Brownes, Gaudets, Harkins, Harris of Boston, Massachusetts, 1895 onwards

[kob3203]

We've found several Irish siblings, family name Brown(e), all born 1860s-1880s, who emigrated to Boston Massachusetts between about 1895 and 1905. The siblings were Michael, Honora (Nora), Catherine, Patrick and Richard.

Michael married Annie (maiden name unknown), probably in Boston around 1899

The Gaudet and Harkins links are through the marriages of the two sisters:

• Nora Browne married Philip Gaudet (French Canadian ) and had at least two children, Richard and Mary B.
• Catherine married Charles D Harkins

We've found several census, directory, emigration and naturalisation papers regarding the families.
There are connections with Brockton, Medford and Somerville.

Does anybody think that they may have links to these families?
Pete

(Amendment 24 May 2010: For the Harris connection, see the post by Anderson150 at the start of the second page)

[mfb1025]

Didn't know if you had any of this from Massachusetts  Vital Records:

Vol: 547 ; Page: 606
Marriage Sept 13, 1904
Charles Daniel Harkins 24yrs 72 Clarendon Ave. Somerville  - Waiter b.in North Easton, Ma to Charles and Eunice McGonagle
Catherine Brown 23yrs Riverbank Court, Cambridge, MA - Maid b.in Co. Tipperary, to John Brown and Mary Callahan 


 Vol: 453 ; Page: 185 
Marriage Aug 15, 1895
Philbert Gaudet   21 yrs Butcher b. Prince Edward Island, CN parents Eloi & Celeste
Honora Brown  19yrs Cook  B. Ireland Parents John and Ellen Brown
Clergy  Rev Lawrence Fahey


Vol: 458 ; Page: 389
Birth  Jan 2, 1896
Richard Austin Gaudet  87 Poplar St Boston -Philip & Norah -father=cook

Vol: 476 ; Page: 418   
Mary Ellen Cecily Gaudet 494 Somerville Av, Somerville, MA Philip & Norah Father=cook
Birth Feb 20, 1898 



Vol: 491 ; Page: 109 
Marriage May 7, 1899
Michael Brown 29yrs  Cook -12 Kennard St. Boston -b. Ireland Parents John and Ellen Brown
Annie Kelly  25 yrs -12 Kennard St. Boston  laundress b. Ireland Parents Owen Kelly & Susan Doherty
Clergy Denis F Lee  Whitmore St. Boston

[kob3203]

Thanks mfb1025,

You've given some information that's new to me. I'll check with my co-researcher, who's done most of the investigation on this Massachusetts connection.

One item really intrigues me - Catherine Brown's parents should be John and Ellen Brown (nee Fanning)? Looks like we need to double check this one...

Pete

[mfb1025]

I noticed that as well. I searched for other Catherine Brown's married in Mass. from 1895 - 1910 but found none with Ellen & John as parents. This record with Mary Callahan was in both Cambridge and Somerville Vital Record's.
I saw nothing for your Patrick and Richard that looked like a match for you. 

I have online access to Massachusetts birth, marriage and death records for 1841-1910 and birth and marriage 1911-1915 if you'd like any other look ups. Also, saw a Brockton connection on your post, I was born there and go there for some of my research at cemeteries and the newspaper.
Best,
Maureen

[kob3203]

Hi Maureen,
I've just received a reply from my co-researcher confirming that the Michael Browne/Annie Kelly and Nora Brown/Philip Gaudet records fit with what she's already got - so good news there!

Regarding Charles Daniel Harkins - she has his parents' marriage record. They're Charles Edward Harkins b.1841 and Eunice Winifred McCallion b.1846. This seems to throw some doubt on the accuracy of the vol.547 p.606 record you quoted? Are the "Cambridge and Somerville Vital Record's" original documents or transcriptions?

She also suggested that "Mary Callahan" could be a mistranscription of "McCallion". But if that's the case I'd expect Charles Daniel Harkins' mother's name to appear as "Eunice Mary Callahan", not "Eunice McGonagle". Curiouser and curiouser...

To my co-researcher - feel free to post directly to this thread if you wish!

Pete

[siena]

Hi Maureen, I'm Pete's co researcher, thanks for your kind offer to do other lookups. Could you check the birth record of Charles Daniel Harkins,  it is shown as Charles D Harkena  Vol 313, page 94 1880,  on the MA Vital Records index, but I can't access the details. Hopefully it may confirm his mother's maiden name. Also his brother William Harkins, shown as William Harken, Vol 322 page 96, 1881, both Easton MA
Thanks for all the info so far
Susan

[mfb1025]

Hi Susan,
To answer Pete's query, I'm looking at originals.
Unfortunately, on those two birth records it only says Charles and Eunice on both records. No last name. Both Charles and William were born in Easton. I found death records for a Charles E Harkins in Easton  May 4, 1897 56yrs ,parents Michael and Mary Bradley and one for Eunice Harkins 1884 in Easton, but to make this more confusing her parents are listed as 'Daniel Campbell and Catherine'. 
I rechecked the hand written record on the marriage to Catherine, in case it could have said McCallion but it doesn't look like it.  It's just confusing to have both mothers names be off when everything else seems to match. I have looked at multiple marriages and deaths and a few births for the Harkins. But I haven't seen anything to answer this puzzle. If you think of another angle to search this in Mass Vital records I'll be happy to look.  The website is off line right now - I'll make a photo of the marriage record and attach it later so you can see it.

[kob3203]

Maybe we've got the wrong record?

The index here (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/vitalrecordssearch/VitalRecordsSearch.aspx) also has a second Charles D Harkins marriage for 1904 in Cambridge (right next to Somerville according to Google Maps) - reference vol 547, p342.
There's also a Catherine Brown marriage for 1904 in Cambridge, vol 547, p342.

Maureen - I assume you'd already ruled these out?

Susan - (duplicating the email query I sent to you) Just to confirm I have it right - you have a copy of the Eunice Winifred McCallion/ Charles Edward Harkins marriage record? An original, not a transcript? And the date matches the record Maureen (mfb1025) found?

Pete

[mfb1025]

All those records are the same, v547p 606 is the Somerville record, v547 p342 is the Cambridge.
The Cambridge record is hand written and the Somerville is typed.  I really zoomed in on the handwritten last name for Eunice and  I don’t think it is McGonagle ( which is how it is typed in Somerville), knowing now that her middle name was Winifred I can see that it looks more like Eunice WGonagle.  Later when I have time to fool around with it, I will try to get a copy you can read, so you can see what it looks like yourself. I  think I’ll  have to print it and rescan it to get the picture. But it starts to look like Eunice’s name was just misheard/written, (maybe the Irish accent and the Boston ears ?) and Ellen’s name is just wrong.  I have one ancester who’s father Michael is listed as Daniel on her marriage, there aren’t any Daniel’s in that family, but I know it’s her. 
In the Cambridge record there is a bracket around 3 records, indicating that the clergyman performed three ceremonies that day, maybe he just got names confused. I’m not  sure who informs these civil records.  I had thought that Cambridge, where they got married, passed the information to Somerville, but the written record doesn’t say “Co. Tipperary” ( is that correct for your Catherine? ) and the Somerville record does. Both records use the same date name and address information. 
On the Eunice death record, where it says “ Daniel Campbell & Catherine. Are the first names right ?
Maybe her mother is the Campbell. It’s a very faded recorded, ( I won't be able to copy that)  and looking at other entries, I don’t think a meticulous person was keeping that ledger.  Eunice’s age says “unknown” , other peoples records have partial entries and blank boxes.
I only see the death records for Charles Daniel’s parents in Easton I haven’t seen any marriage record - were they married in Massachusetts?