from Ireland, but Foster sounds more of an English name? if he wasn't born in the US.
I'll thank you in advance for anything you can offer that I can tell my friend. Cheers Fred
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In case it helps with any clues for those who are looking, the previous thread that mentions Frederica & family is here - http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,536747.0.html
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Cheers Shelley
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Any other clues to the Foster - Rutledge - Barrett connection?
Date: Tuesday, October 12, 1897 Paper: Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA) Volume: 137 Issue: 104 Page: 6
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On the same ship the Rutledge's came over on there is a "Christ Foster" male age 20 from Ireland listed as a "sailor" on the same page as the Rutledge family. Is it possible his complete name is Joseph "C" Foster? Maybe the Rutledge's met him on the ship or he was a cousin?
1847 September ship's name Saranak Philadelphia Passenger List
Mary Rutledge age 30 all from Ireland
Ellen Rutledge age 12
Frederica Rutledge age 9
Nancy Rutledge age 7
George Rutledge age 5
Alick Rutledge age 3
William Rutledge age 10 months
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I must be honest I never expected anyone to find anything, I looked at Confederate soldiers named Joseph Foster there weren't that many, but there was no middle name initial to narrow things down. But you found the marriage, I assumed they didn't marry, plus a newspaper cutting, and a very likely link to Joe Foster. I know for a fact that this took more than 5 minutes of your time, so thank you so much. My friends mother, Frederica's grand-daughter, is a lovely and lively 84 year old and filling in these stories for her means so much. Cheers Fred
Back again....because of what you found I went back and checked census etc and it looks likely he was Christopher Foster, his father looks like being John, but his granfather is probably Joseph Foster who married Margaret Carr, so these families were linked more than a 100 years before.
Christopher Foster may have used a middle name, or was known by his grandfathers name. This isn't odd in the UK, I'm known to 90% of people by my fathers name, my father was often known by his grandfathers name. It starts as a pet name and often sticks. He was slightly younger than the ships list 17 or 18 and not 20. Any marriage or census, army enlistment, death, etc may be for a Christopher Foster not Joseph, and he could have been an uncle to both Frederica and her husband Christopher Carr if he married a Rutledge? cheers again Fred
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Sunday, March 23, 1884 Paper: New York Herald (New York, NY) Issue: 17380 Page: 11
If this is indeed your Joseph C. Foster, then he was involved in the killing of a very well known Civil War veteran, gunslinger, city Marshall of Austin and Texas Ranger among other things.
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I think you've done it again...... ;D
I'll have a look again at the US 1880 census and try and find family.
this story about a gambler of that exact name being killed in some kind of gunfight? It has to be him doesn't it.
This family have all sorts of links, a dutch artist, wealthy industrialists, wealthy clergyman, plantation owners in the West Indies, majors and generals. One was General Findlay Young who led the British Forces into the First World War, and was the first general to die in 1914. Plus of course this link to the US and family who did well in Philidelphia and New York.
Amazing that we are digging up the past like this, you finding the best bits, cheers again Fred
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This might have his burial in a plot with an Ida Ellen Foster: http://files.usgwarchives.net/tx/bexar/cemeteries/citycem2.txt
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It looks like Ida Ellen was born Ireland, so maybe she's the connection.
Death certificate: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/K3WW-6BX
Possible match for 1910 Census under Ellen - https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M295-FZY
Gravestone - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Foster&GSiman=1&GScid=224120&GRid=31215463&
Joseph's gravestone: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Foster&GSiman=1&GScid=224120&GRid=28058784&
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Busy reading about the gun fights, Thompson and Foster were from the North east of England, born about 50 miles apart. I wonder how they kept in touch and notied family about the events? I know my family split between Ohio and Utah and lost touch until I stirred things up 100 years later. Some in Utah were living just 30 minutes from cousins they didn't know. I wonder if Ida was English too by birth?
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beat me to it ::)
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I checked all of the Joseph Foster's who fought on the Confederate side out of Texas and this is the only one who's records show he was a prisoner of war and in hospital where he may have met his nurse wife:
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I guess he might have got better treatment being an officer? Is the Prt for Private.
I'm looking for his marriage now and her surname.....Carr's and Foster's have a link here in the UK. I only know the Rutledge surname from Ireland, no idea what the mothers maiden name was.
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There's a Joe Foster on the 1880 census whose occupation was gambler: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MFFL-C2X
A death notice is here: http://tinyurl.com/amkhpd8
Article about his funeral: http://tinyurl.com/bjafrwy
There's a letter in a San Antonio newspaper about his military service - http://tinyurl.com/arqbknu
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Judging from that article, I think this is Joseph in the military:
http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldier_id=a796429e-dc7a-df11-bf36-b8ac6f5d926a
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Thank you again, I'll now have to try and confirm the link I have between the families Foster and Carr, it all makes some sort of sense. How many gamblers named Joseph C Foster can there be who fought for the Confederate army, was wounded, and died as a result of his occupation, a gunfight! That 1880 census says single and born Florida? I was thinking he was born in England, and a few years older, but his father may be the direct link to the UK. Great story isn't it. Fred
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The 1880 census has parents listed as born in Virginia.
There's a possible match in the 1870 census for a J.C. Foster who was a machinist:
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MXGV-D1P His parents aren't listed as foreign born.
Maybe he was an uncle by marriage?
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Yes Shelley the link I found between the Carr and Foster families in the UK looks like being wrong. It looks likely that Joe married a Rutledge, there was a sister Ellen who came to the US from Ireland in 1847 and the age is right too, but you might pick up on the date this Ellen gives for arrival in the USA 1862. But I would have been lost without your help.
cheers Fred in cold and snowy Gloucestershire
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Hello I'm back. You guys helped so much when I started this thread, I keep looking but cannot find the marriage of Joseph C Foster to Ida Ellen ???? For anyone taking an interest in this Ida Ellen became the wife of gambler Joe Foster, the story was that she had been his nurse after he was wounded in the Civil War, there were no children and on her death certificate it says father not known, there were no relatives to offer such details, no date of birth just age 81.
BUT somehow a silver name plate Joseph C Foster plus a ring he once owned ends up here in the UK with a story passed down from Frederica Barrett of Philadelphia, the story being that "Uncle Joe" was a gambler who died after a gunfight in San Antonio, TX, he was co-owner of the New Vaudeville Theatre. Ida Ellen was left $150,000 (1884) according to newspapers when widowed. To be a true uncle of Frederica he had to be married to one of Frederica's parents sisters. I have no idea about sisters of father William Rutledge, but her mother Mary born Ireland had a sister Ellen (mentioned in my last post) she is not named Ida Ellen in ships immigration list or census, and yes by age given she was born 1835? Fosters widow always named as Ida Ellen died in 1918 at age 81 which gives a date of birth as 1837, it seems to fit doesn't it.
So questions for you - if Ellen and Ida Ellen are the same person would there be a record of a nurse of that name, Joe was captured when wounded so she was with Union troops. They were both about 30 when the war ended, so where did they marry? Of course they might not have married? Were her family based in Philadelphia would thay have been involved? When Joe Foster died she was 50 and wealthy, did she travel to Philedelphia to see family or them visit her? But somehow the ring and name plate belonging to Joe Foster ended up in the UK. Frederica married in 1897 and moved to the UK, I have found just one trip back to the US in 1919, a year after Ida Ellen's death, was this where she was given the ring and name plate? But if somebody was in touch with Ida Ellen why were so few details on her death certificate, who inherited Ida Ellen's wealth?
Thank's for taking the time to read this, don't kill yourself searching. I think this must be the most likely account. Joe Foster was a wealthy guy, there are photo's of those who died in the gunfight but not of Joe Foster, he was well known in San Antonio was he camera shy? Cheers Fred