Kate White 1906 immigrant to South Dakota

Good day shanew147, 

Thank you so much for responding. I found the same as you did. Here is one other other clue that I failed to mention: Kate's death certificate states that her father was Nicholas Whyte from Ireland, mother unknown (her son-in-law, my grandfather, was the uninformed informant) with a date of birth of 14 Jul 1878. Actually, her baptism was the 14th and the year is off, but this seems to concur nicely.

I've asked my father to check correspondence between G-Gma Kate and her family in Co Wexford for dates and return addresses to see if there is any mention of Townsland or other Parish and if so, when. 

With the gap in the Taghmon marriage records, do you have any ideas of a work-around? I was thinking my second cousins in Ireland may have some information that was passed down. But the question remains of how to find them. And the bonus would be to be in contact!

I found a Ketty Walsh, Taghmon Parish, baptized 01 Jul 1835. Would that possibly be Catherine Walsh?? See jpg attached.

And a Nicholas White on the 1911 census, 77 year old widower, living in an almost-abutting parish of Clongeen, Townsland Polldoon, with younger brother Thomas (45) and his wife.   And a Nicholas White, 80-yr old widower from Taghmon, on a death register in Wexford for 21 Oct 1913, last address = the "Workhouse" there. See jpg attached.

Lastly, I found a John White listed as a landowner in Ardenagh Great, perhaps a decendent of Kate's younger brother John listed on the 1901 census?? See pdf attached.

Thank you again very kindly,

...Anne, Kate's g-granddaughter

 

Thank you again, shanew147, for all this contextual information and your view on what I had found concerning this Nicholas in the Wexford Workhouse and in Polldoon Townsland.

My father looked though what my grandmother (Kate's daughter) had in her affiairs and found two interesting cards:

The first is a "Remembrance of the Mission" card recalling a mass or other religious event by the Redeptuous Fathers at Taghmon in 1905. Since Kate immigrated the following year, we believe she attended personallly. [And yes, my family is all RC, all branches including the Irish one!]

The second is a Christmas postcard with a drawing marked "Ferry Carrig, Wexford" on the front (I found online that this is near Wexford Town and is the oldest Norman castle in Ireland!). On the back is hand-written "Happy Christmas from AH to John Whyte". We think this must be addressed to brother John. Unfortunately, no date nor postmark exists as the card must have been in an envelope that was not kept. AH could be the intials perhaps of a future spouse or beloved family member. It's curious to us that it would be in Kate's affairs. Unless....

In fact, Ferrycarrig is only 2.6 km from Wexford General Hospital/Workhouse... and if indeed Nicholas was at the Workhouse in his last years, perhaps he is the sender?? Perhaps my dad is reading AH for NW, easy to confound in a scrolly cursive style? I'm checking and will keep you informed of his response.

There is a third item but enigmatic: a Christmas card from "Anty" to "Mrs Whyte". Anty = Auntie, or short for Anthony, or....?

Personally, I'm not expecting many more children to be discovered. The main reason is that Kate reported to her daughter, Margaret Knapp, that the two girls left for America and the two boys stayed back in Ireland. That combined with Mary having left before Kate suggests that sister Margaret had probably already passed (or, less likely, that she was married/established and living elsewhere) and Mary and Kate, both spinsters. No mention in family stories of Mary being married at the time of immigration. It also suggests that James and John II were the only boys. My grandmother was given the name Margaret, so I'm also thinking she was named after this older sister. 

I've been unsuccessful thus far in locating Mary in South Dakota records, immigration records, Irish marriages and even in Texas, to where she reportedly moved and was never heard from again. I like your idea of looking for information on the other siblings of both Kate and her father, Nicholas. Thank you once again!

Hi shanew147,

Since we last corresponded, I have come up empty trying to find marriage records for a brother Thomas mentioned on the 1911 census. The same is true for Nicholas' White's sons James and John. NLI has the digitalized records for the RCC, and you need to go through page by page as there is no index, which I have started for Taghmon.  RootsIreland.ie also does not have an index for Taghmon. Did I miss anything?

However, I found two Walsh men in Ardenagh Great in the time period near the birth of Catherine Walsh & siblings: http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie/reels/tab//004625720/00…

It sounds like one had to pay to the Church of Ireland even if one was RC...

It appears "Anty" could be a variation of Anastasia. (http://www.rootsireland.ie/help/first-names/) My dad says the handwriting is the same for the two cards I mentioned last time signed "AH" and "Anty". If Anty/AH lived in/near the Town of Wexford/Ferry Carrig perhaps that is the place to look for a marriage record with John Whyte...writing & thinking out loud here.

Thoughts? 

With kind regards,

Hi Shanew,

I wanted to share with you a recent  breakthrough tracking down my GGmother Kate's sister, Mary White, in the US:

- she married Joseph Gaetze in 1898 in Anaconda, Montana. They are found on the Montana marriage index. Gaetze corresponds to the last name listed on Kate's passenger list record, while the latter is hard to read until you know what to look for.

- US census records list her and husband Joe in 1910 in Garden Prairie, South Dakota, which is a township near Fernay. No children. There is a common misspelling of Joe's last name as "Gatz" on this census.

- The US census in 1920 lists them next in Orange County, California. No children. This document mentions an immigration year of 1888 for Mary. I found one Irish Mary White on immigration passenger lists arriving on 17 May 1886 in Philadelphia from Liverpool, England, on the Lord Clive ship. She is age 22 (while i hear it was common for young women it inflate their ages...). Interestingly, she was listed next to a Mary Welsh (Walsh?) of similar age: cousins??

- The California death index lists Mary as passing in 1926. I found and updated her FindAGrave memorial, also taking responsiblitiy for it for our family. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124112267/mary-gaetze  Her husband moved to Texas by 1930 and remarried by 1940. He is buried with his second wife in Texas.

This doesn't help much for tracking down their brothers in Ireland, but at least it's a resolved family enigma and Mary has been found! 

However, I have since done some preliminary searching on Thomas White, with whom a Nicolas White was living as a widower per the 1911 census not too far from Argenagh, at Polldoon Townsland (National Archives search for Thomas Whites in Co Wexford). Thomas is listed as a brother, but I think he is actually a son. Thomas and wife Mary show up in that same general area at Farryrichard/Garryrichard also in 1901 with Thomas' occupation listed both times as shopkeeper and farmer. The main discrepancy is the age of Thomas, 46 in 1901 and 45 in 1911, but Mary is 39 in 1901 and 49 in 1911. In 1911, children are not listed, but are perhaps old enough to be working in some capacity away from home even as teens. Would you mind taking a look to see what you think of this idea about Thomas White & family?

Thank you and best wishes,

...Anne