A New Generation

Isn't Maddalena Del Monte a beautiful name?  I love it!!  She is my great great grandmother!! I just found her today when I discovered my great grandmother Giacinta Laurora's death record.  I also learned Maddalena's husband name, Saverio Morlani.  Saverio is the Italian version of Xavier. 

It is amazing how much information you can learn on one record like this!!  For this one record, I learn that my great grandmother lived to the ripe old age of 80 years old. Now I know the approximate year she was born, 1823.  I learned her parents names and that they lived in Terracina, and that Giacinta was born in Terracina.  I also learned that Saverio was a contadino (a farmer) and the ladies were woman of the house or "donna di casa".  I love my peasant Italian heritage!  I wrote more about that here.   It is always wonderful to find a whole new generation!  I am so very excited!  Now I just want to learn more!

  

Getting Closer

Four years ago I wrote the following post, click here,  regarding my great grandmother Mary Finnicane/Finnochan/Finnegan Crowley.  I may be getting closer to finding her.
I found a record I believe may be her death record but there is just one little piece of information missing from the document that would identify her 100% as the correct person.  And, that is her husband's name, Jeremiah Crowley.   Here is the record.  Mary Crowley is line 24.

Click to make larger, save image to magnify.

Believe it or not Mary Crowley is a fairly common name in this part of the country at that particular time.  The reason I think this record may be a match is that I know that Mary was living in Chelmsford on the 1880 census and she had a child born in 1882 in Chelmsford.  The age of forty doesn't exactly match because she is listed as age 40 on the 1880 census.  Her father's surname is almost a match ( I have seen her surname spelled with several variations), but I have never seen another document with her parents name listed before.  The record also says that she was married.  Why, oh why, then does it NOT list a spouse's name???  The 1900 census lists Jeremiah as a widower.  So, I know his wife died before then.  The surprise in this document is that her cause of death was abortion!!  Was that a spontaneous abortion as in a miscarriage or did she try to abort a pregnancy later in her life??  I have searched for a obituary for this death record and found none and I have contacted cemeteries to find a burial record to no avail.  Many family members are buried in St. Patrick's cemetery in Lowell, but she is NOT there.  Can a woman who had an abortion be buried in a Catholic cemetery anyway?? Does anyone else have any other ideas on where to search?  Would this be enough evidence for you??  Any helped would be appreciated. 
Thanks

Fabulous Friday's Forever Family Featuring...

My grandmother, Mary Rose! "Rose" was a Christmas baby, born on Christmas Day in 1874 in Lowell Massachusetts. She died before I was born in 1941. Rose was a remarkable women who know much heartache but stayed devout to her Catholic faith. Her father died when she was only eleven years only. She married my grandfather John Thomas and they had eleven children. Rose buried five of her children before they reached adulthood. Can you imagine? I can't. Three of them were infants when they died. One son John Francis died as an eight year old. He had been cranking one of the old fashioned cars and the crane hit him in the abdomen. Mary Gladys died from tuberculosis at the age of 18. Her babies died from things that would be treatable today, prematurity, seizures, meningitis. I have never met my Grandma. However her strength helps me to be strong in my trials. She has been sealed in the Temple, to her family that has passed on. (Click on the links to learn what LDS people believe about forever families.) I wonder... did she believe that her family would go on forever. Maybe that is what gave her strength. When I meet her I will ask! I firmly believe that I am who I am today because of the my ancestors. I am eternally grateful for the legacy I have been given. I look forward to my reunion with my Grandma Rose, I will hug her and thank her for the strength she has given me!