John Hansen Marching in the Fourth of July Parade, Grass Valley, California......

    I am sharing a series of pictures taken at a Fourth of July parade held in Grass Valley, sometime in the mid 30's (I don't know the exact year of this particular parade...).  The parade route started at West Main Street and turned the corner onto Mill Street.  These pictures are from the Hansen family collection.  

 

  A parade float going down West Main Street and past Alpha Hardware.  Note the gasoline pump in front of the store. 

A float from The Unique... 

Advertisement for Grass Valley stores, 1935. 

 A marching band going down West Main Street past the Holbrook and the Grass Valley Cafe. 

 This float had just turned the corner from West Main onto Mill Street.  The First National Bank is in the background.  

This is what West Main Street looked like in the 1930's! 

From the Nevada County Historical Society PIC 4 GR 767

  John Hansen marching in the Fourth of July Parade.  The parade just turned onto Mill Street from West Main Street.  He was wearing his Spanish American War Naval uniform. 

  "John Hansen volunteered for duty with the U.S. Navy during the Spanish American War... (he served as a seaman in 1898). Though being an immigrant from Norway, he was fiercely proud of his adopted country, became a citizen, and served as Grass Valley counsilman and later as Mayor. His American flag was put out each morning and taken in each evening at his home on West Main Street.  He marched in many parades in his uniform, even into later life."  quote from Margaret Hansen Boothby shared on the FaceBook site You Know You're From Nevada County if You Remember.... June 29th, 2022. 

Above photograph enlarged.  

 John and Vere Hansen's home at 418 West Main Street taken July 17, 1942.  Their sons Jack, Bob and Harold Hansen were serving in WWII at that time.  The American flag was proudly displayed from the front porch.

Happy Birthday America!  

Relationship Reference:  Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Harold Hansen->John and Vere Burrows Hansen

 

Burrows Working Tree.......Adam Burrows and The Sligo Union Workhouse

 Sligo Union Workhouse Map from workhouses.org.uk/Sligo/

  Adam Burrows was born sometime around 1842  and was the older brother of my Great Great Grandfather Alexander Burrows.  I know a bit of his life history from the previous letters I have shared in earlier posts.  For some reason, Adam was not able to live by himself and was dependent on his family to take care of his needs.  He ended up living and working in the Sligo Union Workhouse after his father, Alexander Burrows of Drum, died in 1889.  Adam lived there until his death in 1915.  How did he end up there? What kind of life did he experience? I was fortunately able to find quite a bit of information online and DNA cousins added other resources to help with Adam's story. 

  Adam was at home in Drum as late as August of 1890 when both Jane White and Emy Burrows wrote to Alexander in Grass Valley, California.  Drum House was in a state of disarray and Adam was not able to get his meals; he went to Crawford's farm next to Drum House to eat.  He was sleeping alone at night. At this point, it looks like the family had no one to take care of him at home, and the house was to be sold.  Adam's appointed guardian, his brother Tom, was not in the area and though expected home, apparently never came back to take over his responsibilities. Sister Emy was already planning on going back to New York.  Sisters Jane White and Margaret Porteus lived a distance from Drum and had homes of their own to take care of. Adam's brothers Alexander and John had been living in America for quite some time.  Adam's life was in the hands of the Reverend Thomas Moulsdale, the executor of Alexander of Drum's will and the Rector of Ballysumaghan Church.  

    By December 1890, when Jane White last wrote to Alexander, Adam was "in the poor house..his legacy is doing him little good...Moulsdale won't allow anyone to interfere with him..".  The Reverend Moulsdale had placed Adam in the Sligo Union Workhouse. 

  The new Sligo Union Workhouse was erected in 1840-2 on a nine acre site a mile to the north of Sligo. Designed by the Poor Law Commisioner's architect George Wilkinson, the building was based on one of his standard plans to accommodate  1,200 inmates.  (see map above). The buildings in the Sligo Workhouse followed Wilkinson's typical layout.  An entrance and administrative block at the south contained a porter's room and waiting room at the center with the Guardian's board room  on the first floor above. The main accommodation block had the Master's quarters at the center, with male and female wings to each side.  At the rear, a range of single story utility rooms such as the bakerhouse and the washhouse connected through to the infirmary and idiots' wards via a central spine containing the chapel and dining hall. Adam was most likely living in the idiots' ward.

Floorplan of a typical Irish Workhouse findmypast.com

An enlarged section.  The Idiots Ward is at the bottom left hand corner. findmypast.com

   The Workhouse housed the poor, sick and starving of Sligo during the Great Famine in the mid-1840's, and there is now a memorial to those buried in the workhouse graveyard that you can visit.  The fever hospital is the only building left of the workhouse.  The site is now the home of St. John's Hospital.  (Information taken from The Workhouse in Sligo, Co.Sligo https://www.workhouses.org.uk/Sligo/). 

  Note the location of the Famine Graveyard in the map below (in green letters).   I also noticed the location of the St. Joseph's Special School nearby.  It currently serves children ages 5-18 with profound to moderate to mild learning disabilities. Also note the location of the Clayton Hotel Sligo to the right.  It was the location of St. Columba's Hospital in the mid to late 1800's through 1922 and was the county asylum. 

Google Maps St. John's Hospital location Sligo, Ireland.  

  By the second half of the 19th century the makeup of the workhouse population reflected the changing role of the institution.  At the end of the 1800's around 75% of the inmates in Ireland's workhouses were officially classified as sick or as "other", a group which probably comprised mostly the elderly and the infirm. (thestoryofireland.blogspot.com).   Adam was around 48 years old when he went into the workhouse at the end of 1890 and was 73 years old when he died there in 1915.  What exactly was his infirmity? 

Published 7 Nov. 1896 Unknown source/newspaper

According to this newspaper article written on the 7th of November, 1896, Adam was classified as an imbecile as well as a lunatic. The term imbecile implied someone of limited mental ability who was unable to manage themselves or their own affairs (comparable now to an IQ of 25-50 or someone with a moderate learning disability).  In the 1911 Irish Census, Adam was classified as someone with dementia.  Dementia was also used interchangeably with the term imbecile on that census. (Ireland Census 1911).   We can safely say that Adam had some kind of mental deficiency which prevented him from living by himself or taking care of himself.  The court was being petitioned to have him declared a lunatic.  According to the Lunacy Regulation (Ireland) Act of 1871 ..."the word 'lunatic' shall be construed to mean any person found by inquisition idiot, lunatic or of unsound mind and incapable of managing himself or his affairs.." (www.irishstatutebook).   Robert Porteus, the husband of Margaret Burrows, was asking the court to take control of  Adam as a lunatic and that his trust be used by the court for his continued maintenance. As of 1896 Robert had become Adam's guardian, most likely because Tom was in South America. 

  Why had the family given up responsibility for Adam? In the letters of 1890 both Emy and Jane mentioned the difficult circumstances at Drum after their father had died.  Emy mentioned her "sufferings in Drum" and how she suffered as her "poor mother did, which you are well aware of".  Perhaps she was referring to taking care of Adam at home. Adam asked her to stay, but she said "that I dare not do". Taking care of a family member with disabilities can be extremely difficult, especially without help. She also mentioned that her older sister Margaret wanted Adam to go to the asylum.  Once Emy left for New York, there was only the Rev. Moulsdale looking out for Adam's interests. Why wasn't Moulsdale fulfilling his duties pertaining to the will? 

  Two years earlier, the Sligo Champion Newspaper reported the death of Reverend T H P Moulsdale on the 26th of May, 1894.  He unfortunately met with a serious accident at cemetery hill in Carraroe Townland as his trap overturned while he was passing another horse and cart on the lane on the 19th of May.  Thomas did not survive the accident. His wife Amy Moulsdale was injured in the fall, but survived. The newspaper article described Thomas Henry Platt Moulsdale as being "exceedingly popular in Ballysumaghan where he had resided for more than eight years past.  He had previously been in Manorhamilton for a considerable time and was there also much respected and esteemed".  He was buried in the Ballysumaghan graveyard along with several other Burrows family members.  (Thank you, KKelley for sharing this article). 

"In loving memory of Thomas Henry Platt Moulsdale for 8 years rector of this parish who died on the 19th of May 1894 aged 47 years 'Father in thy gracious keeping leave we now thy servant sleeping'...." Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives/Sligo Headstones

  It is sad to think that after all the planning Adam's father had done to make sure he would be taken care of Adam would end up living in the workhouse with provisions from the will under control of the court. His family was no longer willing to watch over him and the Rev. Moulsdale was dead. What little legacy Adam had left to him was just enough to maintain him in the workhouse, the place where the most vulnerable in society ended up. 

   What were conditions like there?  The British Medical Journal published reports on workhouse conditions in Ireland in 1895-6, including the Sligo Workhouse Infirmary.   Adam would have been housed there during their commission  visit. I have taken excerpts from the report to share here  (you can see the entire report on the Sligo Workhouse at workhouses.org.uk/Sligo/ under BMJ Reports on the Nursing and Administration of Irish Workhouses and Infirmaries, 1895-6).  Using our modern era to compare levels of care it was very difficult to read this report.  

..."There is an average of 140 patients, who were thus distributed:  the men in the hospital proper, where also we found the female lunatics placed at one end of the block and the male lunatics at the other.  In this block there were about 70 beds....At the time of our visit there were 70 women and 38 men...."

..."The patients in this hospital included a cretin of 23 years of age, who in size and general appearance resembled a child of 5 or 6.  The poor little creature seemed to be a general pet in the ward, or perhaps we should rather say that he furnished some amusement to the inmates.....The bedsteads in this division are "harrow" frames, with straw ticks and pillows; a board let into the wall forms the bed head.  The majority of the cases were helpless old age and chronic diseases..."

Harrow beds were wooden frames or platforms for bedding with a walkway in the middle.

  ....."There is no night nurse for these patients.  The day staff is quite inadequate, and, in the words of Dr. Murray's report, 'the night nursing is in the hands of paupers.' ....The listless, apathetic air of the idiots and epileptics (in the female ward) showed that nothing was done in the way of occupation for the lightening of their unhappy lot. The male lunatics are slightly better off; they have the use of an airing court, such as it is, some of them find occupation about the house, and they are not so overcrowded.  As the workhouse is close to the county asylum the more dangerous inmates are removed thither as there is room in the asylum..."

...."It is the same old tale, almost nauseating in its iteration, of the entire absence of anything like decency or sanitation, when we come to the conveniences provided for the inmates.  Outside are privies on the waggon system; indoors, bucket, pails and commodes are used in the infirm wards...a basin and a round towel are provided for common service among the sick, and a bath or two, without hot water.  Every drop of water has to be carried to the wards for use, and carried away when used, and when warm water is required it must be heated in a kettle or fetched from the main kitchen..."

   Starting in 1899 the Sisters of Mercy provided the nursing staff in the workhouse infirmary in Sligo.  The Roman Catholic Religious Order was associated with their care for the poor and sick, and were also employed as teachers.  They were used in other workhouses around Ireland as well.  Hopefully, the conditions in the workhouse improved with the addition of the more qualified nursing staff.  

  What was Adam doing in 1901?  The 1901 Census of Ireland is the earliest complete census to survive the Public Records Office explosion during the Irish Civil War.  Adam was listed on this census, number 28 at the bottom....

Census of Ireland, 1901 Form 1 Return of Lunatics and Idiots in Public Institutions (top)

Adam Burrows, Irish Church, Cannot Read, aged 59, Occupation/None, not married, born in Co. Sligo, Imbecile. How long affected? 50 years. 

   Adam was also found on the 1911 Census.  His age at the time was 70 years, and his occupation was listed as labourer.  It is not known what kind of labor he performed, but at least he was able to perform some kind of work by this point.  His disability was now listed as "dementia". 

  The Sligo Champion reported on the 8th of May, 1915 that there was to be a public auction of  "Four Houses in the town of Manorhamilton in the matter of Adam Burrows, a Lunatic". Two of the four houses were vacant and two were being let to tenants at a gross rental of L10. It is not known why this part of Adam's legacy was being auctioned off at this time. Adam may have been in poor health and not expected to live much longer.  

  Adam died in the Sligo Union Hospital on the 19th of December, 1915.  He was 73 years old. 

Adam Burroughs (Burrows) of Ballysumaghan, male, bachelor, 77 years, Occupation/none, Chronic dementia, years (duration of illness), exhaustion.  He died while living at the Sligo Workhouse.  I believe his age was closer to 73, not 77. Exhaustion refers to the fact that his lengthy infirmity drained him of strength. 

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/deaths_returns/deaths_1916/05252/4456097.pdf (thank you KKelley for sharing this link)

  

    Was anyone left to mourn Adam's passing?  Margaret Burrows Porteus had died in 1903.  Jane Burrows White was still alive but would be gone by 1918. My Great Great Grandfather Alexander had died in San Francisco in 1904. John Burrows passed away in 1914 in Oklahoma. Emy had passed away in New York in 1905. It is not known when Tom passed away, or where he was living.  I do not know where Adam was finally laid to rest, but it was most likely somewhere in Sligo. 

   

   At the time Adam was living in the Sligo Union Workhouse there was also another county asylum in the area.  The St. Columba's Hospital was located in the same general area as the Workhouse, and was an imposing building.  Adam may have not had adequate funds to be placed here, or he was just not a danger to himself or others as were the inmates housed there. It appears that his disability was primarily cognitive, and not mental.  St. Columba's became the Sligo Mental Hospital in the 1920's, closed in 1992 and reopened in 2005 as the Clarion Hotel. It was rebranded as the Clayton Hotel in 2021 (wikipedia St. Columba's Hospital). 

St. Columba's Hospital/Clayton Hotel Sligo

   Adam Burrows' story was a sad one, and should not be forgotten.  My Great Great Grandparents,  Alexander and Elizabeth Jane Burrows, also had a son who ended up being institutionalized in the Napa State Hospital in California.  Herbert Spencer Burrows spent most of his adult life in Napa as a patient, also with an unknown disability. I still need to spend time  researching his life as well.  I would surmise that Herbert's care in that institution was somewhat better and more humane than the treatment Adam received in Ireland.  

  What would Adam and Herbert's lives be like today, with the educational support and services we provide now to those with lesser abilities?  How would they have flourished with a supportive family behind them?  As a former Special Education teacher for 30 years I know that they would have done very well functioning in our current society if given the chance. I am truly sorry they were not blessed with that chance. 

**************************************************************************

This is the current Burrows Working Tree listing the children of Alexander Burrows of Drum and Frances "Fanny" Elliott.

1. Margaret Burrows 1836-1903 (married Robert Porteus) of Clara/Claragh Irish

*daughter Frances "Fanny" Porteus Graham 

*daughter Jane Elizabeth "Jenny" Porteus Golden/Goulden

2. Jane Burrows 1838-1918 (married Adam Elliott White) of Sligo.  The White family lived at WhiteHall (Whitehall), County Leitrim, Ireland.

 *son Robert Alexander White born at Whitehall, County Leitrim, Ireland.

3. Adam Burrows 1841-2 to 1915 (was living in Drum in 1890; lived at the Sligo Union Workhouse sometime after that. Adam died in 1915 in the Sligo Workhouse Infirmary.)

4. Alexander Burrows  1847-1904 (married Elizabeth Jane Hurd in America) my G G Grandparents; they lived in Grass Valley, California.

5. John Elliott Burrows 1849-1914 (came to America) m. Margaret O'Leary in St. Louis. Children Frances Burrows Riley and Thomas A. Burrows.

6. Thomas Rutledge Burrows  (bequeathed house and land in Drum and was to look after Adam per will of 1889.  Left for America shortly after his father's death).  m. Georgina Foster b. 1871 d. 1890.  Per marriage index Ireland, Civil Registration of Marriage, she married Thomas in 1888 in Ireland.  This relationship was also mentioned in Emy's letter of 24 June, 1890.  The death of Georgina and their two children were mentioned in Jane White's letter of 4 December 1890. I currently have no information on where Thomas lived or died after 1890, other than he was in South America in 1896. 

7.  Ismena  "Emy" "Emma" Burrows (spent time in America in 1889 but went back home to Ireland to claim her inheritance, per letters written in 1890. Left for America again in September of 1890.) Per letters from New York, New York in 1893, 1905 and 1906 Emy Burrows married Hermann Bucher and went by Emma.  She and Hermann married 7 Nov. 1892. Emma died on 14 December 1905. 

Burrows Working Tree.....Letters From New York Help Solve the Mystery of Emy Burrows....

The Statue of Liberty 1890 from the Library of Congress

Emmy Burrows would have seen the iconic symbol of freedom on her way into New York Harbor in 1890. 

     I have three more letters that were written to the Burrows family in Grass Valley, California. These are the last letters from the packet of letters that I discovered at Cousin Skip's house this past summer. 

  The first letter was written in 1893 to my Great Grandmother Vere Burrows, who was 11 years old at the time. It was written from New York and was was signed by E. Bucher. It was a sweet, short  letter written to a young niece clear across the country.  

  The last two letters were written to my Great Great Grandfather Alexander Burrows in 1905 and 1906, and unfortunately arrived too late as the author of the letters, Hermann Bucher, did not know that Alexander had passed away in 1904.  In these letters, Hermann referred to his wife, Alexander's sister, as "Emma". These letters were also written from New York, New York. 

    Who was E. Bucher?  

  

Page 1 front, letter begins on right hand side. The closing of the letter is on the left, signed by E. Bucher...
 

Page 1 back

  

**************************************************************************

  (Page 1 front, right hand side)

                                                                 383 10th St.

                                                                  March 20th "93"

My Dear Niece,

                    Words cannot express how happie [sic] glad (crossed out) I was to receive your letter also photo which I can never tire looking at.  You look very much 

(Page 1 back, right side)

 like your cousins some Fanny Porteus and Jane White.  I would [?] think you so like your papa. [?] your fair head, I must say you make a lovely picture.  I only wish I could have the pleasure of seeing you personaly [sic].  I wish you would come to New York for a while.  I would be so glad to see you[.] please tell papa send me his picture he is promising it [to me?]

(Page 1 front, left hand side) 

this [?] time when I get [mine?] [taken?] I will send it to you.  please write to me soon & many thanks for your photo.

With love to papa & all thy[?] family 

I remain your fond Aunt E. Bucher

***********************************************************************************

   This letter was written by someone I initially thought was Elizabeth  Butcher, based on information I discovered when researching Adam Burrows.  In an 1896 Irish newspaper article describing the court action for Adam Burrows his next of kin were listed as... "Thomas R. Burrows, residing in South America, John Burrows of St. Louis USA, Alexander Burrows of California, Jane White, wife of Elliott Adam White of Whitehall, Dromahair, Elizabeth Butcher Burrows, wife of Haman Butcher of New York, and Margaret Porteus, the wife of Robert Porteus of Clara"....

   Hermann Bucher had initially written to Alexander Burrows in 1905 to inform him that his wife, Alexander's sister, Emma, had passed away. He was obviously the Haman Butcher in the article. Who was Emma?  Was she the E. Bucher that signed the above letter? Was she also the Elizabeth in the newspaper story?  The newspaper had  obviously gotten  Hermann Bucher's name wrong (referring to him as Haman Butcher).  So, the possibility of getting Elizabeth's name wrong was strong also. I suppose Ismena could be construed as Elizabeth by a lazy reporter or court recorder.  Or, Haman used Emma as his nickname for Elizabeth. 

  Here was the mystery. I thought it was interesting that the article did not mention an Ismena or Emy Burrows, who I knew had gone back to America in September of 1890.   When I looked at the 1889 will of Alexander Burrows of Drum, I could not find mention of an Elizabeth or Emma Burrows.  300 pounds was willed to Esmenia or Amy (that is how these names were transcribed; they referred to Ismena or Emy), but an Elizabeth was never mentioned.  I knew from previous letters signed by Ismena/Emy that she did indeed exist, as she wrote about going back to Ireland from America to claim her inheritance. Who was Elizabeth?  I was working on the theory that she was another Burrows sister, living in New York with her husband Haman, and was not listed in the will for some reason.  Who was Ismena/Emy?  I was working on the theory that she was a separate Burrows sister who was a spinster taking care of her father until she left for America. Sometimes theories get in the way of reexamining what clues you have right in front of you....

   As I looked more closely at the above letter (as in enlarging certain letters and words), it became clear to me that the writing in this letter matched the writing in the letters written by Ismena/Emy in 1890.  Could Ismena/Emy and Elizabeth/Emma be one in the same person??  

Emy's signature written in 1890.

E. Bucher's signature written in the top letter 1893. 

Emy's handwriting of "Jane White" in 1890

E. Bucher's handwriting of "Jane White" in 1893

   These are just a few samples comparing handwriting styles. Many more letter formations are similar.   I believe that Esmenia/Amy/Ismena/Emy/Elizabeth/Emma are one in the same person.  The only mention of Elizabeth is in the newspaper article, which also got her husbands name wrong. She may have never gone by Elizabeth.  

  So, the mystery of what happened to Emy after September 1890 has been solved! 

  Now that I knew who Haman Butcher really was, I could go back and research Hermann Bucher in New York. I found a marriage record for a Herman Bucher and an Emma Burrows.  Emy had gone back to New York, married Hermann Bucher on 7 November 1892 as Emma Burrows in Manhattan (Ancestry New York, New York US Extracted Marriage Index 1866-1937) and wrote this letter to her niece Vere Burrows on March 20th of 1893.  She signed it E. Bucher. Emma Bucher. Or, did she still think of herself as Emy? Ismena was a name from her past; possibly Emy was too. Emma was her new identity in a new country. 

  

  The next two letters help finish the story of Emma Burrows Bucher.  

Front 
                                                                                       417 East 25th Street N.Y.

                                                                                                  Dec. 26th '05

        A. Burrows, Esq.

                        Grass Valley, Cal.

          Dear Sir,

I am very sorry to let you know, that my wife, your sister Emma, died last Monday, Dec. 14th---Had I known your address, I would have let you know before, but I only found letters of you lately.  She had a complication of diseases, and although I had two physicians 

(back, right hand side)

...attending to her, I could not save her life.

  I lost my best friend and mourn her deeply.   Whether or not she had any money belonging to her I don't know; we never spoke about that.  I certainly can not find any papers or Bank Books to that effect.  If you should be able to give me any information, I would thank you very much.  By all means do I expect to hear from (left hand side) you soon, you may please advise me, what to do. 

   Meanwhile I remain most respectfully yours

                     Hermann Bucher

Although I often times persuaded Emma to write to you or some of her relations, she positively refused to do so, in fact she acted very queer lately--do not blame me for it. 

**************************************************************************

  The address for Adam White was written on the left hand side of the front page of the letter.  The handwriting could be Vere Burrows Hansen's handwriting.  She probably wrote to the Whites informing them of Emma's death, or wrote back to Hermann as he requested addresses for the Whites in his next letter. 

Hermann Bucher wrote again several weeks later....

Front with envelope 

                                                                                                    417 East 25th st.

                                                                                             N.Y. Jan. 14, 1906

Mr. A. Burrows

     Grass Valley, Cal.

Dear Sir,

  About two weeks ago, I had the sorrow task of informing you of your sisters death and up to this time I have waited in vain of some line of you.

  Will you kindly let me know the address of some of the White's?  I can

   .....not communicate with any of them as I am ignorant of their whereabouts.

  It being only a simple favor I am asking of you, I earnestly hope to receive answer soon

                                         I remain

                                    yours most respectfully

                                       Hermann Bucher

***********************************************************************************

    

      Judging from Emy's past letters she was not happy with how her father or her family treated her.  She left Ireland for America for the first time in 1889 shortly before her father's death.  After spending some time with Jane at Whitehall back in Ireland while she claimed her inheritance in 1890 she went back to New York as soon as she was able.  Jane White even wondered if Emy was planning on getting married when she went back to New York.  Did Emy already know Hermann from her first trip to America?  She married Hermann in 1892, and they were married for 13 years.  He called her Emma and she was his best friend.  She was around 45 years old when she died.  Whatever the truth was, I hope that Ismena/Emy/Emma finally found the freedom and happiness she was so desperately looking for in New York.  

  It was up to Hermann to let Alexander know of Emma's death. He had no way of knowing that  Alexander was no longer alive as it appeared that Emma stopped corresponding with him sometime before her death.  Hermann's letters ended up in the hands of Vere Burrows Hansen, my Great Grandmother.  Vere took care of all the paperwork and correspondence relating to the death of her father Alexander in San Francisco in 1904. She lived in Grass Valley with her husband John Hansen, so the letters would have eventually been delivered to her by the post office.  

  I believe I have found a death date for Hermann Bucher.  He may have died on July 27, 1907 in New York (Ancestry New York, New York, US Extracted Death Index, 1862-1948).   He may have been from Switzerland.  There were several Hermann Buchers living in New York at the time which makes confirmation difficult.  The 417 E 25th Street address is now the home of Hunter College and its dormitories.  It is located on Manhattan Island, within several blocks of the East River. It must have been a beautiful little neighborhood at the turn of the century. 

  

  When I combined Ismena/Emy/Emma into one person, everything fell into place. There was no Elizabeth.  The will made more sense, the newspaper article made sense and the letters made sense. I want to thank my DNA cousins for helping me piece together this puzzle. This has been an ongoing group project that I am sure will continue to add more to the Burrows tree in the future!

  

    **************************************************************************

This is part of the working tree.  I am just focusing on my GG Grandfather and his siblings here, as I am combining Ismena and Elizabeth into the same person.  There are now 7 Burrows siblings, children of Alexander Burrows of Drum and Frances "Fanny" Elliott. 

1. Margaret Burrows  (married Robert Porteus) of Clara/Claragh Irish

*daughter Frances "Fanny" Porteus Graham 

*daughter Jane Elizabeth "Jenny" Porteus Golden/Goulden

2. Jane Burrows (married Adam Elliott White) of Sligo.  The White family lived at WhiteHall (Whitehall), County Leitrim, Ireland.

 *son Robert Alexander White born at Whitehall, County Leitrim, Ireland.

3. Adam Burrows (was living in Drum in 1890; lived at the workhouse in Sligo sometime after that. )

4. Alexander Burrows (married Elizabeth Jane Hurd in America) my G G Grandparents; they lived in Grass Valley, California.

5. John Elliott Burrows (came to America) m. Margaret O'Leary in St. Louis. Children Frances Burrows Riley and Thomas A. Burrows.

6. Thomas Rutledge Burrows (bequeathed house and land in Drum and was to look after Adam per will of 1889.  Left for America shortly after his father's death).  m. Georgina Foster b. 1871 d. 1890.  Per marriage index Ireland, Civil Registration of Marriage, she married Thomas in 1888 in Ireland.  This relationship was also mentioned in Emy's letter of 24 June, 1890.  The death of Georgina and their two children were mentioned in Jane White's letter of 4 December 1890.

7.  Ismena  "Emy" "Emma" Burrows (spent time in America in 1889 but went back home to Ireland to claim her inheritance, per letters written in 1890. Left for America again in September of 1890.) Per letters from New York, New York in 1893, 1905 and 1906 Emy Burrows married Hermann Bucher and went by Emma.  She and Hermann married 7 Nov. 1892. Emma died on 14 December 1905. 

Burrows Working Tree...Jane White Writes to Her Brother Alexander Burrows on December 4th, 1890 from WhiteHall

European Robin. Robins appear in 99% of Irish gardens in winter according to birdwatchireland.ie

Photograph by Leigh Rebecca; shared on the FB site History of UK and The Republic of Ireland 5 December 2019

    

    This is the last letter in a series of letters written by Jane White to her brother Alexander Burrows.  It was written at the beginning of December 1890 and was very melancholy in its tone. Jane summarized what had been happening with the family in Ireland since the death of their father, Alexander Burrows, in August of 1889.  There was no good news to report and Jane described the family losses and misfortunes since his death.  She reminded Alexander of how grieved she was over the thought that she might not ever see him again in her lifetime.  Perhaps she saw a robin in her sleeping garden that winter and was reminded of loved ones lost or far away. Robin sightings are still said to bring comfort by letting us know that lost loved ones are close by...

 

Page 1 Front.  The letter begins on the right hand side. "My Dear Brother...It grieves me to think..."
 

Back. 

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  (Page 1 front, right hand side)

                                                                      WhiteHall

                                                                       Dec 4th

My dear Brother

   It grieves me to think that we may never meet on earth as you [suggest?] but it is one great [consolation?] & hope [certain?] that we all shall meet in that [celestial?] home where we never 

(Page 1 back, left hand side)

more shall part [,] away from toil and trouble [.]  I got Toms address[.] I wrote to him about 5 weeks ago[.] no one knows whither he will come home or not I don't know[.] where is Adam[?] he was in the poor house[.] his legacy is doing him little good[.]  Moulsdale wont allow 

(Page 1 back, right hand side)

any one to interfere with him[.]  poor Emy is not certain what she will do[.]  I wanted her to stay here until the winter would be out[.] so did [R.?] Porteus want her to stay with himself[.] Margaret I think did not care about her for leaving father[.]  some thought she would get married when

(Page 1 front, left hand side)

she returned to [W?] [?]---you did not send your photograph here so I'll be expecting it along with some of your childrens[.] you made a [mistake?] Tom has no trouble his oldest son died at the age of 4 months[.] the next was a [premature?] birth in which his wife died[.] now excuse me for taken up so much of your time! I remain your ever fond sister J. W. 

(Text on Page 1 right side vertically overlaying main horizontal text)

You ought to advise Tom to come home if it was only to look after Adam  I send you his address

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   As always, brother Adam was at the forefront of Jane's thoughts.  Jane was still pleading with Alexander to contact Tom and remind him of his obligations towards his brother.  The Reverend Moulsdale had complete control over Adam's future as no one was nearby to watch over his wellbeing. Why was Adam in the poorhouse when he had money from the will to guarantee his upkeep? Jane once again sought help from her brother in America. In future posts I will try to  delve more into Adam's story. 

   In this letter we learn the outcome of Tom's marriage.  Sadly, his oldest son, his wife and another baby had just recently died.  It looks like Tom handled the situation by leaving the country.  As Drum House was to be his per the will of 1889, Tom took it upon himself to sell the property sometime in the early 1890's.   More research is needed into the land deeds and sales of the time to find out what exactly happened.  What happened to the proceeds of the sale? Did Tom take it with him to America and eventually South America?  It seemed like the Burrows wealth in terms of land and properties was slowly dwindling to nothing by the turn of the century. 

   Emy had left her father several months before his death to go to America and make her own way.   Jane seemed to think that their older sister Margaret disapproved of this decision. Emmy came back to Ireland only to claim her inheritance.  Margaret's husband Robert Porteus made the offer  to have Emy come and live with them at Clara, but Emy had other ideas.  She got on another ship and went back to America. 

   These letters are a priceless and very personal window into my Great Great Grandfather's family.  I feel profoundly thankful that they survived intact for over 130 years.  The letters have provided clues and have confirmed relationships so that the Burrows Family Tree has expanded with more certainty.  With the help of DNA cousins, the tree continues to grow as we put together a broader picture of the lives of our ancestors in Ireland.  There is so much more work to be done!  

Next post...one last letter from Elizabeth Burrows Bucher written to my Great Grandmother from New York in 1893.  Stay tuned!

  

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The following tree is our "working tree".  It will change as we do more research, fit more pieces together and verify family members.  This is the basic tree as of now. 

Alexander Burrows of Carrowcrin (based on his will of 1834) father to....

*

Dr. Thomas Burrows 

(son Alexander Burrows, possibly the A. Burrows that witnessed Margaret Collis' death in 1890).

Margaret Burrows m. Thomas Collis

      Johnston Burrows m. Mary Moysten  parents of  Mary Anne Burrows (m. George Foster) parents of Georgina Foster (see Thomas Burrows below)

               Alexander Burrows of Drum (based on his will of 1889) m.  Frances "Fanny" Elliot, youngest daughter of Adam Elliott (based on  the Memorial of a Deed of Settlement 1848, original marriage around 1835) parents of.....

*

1. Margaret Burrows  (married Robert Porteus) of Clara/Claragh Irish

*daughter Frances "Fanny" Porteus Graham 

*daughter Jane Elizabeth "Jenny" Porteus Golden/Goulden

2. Jane Burrows (married Adam Elliott White) of Sligo.  The White family lived at WhiteHall (Whitehall), County Leitrim, Ireland.

 *son Robert Alexander White born at Whitehall, County Leitrim, Ireland.

3. Adam Burrows (was living in Drum in 1890; lived at the workhouse in Sligo sometime after that.  )

4. Alexander Burrows (married Elizabeth Jane Hurd in America) my G G Grandparents; they lived in Grass Valley, California.

5. John Elliott Burrows (came to America) m. Margaret O'Leary in St. Louis. Children Frances Burrows Riley and Thomas A. Burrows.

6. Thomas Burrows (bequeathed house and land in Drum and was to look after Adam per will of 1889.  Left for America shortly after his father's death).  m. Georgina Foster b. 1871 d. 1890.  Per marriage index Ireland, Civil Registration of Marriage, she married Thomas in 1888.  This relationship was also mentioned in Emy's letter of 24 June, 1890). 

7.  Ismena  "Emy" Burrows (spent time in America but went back home to Ireland to claim her inheritance, per letters written in 1890. Left for America again in late 1890.)

8. Elizabeth Burrows (came to America) and married Hermann Bucher in 1892 in New York; was called Emma (based on letters written by Hermann Bucher)