John Bermingham, Son of Daniel, Marries Helen Hurley in 1917

 John Bermingham, son of Daniel and Margaret Flynn Bermingham was attending school in 1915, along with his two brothers, as noted on the 1915 New York State Census.  What school they attended is not known.  I did do a search in the newspapers from that time but didn't come up with anything for the Bermingham boys.  Might find something in the future.

Two years later, John married Helen Hurley, from Elmira.

A postcard  from Elmira, postmarked May 19-13.
Purchased on eBay.

John and Helen were married on Oct. 3, 1917.

The postcard is addressed to "Miss Martha Kieger, Morris, Tioga Co., Pa, R.R. no/Box 47."

The note reads:  "Elmira May 19 = 13

Dear friend - I did not get a job.  But I have the promise of one with the N.C. railroad Company on the telegraph line.  ans soon

Yours, D. K. "

In 1914, Daniel married for the second time.  The bride was May Fitzpatrick of Elmira.

Elmira Star-Gazette, April 28, 1914 announcing
marriage license issued to May and Daniel.

Daniel's occupation is noted as "Fireman," and May's is "Chocolate Dipper."  She may have been working for Booth's Chocolates, who advertised frequently for young ladies to work as chocolate dippers.

An ad for chocolate dippers that ran in the Elmira
Star-Gazette on Nov.14, 1913.  

Advertisement in the Sep.15, 1913 Elmira Star-

Gazette for Booth's Chocolate (center).  Below that

is the name of the owner of the company, Wilfred I. 

Booth, and a list of items being sold at his store, 

including wallpaper and corset covers.  I'm not sure

what store he owned, besides the chocolate factory.

There were several candy makers in Elmira around this time, some working out of homes, and others from shops fronting factories.  The Chemung County Historical Society has a post about some of them on their blog, with photos.

https://chemungcountyhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com/2014/03/sweet-talk-history-of-the confectioners-and.html

 

In 1910 Daniel Bermingham Was a Fireman

On  the 1910 U.S. Census, Daniel Bermingham, and his three sons, were living at 702 Jay St. with Daniel's sister Jane, now known as Jennie, and her husband John Hanrahan.  Both Daniel and his brother-in-law John are firemen, employed by the City.  And both of them have been "out of work" for four weeks.  

There were several John Hanrahan's living in Elmira in 1910, but only one of them was a fireman.  This article, published in the Star-Gazette on Aug. 3, 1910, may explain why "our" John was out of work.  He seems to have had anger issues and was put on leave several times because of them.

 Why Daniel was out of work, I don't know.  Searching the archives hasn't turned up  anything.

1905 Was a Tough Year for Daniel and Children

Daniel's wife Margaret passed away on June 4, 1905.






Obituary for Margaret Flynn Bermingham.
Published in the Elmira Gazette and Free Press,
June 5, 1905.

His mother, Mary, died on Aug.22, 1905.

Obituary for Mary Kavanaugh Bermingham.
Published in the Elmira Gazette and Free Press
Aug.22, 1905.

Dan Bermingham Jr.

 How I know it's Dan and Margaret's son:  the earliest documentation that I am able to find is Dan Jr.'s registration for World War II.  He was living in Philadelphia, working for International Harvester.  He put his mother down as next of kin, and she was living on Dewitt Ave in Elmira.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Daniel and Margaret: The Third Son

 In the 1905 New York State Census, we meet Daniel and Margaret's third and final child, a son named Daniel.

Daniel Jr. is 4 years old, and staying at home, while his two brothers John and Timothy go to school.  Daniel Sr. is the head of this household, working at a saloon.  His mother is living with him and his family.  They all live at 507 East Third St.

Their Three Sons

The Elmira patriarch, Timothy Bermingham, passed away in January, 1899, but by way of Daniel and Margaret (Flynn) Bermingham, he left his legacy in his grandsons John, born in 1898, and Timothy, born eight months after his death, on Aug.19.I haven't found Timothy in the New York State Birth Index, but he did register to fight in  World War I in 1918, and on his registration card, we see his date of birth.

Before he could fight, he had to grow up, of course, and that's what he was busy doing on the 1900 U.S. Census, at eight months old.  He was living with his brother John, parents, and paternal grandmother, Mary (Kavanaugh) Bermingham at 559 East Third St.  Since Mary is listed as the head of the household, the house probably belonged to her.

Daniel was working as an "Engine(Wiper)".  I'm not familiar with that occupation.  Most references to it on-line refer to a job in the engine room of a ship, which doesn't seem likely for Daniel.  Elmira wasn't a port city, even though it's on the Chemung River.  It was a busy railroad hub, so this definition from usgennet.org is more likely the job that he had.

"Wiper

The Wiper's job was to work a 12 hour shift in the roundhouse, where he packed the internal moving parts of some engineer's beloved engine with wads of greasy waste. The pay was $1.75 a day. This was the bottom rung on the latter that climbed to the engineer's seat."

https://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/railroads/job.html

Wordless Wednesday

 

Daniel and Margaret Continued

 Daniel's father, Timothy died on Jan.19, 1899 at his home on High St.  His obituary mentions that he is survived by his son Daniel, and his daughter, Mrs. John Hanrahan (Jane.), but does not mention his wife, Mary (Kavanaugh,) who outlived him.  She is on the 1900 and 1905 censuses, living with her son, as we will see shortly.

    

Obituary of Timothy Bermingham.  Published in
the Star-Gazette newspaper, Elmira NY 19Jan
1899.  From the Star-Gazette archives on News-
papers.com.

Part of the page on which Tim's obit was printed.

Daniel and Margaret (Flynn) Bermingham

Presumably, Daniel married Margaret Flynn, but I have not found a marriage reference.

On Feb.15, 1898 their son John was born.  His birth is listed in the New York State Birth Index, 1881-1942;  Daniel and Margaret are listed as his parents on John's marriage certificate, so that's how we know who we're talking about here.

Margaret Flynn was born about 1874, the last of eleven children of Patrick and Ellen (Sullivan) Flynn.  She first appears in the records in the 1880 U.S. Census, at six years old.

Her parents were both born in Ireland and emigrated to the U.S. sometime before 1865.

In that year, they were living in Elmira and enumerated for the New York State Census, along with their children:  Hanora, John, Mary and Marian, as well as Patrick's father Daniel.

Five years later, on the 1870 U.S. Census, Patrick and Ellen have two more children, Thomas and Morris.  There is also one child, ten years old, named Kate who I think is actually Marian from the former censuses.  It's not likely that a family would have a Mary and a Marian, when they are so similar.  Probably confusion or information misheard.  I have searched for Marian Flynn and not see any record of her.  

Patrick is working as a laborer, and the family is living in Ward 3 of the city.

The birth years on these two censuses show 1825 for Patrick and 1815 for Ellen, but I don'tthink these are correct.  Again, somebody in the household took a guess, probably.  The 1880 U.S. Census and the Joyce Tice website indicate that she was born in 1840.

Ellen is included on a list of "Elmira Deaths" on Joyce Tice's website.  The date of her death is Jan.19 1874, at the age of 34.  I wonder if she died giving birth to Margaret, or from complications thereof  She was buried in the Catholic Cemetery, which later became Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery.  

On the 1880 U.S. Census, Patrick is now a widower, still living at 703 Third St., along with his children John, Mary, Morris and Maggie.  There are also two "new" children Timothy, 8 and Annie 7.  Makes my head spin.  Interesting to note that Patrick's father is living with him again and is 100 years old.  Thomas, Hanora and Catherine are no longer living there.  

Hanora married Timothy McElligott sometime between 1870 and 1880.  They were living at 505 Madison Ave. Elmira with their two-months-old daughter Ella on the 1880 U.S. Census.

Catherine married Stephen Watts on May 23 1888.

Where Catherine and Thomas went, I don't know yet.

And where did Timothy and Annie come from?  There are always more questions!

Wordless Wednesday

Beginning the Berminghams

Beginning here to research and write about my daughter's ancestors on her father's side. following her direct line, the Berminghams.

Athough there are signs of Berminghams in Elmira earlier than 1880, the U.S. Census of that year is the first proven instance, thus far.  (Some of the collateral families are seen in Elmira or Bradford County PA earlier with proof.  They will be written about, too.)

                                                                                    

Timothy "Birmingham," 45 years old, and his wife Mary, 32 were enumerated while living at 830 McDonald St.  They had two children:  Jane, 6 and Daniel, 4.  Both parents were born in Ireland; the children were born in "New York" - whether that was referring to the state or the city is not specified. 

Many years later, when Daniel married for the second time, his mother's maiden name was recorded on the marriage license as "Kavanaugh."

(Yes, Daniel's second wife was a "Chocolate Dipper"!)

The 1880 Census didn't ask as many questions as later ones did, but Timothy's occupation was noted as "Laborer."  

Tim and Mary had three other children prior to Jane and Daniel, but none of them lived to be recorded in 1880.  A list of deaths in Elmira on Joyce Tice's "Tri-Counties" website includes three "Birmingham" children - Thomas, Mary Ann, and John, whose parents are "Tim and Mary", with the address shown as McDonald St. for two of them.

https://www.joycetice.com/death/deathsb4.htm

Some day in the not too distant future, I hope to request their death certificates from Chemung County.  It would confirm that their parents were Tim and Mary Kavanaugh, and where they were born.  Meanwhile, I am confident that at least two of the children were Tim's, because of the street name.  Mary was a common first name, so interested to know if that Mary is Mary Kavanaugh.