Michael Crowe Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland
Hi again,
This is the second half of my geneaology search!
This is probably the hardest part of my geneaology search, I have a family mystery to solve and it started 148 yrs ago during the American Civil War. This information comes from the Civil War Widow's Pension files of my great, great grandmother Mary Morris Crowe.
My great, great grandfather Michael Crowe who was from Rathfarnham, came to New York City where his brother John Crowe lived, in 1863 from Liverpool, England where he was living at the time with great, great grandma Mary Morris Crowe. On 7 May 1864 Michael Crowe enlisted in the United States Navy and was assigned to the Western Gulf Blockade Squadron (a naval blockade of the Southern or as it was called at the time Confederate United States.) His ship the U.S.S Metacomet was one of 18 ships that accompanied Rear Admiral David Farragut on his mission to capture Mobile Bay, Mobile, Alabama. It was on this mission that the events, that would change my great, great grandfather Michael Crowe and result in the mystery that haunts our family to this day, would occur.
At some point in the Battle of Mobile Bay my great, great grandfather Michael Crowe was witness to a horrific scene, while looking out a porthole on the ship with a fellow sailor, that sailor's head was shot clean off his shoulders during the battle and it appearently scarred great, great grandpa mentally & emotionally for life. From the behaviors notated in the pension depositions I believe that great, great grandpa Michael was suffering from what we would now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with an underlying case of Bi-Polar Disorder which resulted from him witnessing the decapitation of a fellow sailor during the Battle of Mobile Bay.
After the war my great, great grandparents returned to Liverpool, England until May 1873 when they left for Boston, Massachusetts with great, great grandfather arriving on 23 May 1873 with his eldest boy John Michael Crowe and great, great grandmother Mary Morris Crowe arriving on 6 Oct 1873. They were to join Mary Morris Crowe's brother Michael Morris who was great, great grandfather's friend as well as brother-in-law in the village of Lonsdale, Rhode Island now known as Cumberland, Rhode Island. It was 4 months after he arrived in September 1873 when his "bizarre" behavior became too much for the locals to deal with and he was committed to the State Hospital For The Insane, Cranston, Rhode Island on September 24, 1873. Shortly afterwards; it was discovered that great, great grandfather did not have a naturalization card and since he came into the United States through the port of Boston, Massachusetts he was remanded to the custody of Massachusetts officials and committed on Oct 22, 1873 to the State Almshouse and Asylum Tewksbury, Massachusetts where he remained until his "mysterious disappearance" on Aug 8, 1874 and he was never seen or heard of again by any family member here in the states.
My great, great, grandmother tried to have great, great, grandfather released to her custody (it seemed she did quite well managing his care in Liverpool, England according to the pension files), but was refused by Asylum Adminstration and was refused visitations with him as the Asylum Staff said the visits made great, great grandfather's behavior worse; therefore, the news of great,great grandpa's disappearance was some what of a shock to great, great grandma according to her depositions. It also left her as a single mother in 1874 having to raise 4 children; John Michael Crowe 11, Joseph F. Crowe 7(great, grandpa), Margaret F. Crowe 4, and Michael F. Crowe 2 by herself.
Great, great grandma Mary appearantly did not discuss the disappearance with her grandchildren; however, she did pass on the knowledge that great, great grandfather was from Dublin, Ireland, lived and married her in England and participated in the American Civil War at the Battle of Mobile Bay. Imagine my surprise reading through the pension documents and discovering what happened between Sept 1873 and Oct 1874! It was quite a surprise to my relatives as well; since we had all wondered where he was buried.
Great, great grandma Mary rests in the family burial plot of her son and my great grandfather Joseph F. Crowe in Cumberland, Rhode Island. However; the "mysterious disappearance" of great, great grandfather has deprived the family of having a date or place of death and a location of burial for him and it is this knowledge that I am looking for.
I'm hoping that the "Luck of the Irish" was with great, great grandfather and he made it back to his family in Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland. One last piece of the puzzle; great, great grandmother did not write to great, great grandfather's family of the "disappearance" until the pension inquiry 1891-1901 and received a puzzling reply. Great, great grandfather's sister Mary Catherine (Crowe) Pierce or Pearse wrote back to my great, great grandmother "I heard he was dead." How??? This is the most baffling part of this whole mystery.
Which is why I'm hoping someone can help me find an entry of death for Michael Crowe born 1836 Rathfarnham, parents Malachi or Malachy Crowe and Margaret Cregan Crowe.
Maria