1880 census in the US with Bridget's mother in the household www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXJM-1ZX
The address for the above quoted family is 86 Edgar Street.
From various Chicago directories:
1873
McTaminey Bridget, wid Henry, r Edgar, nr Bloomingdale Rd.
1874
McTaminey, Bridget, wid. Henry r 35 Edgar
Murphy, Elizabeth, wid Matthias, r 35 Edgar
1878
Murphy, Elizabeth, wid. Matthew, house 86 Edgar
1888
Murphy, Elizabeth , wid Matthew h 713 N. Ashland Ave.
I believe that your Bridget did move to Chicago; whether or not she should be in that family tree mentioned over several prior posts is another story. They may have just conflated two (or more!) families to "fit".
The above directory entries just seem to be beyond coincidence with Bridget McTaminey, wid Henry, and Elizabeth Murphy, wid Matthew living in the same house.
They may have crossed the ocean to Canada, and then went down to the US. Passage was much cheaper that way. Unfortunately, there are few Canadian ship records for that time period. I had no luck searching for the ship record for Elizabeth Murphy, only because there were sooo many with that name.
On a side note, although the spelling McatAminey is rare in the UK, the spelling McatOminey yields a fair amount (at least in Durham).
bbart
Thank you so much for your skill !
This is marvellous.
Yes, I've been told that many Derry families took the Canada option first and shifted down to the USA later.
Looking at the spread of details here, the "widow Elizabeth Murphy + Matthias", plus "Bridget McTaminey widow Henry", is what clinches it for me - and yes, I can see they really did emigrate.
Thank you for showing me real evidence.
So the directories local to Chicago confirm it. (Will bear this in mind, you've taught me something useful.)
I live in County Durham and here we have, as you correctly point out, McAtOmin[e]y families (this also contracts to McTomney in my particular town.)
However, I'm still confused. WHO is this Bridget who went to Canada/USA? Yes, a Bridget Murphy definitely crossed the ocean with a Henry Mc(A)taminey, but who was she, when on UK soil? The Bridget Murphy I can see at Seaton Colliery - in Office Row (later Post Office Row) - was 18 on the 1861 census, too young for the Sunderland marriage; this girl's brother was working at Seaton pit which is right next to Seaham pit, not too far from Seaham Harbour but separated from it. The Elizabeth (b.1817 County Meath) who is this Bridget's mother isn't nearly old enough to be the Elizabeth Murphy who you've shown me to be in Chicago. So there
are 2 different families, surely, woven together on the Ancestry trees? - creating a confusing picture for those of us looking in.
But we still need a BRIDGET MURPHY, aged 22 in 1862, who was around in Seaham/Sunderland in the right place & period to be able to meet Henry the Mariner, from Mill Street Sunderland (this was mainly a street of lodging houses for people of many nationalities).
I know Seaham lacked a Catholic Church until the 1880s, and they built one specially for the enlarging Irish community. In the meantime the Catholics had to use a Seaham barn to worship in (!) or travel to Sunderland to worship in a proper manner. I wonder if this Bridget & Henry attended the same church (and got married in it?)
Where else can we look for this Bridget? What might a lass aged 21 or 22 be doing, in this time-period?
By the way I've found a 22-year-old Bridget Lawless (which is the name of one of the witnesses) in Ryhope [close to Seaham] in domestic service in 1861.
Very grateful for your ideas.
D x
