Patrick Joseph Bradshaw 1881-1959

Unlike most of the subjects on this blog, I’ve had the benefit of knowing people who knew Pat Bradshaw well, although the information is getting bit fuzzy. Some of these tales and facts are the recollections of a 60 year old man (me) struggling to remember what his older relatives told him 30 or 40 years ago. I also have a couple of precious and all-too-brief documents written by my dad and my Aunt Marie. And last but definitely not least, I have the recollections of some of my older cousins.

Patrick Joseph Bradshaw (my grandfather) was born in Chateaugay, NY on June 15th, 1881. He was the eighth of Patrick and Johanna Bradshaw’s 11 children. At the time of his birth, there would have been eight children under 12 in the Bradshaw household.

In 1890, Pat Sr deeded the farm to Johanna and went west to seek his fortune in the mines, probably at the same time as his eldest son Billy. This left Johanna home on the farm with most of the children. Pat would have been around 9 at the time. Pat Sr was back by 1900 according to the US census.

In 1905, Johanna deeded the farm to Pat. He was 23 or 24 and unmarried, but he was the only one of his generation left at home. The 1905 New York State Census lists Patrick(60) and Johanna (60), Pat(23), and “Adopted Son” Fred Parmer(12). Fred Parmer doesn’t appear in any other records I’ve found, so he’s a mystery.

It’s an enduring mystery of the Chateaugay Bradshaws that out of 11 brothers and sisters, only Pat stayed in the area. Everyone else left for New York city, New England and California.

Johanna died in 1908, leaving just Pat and his father on the farm.

Pat had a difficult relationship with his father. Both my father and my uncle John told me that Pat the elder had a life-long problem with alcohol. When Pat Jr was young, there were Sunday get-togethers with Pat Sr’s Brother Richard and his family, who lived close by. The two brothers would go up to the hay loft and finish off an imperial pint of whiskey (which I imagine would have made the evening milking tough). Later, when Pat Jr. was running the farm his father’s drinking companions would congregate in the barn, making a nuisance of themselves. There was also a family rumor (possibly apocryphal) that Pat Jr had to smuggle liquor for this father across the Canadian border (two miles north of the farm) during prohibition. On at least one occasion, his father disappeared and was later found passed out in a ditch near the Sheehan farm (later the Pat Dwyer farm).

The 1910 census shows Patrick Sr, Pat Jr, and Pat’s sister Katherine, who had moved home from NH after divorcing her husband. Katherine died in 1912.

He married Rosetta Cassidy on February 15th, 1915.

Pat and Rosetta had three children. John Francis (1916-2006), Richard Gerald (1917-1982), and Mary Patricia (1919-1921).

For most of Pat’s life, work on the farm was done without benefit of any power equipment. The farm had electricity, running water and flush toilets as early as late 1920’s, but the first tractor didn’t appear until George bought a used Ferguson in 1954 (side note – I learned to drive on that tractor). Before that they used horses for everything. Marie: “He had the most primitive tools to work with no electric saws, drills or sanders. He made a wooden sled with steel runners to put milk cans on to draw from the milk house to the end of our driveway so the milk driver could pick up our milk in the winter in the morning. “

Pat was close with neighbor Will Dwyer. Will was best man at both of Pat’s weddings.

Mary died of spinal meningitis in 1921. Rosetta died the next year in 1922. After her death, it was just Pat, John, Gerald, and Pat’s father (also named Patrick) living on the farm.

Pat married Henrietta Cassidy (Rosetta’s cousin) September 1st, 1926. You can read more about their wedding day here. Henrietta was a local girl, born in Canada but raised at the south end of town on the Number 5 road. Pat was 45. Henrietta was 31.

Pat and Henrietta had four children: Marie Theresa (1927-1995), George Joseph (1928-2013), Irene Ann (1931-1992), and Rose Annette (1935-2004).

In 1935, after daughter Rose was born, Henrietta was stricken with serious mental illness. The family has always assumed that it was related to Rose’s birth. After a suicide attempt in which she tried to drown herself in the brook on the farm, she was committed to the Ogdensburg Psychiatric Hospital for about six months. This was a hard time for the family. Henrietta’s mother took Rose in for those months. The kids missed their mother terribly. Pat, who was normally stoic about most things, was visibly affected by Henrietta’s illness. My dad said that was the first time he realized his dad loved his mother. Dad recalled Pat traveling to Ogdensburg and coming back alone, saying that she wasn’t ready. She finally came home in time for Christmas. She was better, but Henrietta would struggle with mental health issues for the rest of her life.

Pat Deeded the farm to his son George (my dad) for $5000 and on the condition that he would support Pat and Henrietta, and put his sisters through college.

Pat passed away on October 19, 1959. He had purchased the one-room school house that sat adjacent to his property when the school system was centralized. He was remodeling the school turning it into a dwelling, possibly a retirement home. The state planned to widen the road so the building had to be torn down or moved. According to my dad, Pat was “tearing around doing a lot of things that a 78 year old man shouldn’t be doing.” That night, he had chest pains. The doctor attributed them to torn muscles. Henrietta found him dead in bed the following morning. The wake was held at home. He’s buried in Saint Patrick’s Cemetery in Chateaugay, along with Rosetta, Henrietta and Daughter Mary.

I once asked my dad, “What was he like?”. There was a pause, and dad replied, “He was a hard man”. In a brief autobiography (which will show up on this site some day) dad said the following of Pat: ” Tough old guy. Thoroughly honest. Strict. Violent temper. ” Marie recalled that both Pat and Henrietta were strict parents who seldom showed any affection.

But dad also described Pat as a thoughtful man who enjoyed solitary walks in the woods. Marie said that “Dad read lot even though he may not have received much formal education. He was intelligent, respected and well liked in Chateaugay.”

Over the years, I have asked my older cousins about their memories of Pat. Some found him stern and a bit scary. Others recall sitting on his lap and feeling secure and loved. I have a lovely account from my cousin Patty of Pat telling her how much he loved the blossoms on the apple trees in the yard, and bringing her to get the cows for milking.

I never met Pat. He died in 1959, three years before I was born. I get the impression of a smart, hard-working, complicated man who lived through hardship and tragedy, and was able to hold his family together through a terrible crisis.

Here’s a timeline of Pat’s life.

Thanks for reading. Please leave comments if so inclined. I’d love to hear from you.

Bradshaw Siblings Sometime in the 1890s L-R Matthew, John, Patrick, Agnes

Pat and Rosetta’s children, John, Gerald and Mary CA 1919

Pat and Henrietta Bradshaw’s Wedding Day, 1926

Pat Bradshaw and Family Visiting the Cassidy Farm in 1928.
*Seated Left to Right Herman(?) Cassidy, Pat Bradshaw, Marie Bradshaw (on lap), ?, Catherine Cassidy.*
*Left to Right, Rufus Cassidy, Clarinda Patenaude Cassidy, George Bradshaw, Henrietta Cassidy Bradshaw, Gerald Bradshaw (on car), John Bradshaw (on car), Georgina Cassidy, ?, ?, Leona Cassidy.*

Bradshaws 1936 — L-R (Rear) Gerald, Henrietta, Rose, Pat(holding Rose), John. (Front) Marie, George, Irene

Pat and Henrietta’s children – early 40’s L-R George, Marie, Rose, Irene. George seems to have a puppy in his coat.

Pat and Henrietta’s 25th Anniversary, 1951

Pat and family at daughter Irene’s graduation. Front Row L-R Kay McCormick, Henrietta, Irene, Georgina Murnane, Patty Bradshaw Gerald Bradshaw (holding Patty. Back Row L-R Meg Bradshaw, Pat (holding Meg), George Bradshaw, Dick Bradshaw, Marge Bradshaw (Holding Dick)

January 22, 2022

John Matthew Bradshaw 1876-1957

John Matthew Bradshaw was born in Chateaugay, NY on September 23rd, 1876. He was the 5th child of Patrick and Johanna (Sweeney) Bradshaw. He first appears in the 1880 federal census. By then there were 7 children in the Bradshaw home, all ages 10 or younger.

Unlike most of his siblings, John remained in the North Country well into his adult life. Most of his brothers and sisters left for New England or the Western US at as teens or young adults. The only other sibling to remain in Chateaugay was his brother Pat (my grandfather), who took over the family farm and lived there all his life.

In 1900, John was 24, living in a Boarding house in the Village of Chateaugay, and working as a druggist. Not long after, he attended the College of Pharmacy of the City of New York. After graduating in 1902, he went back to work in Chateaugay at McKenna’s pharmacy. The Chateaugay Record mentions that graduation was held at Carnegie Hall.

In early 1905, John purchased a pharmacy at 71 East Main Street in Malone that he operated for the next 5 years. The Malone papers during that time were filled with ads for patent medicines from Bradshaw’s Pharmacy, including such dubious compounds as “Orino Laxitive Fruit Syrup”, “Foley’s Kidney Cure”, and (forgive me) “Williams Indian Pile Ointment.” During that time his younger brother Matt worked in the pharmacy.

On October 26th, 1906, John received a telegram stating that his sister Anna Bradshaw Steward had died. He immediately travelled Traveled to Providence, RI where she had been living. Upon arrival he learned that Anna had been fatally shot by James Priest , a roomer in her Providence Boarding house. He met with Priest in jail, where he was being held. Based on newspaper accounts, John reported that priest was distraught and remorseful …”and feels the result of his carelessness keenly.“ Priest was tried and acquitted on November 9^th. The Providence News-Democrat covered the trial, and described testimonies by sisters Agnes Bradshaw and Margaret Bradshaw Shea, but doesn’t mention John.

In January 1910, John sold his business, and (according to the Malone Farmer) planned to move to Colorado to to represent a wholesale drug house. Those plans didn’t materialize, as the Chateaugay Record later reported that he had moved to Lake Placid for the summer. After that, John seems to have bounced back and forth between New York City and Lake Placid a number of times.

John married Agnes Marie O’leary on October 16th, 1912. Agnes was a writer from Wheeling, West Virginia where she had worked as a Society Reporter before moving to New York City about a year before John popped the question. In 1909, Agnes had published a novel, entitled “Beyond The Voices” Here’s a link to a copy on Google Books. I’ll be honest. It’s a pretty tough slog for a 21st century reader. Still – it’s one more novel than I’ve ever written. Good on ya, Agnes.

John and Agnes had 3 children, Mary (1913-1991), John (1915-1996) , and Gloria (1924-2009).

In 1938, John, Agnes and daughter Gloria attended a family reunion at the Bradshaw farm in Chateaugay. See below for photos.

The family lived at 8 Ralph St in White Plains for a number of years. As of January 2022 it’s still there if you check Google maps. It’s a 4 bedroom family home, built in 1927. By 1940 Mary and John Jr. were in their mid-20s but were still living at home. Mary was married and her husband Bernard Carrol was also living with them. The 1940 census states that John was a pharmacist at a private hospital, John Jr. was a clerk-typist, and Bernard Carrol was a fuel oil delivery-man. No occupations were noted for Agnes, Mary or Gloria.

John and Agnes later moved to Seaford, NY and finally to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In March 1955 someone broke into John and Agnes’ apartment in the early morning. When Agnes woke up, the intruder assaulted her, beating her severely. The She died four weeks later. She was 73.

John died December 8th in 1957 at the age of 83. The very terse Newsday obituary mentioned no cause of death – only that he died suddenly. The obituary names the 3 children as survivors. Mary’s surname name was listed as Logan. A grand-daughter was also mentioned, probably John Jr’s daughter, but it’s not entirely clear.

John is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in May’s Landing, NJ

Here’s a timeline of John’s life.

And that’s all we know about John Bradshaw and his family. My dad and uncles talked about John and family a bit, but there seems to have been little or no contact since John and Pat (John’s brother – my grandfather) passed away in the 1950’s. If anyone reading this knows anything further, I would love to hear from you.

Bradshaw Brothers and Spouses. John and Agnes Are on the Right

John second from left in front. Daughter Gloria fourth from left (middle). Agnes to Gloria’s right.

Bradshaw brothers at the the Bradshaw farm in Chateaugay, NY 1938. Left to right Matt, John, Richard, Pat.

January 15, 2022

MARGARET GERTRUDE BRADSHAW SHEA 1877-1919

Here is another fascinating and detailed biography from cousin and fellow family history enthusiast Mary Bradshaw McNally. As an added bonus, Mary included a historical map of Providence showing the streets our ancestors lived on. Enjoy!

Margaret Gertrude Bradshaw was born on July 29, 1877 in Chateaugay, New York, the 6^th of Patrick Bradshaw and Johanna Sweeney’s 11 children. It is not certain how old she was when she left the family farm at the northern edge of New York State and moved to New England, but she and four of her sisters were living either in New Hampshire or Rhode Island by the early 1900’s.

Margaret – also listed as Maggie and Margeruite on official documents – was married to Nicholas Shea in Providence, Rhode Island in May 1902, when she was 24 years old. She was likely eager for her parents to meet him as she and Nick traveled back to Chateaugay just after the wedding to visit Patrick and Johanna on the farm.

On Oct. 3, 1903, Maggie and Nicholas had a son, Thomas. No birth certificate can be found that states where they were living when he was born, but the birth date appears on other official documents. When Thomas was a year and a half, the family’s address for the 1905 Census was 61 Carpenter St. in Providence. Also living with them at this time were two of Maggie’s sisters ( our great-aunts), Anna Steward – a widow, whose husband had recently died by suicide, and her youngest sister, Agnes, 19 years old, who had recently left the farm to join her sisters in Rhode Island.

On October 12, 1906 the Chateaugay Record reported that Mrs. Nicholas (Maggie) Shay, Mrs. George Stewart (Anna) and Miss Annie Bradshaw (this must be Agnes) and Richard Bradshaw of Providence, R. I., and Mrs. John (Mary) Delaney and Miss Alice Bradshaw of Manchester, were called home for the illness of their mother Mrs. Patrick (Johanna) Bradshaw. From this, it appears that brother Richard had joined his sisters in Providence for a bit. It must have seemed quite dire to gather most of the siblings back at the farm, but their mother Johanna lived 2 more years and died in 1908.

However, after leaving Chateaugay, the sisters arrived back in Providence only to suffer a more shocking death less than 2 weeks later. Anna, who was now managing a boarding house, was accidentally shot and killed by a boarder named James Priest on October 26^th. Maggie was tragically present when the shooting occurred. She had left her son Thomas with Anna while she went shopping, and upon her return found Anna in the parlor with James Priest. Little Thomas (3 years old) had found a bullet casing on the floor. Priest apparently had the firearm it belonged to and while trying to explain how the weapon operated, it fired and shot Agnes (he obviously lacked a few essential details of its operation). Maggie had her back turned to help Thomas get his coat on when the shooting occurred, so did not visually witness it, but it certainly must have been a quite traumatizing experience for the 2 of them. Anna died within hours at the hospital. Maggie had to testify at the murder trial and it was reported in the Providence News Democrat that she nearly fainted during her testimony, and was allowed to recover in the deputy chief’s office, where she was given a “restorative”. (You can get the full story here in Pat Bradshaw’s post on Anna Bradshaw Steward ).

Maggie and Nicholas also had a daughter, Agnes Christine Shea, who was born the 14^th of December 1909 – likely named after Maggie’s younger sister Agnes. Unfortunately, baby Agnes only survived about 6 weeks; she died 5^th of February in 1910. Around the time of the baby’s death, the family was listed in the 1910 Census as living at 62 Vernon St, Providence. This address is just a few blocks from their residence in 1905 on Carpenter St. At the time of this Census, Thomas was 6 and his father Nicholas was running his own barber shop. There appear to be 2 boarders also living at this address– a Mr. McGraw and his wife Anna.

Maggie’s husband, Nicholas Shea, was from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and had emigrated to the US in 1894 when he was about 20 years old. He was naturalized as a citizen in 1905. His sister, Catherine Marsden, also emigrated to Providence with her husband and son in 1910, and his parents James and Elizabeth Shea, applied for emigration in 1918 to live with their daughter Catherine who resided at 112 (or 118?) Carpenter St. in Providence. This is just down the street from where Nicholas, Maggie, and Thomas lived in 1905, and even closer to Maggie and Nick’s 1910 address. As happens with immigrants, they find homes close to others of their clan. The boarding house where Anna died was also in the vicinity.

By 1915 Maggie and family have moved again. The census record lists them as living at 19 Pallas. St. They didn’t go too far as this is just around the corner from their last residence on Vernon St. But they did increase their boarding business as the dwelling lists 11 lodgers living at this address, with Nicholas listed as head of household. Their family name on this census is spelled Shia. Interestingly, Nicholas’ sister Catherine Marsden is living at 19 Pallas St 15 years later in the 1930 Census. A very tight circle indeed.

Nicholas registered for the draft in 1918 when he was 44 years old. His draft card lists his address as 33 Wood St., so they had apparently moved on again within this 3 year period. The boarding life may have worn its course. Wood St. is a fair distance away from the old neighborhood, relative to their other moves. The draft card states that he lives with his wife Margaret, that he is a Salesman for the Brewing Company, and that he is of medium height, slender build, has blue eyes and grey hair. It’s nice to get the visual.

It would have been nice to see a picture of Margaret around this time, as sadly she died 7 months later on April 27^th, 1919, at 38 years of age. The death certificate states she died a sudden death of unknown cause, possibly nephritis – kidney failure. It seems like such a vague ending. You can’t but wonder what her life was like after the death of her sister and particularly what her health was like through the years. The death certificate states she died at 27 Somerset St, and that this was her place of usual residence. Hmmm….this would mean they moved again. Of course, these official documents do get some things wrong – they list her birthplace as Schenectady, New York – which seems a bit random. But perhaps Nicholas had a bit of an accent and that’s what they recorded when he said Chateaugay. Or maybe he had forgotten where it was his wife was from after 17 years. A present-day real estate listing for 27 Somerset St. says it was a multi-family home built in 1900. Perhaps they were moving up to a newish home.

With Maggie’s death came more change. By the next year, in 1920, their son Thomas, who was nearing 16 years had moved to live with his Aunt Agnes in Boston. Maggie and Agnes did seem to be close, but you wonder whose initiative it was for Thomas to go live with her? His father, Nicholas, remained in Providence and is listed as head of household at 124 Broadway St. in the 1920 Census (back in the old neighborhood). He is still working at the Brewing company. Living with him is his brother Frank who worked in jewelry shop, Frank’s wife Kate who had migrated from Ireland in 1910, and their 1 year old daughter Katie. Nick’s mother Elizabeth and father James were also living with them. A fairly full house and maybe financial concerns prompted Thomas’ move to Boston. Just a month after the census, Frank died of pneumonia at age 27.

Nicholas Shea’s family members who had moved to Providence all eventually died there and are buried in St. Anne Cemetery, as was great-aunt Margaret. Nicholas however died in 1943 in Chicago–working as a barber again- and he is buried there.

I will add that it seems their son Thomas did very well for himself. He married Florence Herberger in Manahattan in 1930 and moved to Delmar, New York in the Albany area, working in car sales. They had one daughter, Barbara born in 1951. As mentioned in a story about Agnes Bradshaw Boss (the aunt who took Thomas in after Maggie died), Agnes moved to Delmar NY at about age 73 after her other family members had passed, and so Thomas perhaps returned the favor and cared for her.

Historical Map of Providence, Rhode Island. Streets where family members lived are highlighted in yellow.

November 1, 2020

Bridget Alice Bradshaw 1874 – 1957

Bradshaw Sisters – taken in turn of the century Manchester, NH. My guess is Mayme on the left and Alice on the right. Alice looks a bit like my Aunt Irene Bradshaw Bruns.

Bridget Alice Bradshaw was born in Chateaugay, NY on January 18th, 1874, the forth child of Patrick and Johanna Bradshaw. She moved to Manchester, NH at the age of 16 (around 1890), to work as a domestic servant for Ephraim and Mary Rowell, and their son Charles. By 1896, Ephraim and Mary had both died. For the next 31 years, Charles and Alice were the only two residents at the Rowell home at 1053 River Road, in Manchester.

When Charles Rowell died in 1927, he left Alice his $200,000 fortune. Google tells me that’s $2.8 million in today’s dollars. He also left $10,000 to John Delaney, Alice’s brother-in-law (Mayme’s husband).

This article from the Ogdensburg Republican-Journal 01-06-1927 includes some details, and even a brief interview with Alice. The article starts in the third column, below the opening panel of the Mutt and Jeff comic strip (what is it with these old comic strips and heavy objects being thrown at someone’s noggin?). According to the article, Alice left the Rowell home when Mary Rowell died in 1892, and returned when Ephraim died in 1896.

Sometime after Charles Rowell died, Alice’s sister Agnes Bradshaw Boss (who was separated from her husband), and her son Herbert moved in with her, and stayed for at least ten years. My Uncle Gerald (Richard Gerald Bradshaw) also lived with her for a year while attending St. Anselm’s college sometime in the thirties.

Sometime between 1940 and 1947, Alice moved to 756 Maple street in Manchester. The house (which is still there) is a multifamily home. It’s not a shack, but it’s much smaller than the Rowell house which had been her home for more than 50 years. As they say, her circumstances must have been greatly reduced. My Uncle John told me that her fortune was “Gradually dissipated by the machinations of crooked lawyers.”.

Alice died of heart diease on 05/09/1957 at the age of 82, at the Northwood Convalescent Home in Manchester. Agnes was listed as the informant on the death certificate.

She’s buried in New Saint Joseph’s Cemetery, in Manchester. Herbert Boss (Agnes’ son), who died in 1952 is also buried there.

A few other thoughts about Alice and her life:

Her name is listed In church baptismal records and Chateaugay, NY census records as Bridget. However, she seems to have gone by Alice for most of her life. Her death certificate listed shows her name as Alice B. Bradshaw. When her fathers estate was probated in 1926, the legal documents list her name as Bridget. I have a completely baseless theory that maybe she was trying to pass as non-Irish. Or maybe she just didn’t like the name Bridget.

While she must have faced some financial difficulties later in life, she wasn’t destitute. When she passed away she left $3,000 each to my grandfather (her brother) Patrick, and my uncle Gerald. That’s about $50,000 in 2020. John also mentioned that the main beneficiary in the family was her nephew Tom Shea.

Alice was another of my next door neighbors in Manchester. For a while we lived less than a mile apart on River Road (if you forget the fact that I missed her by 31 years). For some reason, I think about her a lot while walking the millyard or driving past her old house. I’m haunted a bit by this young girl who left a small farm in NY to move by herself to a bustling mill city, who never married, who worked as a domestic for most of her life, and then found herself alone and independently wealthy at the age of 52 when Charles Rowell died and left almost everything to her. It’s none of my damn business, but I wonder about the nature of her relationship to Charles Rowell. I fret over what her later years were like after she had to move out of the big house on River Road that had been her home for 50 years or more. I hope that Agnes was there with her in her last days.

Like all of these lost aunts and uncles, she’s a mystery, but she’s also a connection. She’s part of the story.

Thanks for reading. Please leave comments if so inclined. I’d love to hear from you.

April 25, 2020

Anna Bradshaw Steward 1879-1906

Anna Louise Bradshaw – my great aunt – was born February 19th, 1879 in Chateaugay, NY. She was the 7th of Pat and Johanna Bradshaw’s 11 children. She was right in the middle, born 10 years after their first child, Katherine, and 10 years before their last child Matthew. Like all of her sisters, she left home for New England at an early age. She moved to Providence Rhode Island around 1900.

She married Arthur Steward, a printer, originally from Illinois on July 16th, 1903. Arthur died on December 14th of the same year. The cause of his death listed in the Providence city records is “Suicide By Illuminating Gas”.

The 1905 Rhode Island state census shows Anna living with Arthur’s family.

By 1906, she was running a boarding house in at 22 Cope Street in Providence.

Sometime in the Fall of 1906, Anna returned to Chateaugay to visit her mother, Johanna who was seriously ill. She subsequently returned to Providence. The Chateaugay Record reported that she went back to Providence to dispose of her property “so as to return here and care for her mother.”

On October 26th, 1906 she was shot in the forehead with a .38 caliber revolver by an acquaintance, James Priest. She died in the hospital a few hours later. Anna’s sister, Margaret Bradshaw Shea, and Margaret’s four year old son Thomas were present at the time of the shooting.

Anna’s Brother John travelled from Malone, NY to Providence and spoke to Priest while he was being held for trial.

Priest was tried a couple of weeks later. The November 9th edition of the Providence News Democrat described the trial. Anna’s sisters Margaret and Agnes both testified. Margaret nearly fainted during her testimony, and was allowed to recover in the deputy chief’s office, where she was given a “restorative”.

According to testimony, Anna had purchased the boarding house a few months before. Priest had been a boarder there for over a month. On the morning of the shooting, Anna’s sister Margaret stopped by with her four or five year old son Thomas, and asked Anna to watch him while she went shopping. Margaret came back later to find Anna sitting in the parlor talking with James Priest. At some point the adults discovered that four year old Thomas was playing with a revolver shell, and got it away from him.

Priest then produced a .38 revolver and inserted the shell. What happened next isn’t clear, but in the process of loading the revolver and explaining what he was doing, the gun went off. The bullet struck Anna in the forehead.

Margaret testified that she was occupied helping her son put on his coat, and didn’t see the shooting.

Agnes testified that couple of nights before her death, Anna had been showing the gun. When she was finished, she put the gun under her pillow.

Priest was acquitted on November 9th, 1906. The judge stated that there was no evidence of malice or intent.

Anna was buried in St. Anne’s cemetery in Cranston Rhode Island with Arthur.

-Pause here for a deep breath-

I’m torn between feeling the weight of the tragedy that filled the last couple of years of Anna’s short life, while still being drawn to the sensational details. There are so many questions:

What were the circumstances of Anna’s husband’s suicide?
What was the relationship between Anna and James Priest? The Providence New-Democrat implied that they were romantically linked, but the reporting in that paper at that time was pretty sensational. However, he was living in her boarding house, and lent her his pistol.
Why on earth would Anna borrow a pistol? The fact that she kept it under her pillow boggle the mind.
What were the real circumstances of the shooting? Was it really an accident? It certainly seems like a sad combination of incompetence and bad judgement.
Anna sounds like very interesting character. She endured a great personal tragedy, but soon owned and ran her own business. She wasn’t afraid to handle a revolver, and kept it under her pillow.
It seems surprising that Priest got off scott free. I’m no lawyer, but it pointing a loaded gun in the direction of your landlady and pulling the trigger would seem to warrant some consequences, regardless of intent.
The three sisters all lived in Providence, and apparently saw each other frequently. Agnes would have been around 18.

We have no records of the affect of Anna’s death on the family. A generation later, not much was known. My uncle John recalled that his father Pat (Anna’s younger brother) had mentioned that she had died of a gunshot wound, but that was all he said. Maybe it was too painful to discuss. Maybe people just didn’t talk about things like this then. If you don’t talk about it, then a generation later the story is gone.

Links to newspaper articles regarding Anna’s death are included below. It’s a pretty interesting read, especially the Providence News Democrat. The difference between the small town and big city newspapers is interesting.

Please feel free to leave comments. I’d love to hear what you think.

Links:

Timeline of Anna Bradshaw Steward’s Life

Chateaugay Record, November 2nd, 1906

Malone Palladium, November 1st, 1906

Providence News Democrat 10/29/1906 -Page 1

Providence News Democrat 10/29/1906 – Page 10

Providence News Democrat 11/09/1906 – Page 1

Providence News Democrat 10/29/1906 – Page 9

November 16, 2018November 17, 2018

Mayme Bradshaw Delaney 1872-1941

When I moved to Manchester, NH in 1986, I had no idea that that there was so much family history there. Several of Pat and Johanna’s offspring lived in Manchester for a time, and at least two (Alice and Mayme) are buried there.

I don’t know a lot about Mayme’s day to day life, or what she was like, but I can say that I LITERALLY walk in her footsteps. Usually on the way to cash a check or pick up a meatball sub. “What the hell does that mean?” you may ask. Read on…

Mary Emelda (Mayme) Bradshaw, the third child of Patrick and Johanna Bradshaw was born June 10th, 1872 in Chateaugay, NY. She appears as a child in the 1875 New York State Census and the 1880 Federal census in Chateaugay.

According to my dad, her name was pronounced “Mame” – one syllable, not “Mamie”, as you might expect. Not that it matters, I suppose, but it’s just one more little fact that we can hold onto for another generation or two.

My Uncle John wrote that Mayme and her younger sister Alice moved to Manchester some time at the late 1800s, most likely to find work in the Amoskeag Textile Mills(fear not – the next biographical post will be all about Aunt Alice). We don’t know when they left, but neither of them appear in Chateaugay in the 1900 Federal Census. Other sources say that Aunt Alice was 16 when she moved to Manchester, so a best guess would be 1890.

Mayme married John Delaney on January 27th, 1903, in Haverill MA. John was a Taylor who (according to Uncle John) had a contract for Policeman’s uniforms. They had no children.

The 1910 census shows the couple living at 123 Oakland Street. Mayme’s occupation is listed as Saleswoman – grocery store. They lived at that location through at least 1927.

In 1927 John received an inheritance from Charles Rowell, the employer of Alice Bradshaw, Mayme’s sister. Charles passed away with no heirs, and left most of his fortune to to Alice who had been working for the family for decades. The only other individual named in his will was Mayme’s husband John , who received $10,000, or about $139,000 in 2018 dollars.

By 1930 they had moved to farm in Londonderry. John is listed in the 1930 census as a Farmer, and no occupation for Mayme is listed.

I doubt that Mayme and her husband changed careers and lifestyles so dramatically out of economic need. Both were in their mid-fifties. A career change to farming in late middle age sounds more like a retirement strategy, especially given the fact that John had received the inheritance from Charles Rowell.

My grandparents visited Mayme sometime in 1930, and brought along their sons John and Gerald, who would have been in their early teens by then.

CA 1930 Mayme Bradshaw Delaney (Left) , Pat Bradshaw (Second From Left), John Bradshaw (fourth from Left), Gerald Bradshaw (Seated), “Junior” (Right) – **CLICK TO ENLARGE**

A few observations about this photo:

1) I am guessing that this was taken at Mayme and John’s house. The tidy house and surroundings seem more New England than Franklin County, NY.

2) I can’t identify the man in the middle of the photo below, but he’s probably John Delaney.

3) Pat (my Grandfather) seems at ease, and is almost smiling. In most photos he’s a pretty grim fellow. The other adults seem to be enjoying themselves too. The boys look miserable.

4) Gerald and Junior’s footwear is pretty impressive for the early 30’s. And those knickers – wow.

Here’s another picture of Mayme and her nephews. Not sure what was going on, but these boys did not seem happy to be there.

Mayme Delaney and Nephews: L-R John Bradshaw, Gerald Bradshaw (rear) “Junior”, Mayme **CLICK TO ENLARGE**

Farm life didn’t last long. John died in 1933. Shortly after, Mayme moved into an apartment in Manchester where she lived for the rest of her life. The apartment was on Elm Street, just a couple miles from her sister Alice’s home on River Road.

The apartment building (1480 Elm) is still there, about a quarter mile from where I work. I walk by it every so often on my way to the bank or to Pappy’s Pizza, which are both right across the street.

She died in 1941 at the age of 68, and is buried in the Rowell Family plot in Manchester’s Pine Grove Cemetery. Her obituary stated that she was a Christian Scientist.

Here’s a timeline of her life.

Thanks once again for reading. If there are any long lost cousins out there who can make any additions or corrections, please let me know.

P.S. – Comments are always most welcome

P.P.S. If you would like to subscribe to the blog, and recieve email notifications when posts go up, you can enter your email address in the form on the top right of the screen.

November 5, 2018November 7, 2018

How Eileen Met Her Dad

Here’s another post on the family of Richard Martin Bradshaw (1882 – 1957), focusing on his daughter Eileen. It’s a great story. Thanks once again to Jerry Juracich for writing this. All the words below are his. It’s such a great piece, with so much detail, I wouldn’t presume to change a thing.

Here’s a link to the first post about Richard (Brad) Bradshaw

How Eileen met her dad, Richard Bradshaw

In 1918 Eileen Evelyn Bradshaw was born in Alamosa Colorado. Her mother, Myrtle Chase and Eileen’s father, Richard M Bradshaw divorced before Eileen’s earliest recollections. What Eileen knew of her father came from whatever her mother told her. Eileen lived with her mother, Myrtle until Myrtle died of breast cancer in 1927. No one knew how to find Eileen’s dad, Richard, so after her mother’s death Eileen lived with her mother’s people, the Chases in north east California and Southern Oregon. The Chases were poor people and none could afford to give her a permanent home. Eileen lived with one aunt and uncle after another until she finished high school. Eileen then attended St. Joseph’s Hospital College of Nursing in San Francisco and graduated with her RN.

In 1940, Eileen married John N Juracich. At the time Eileen was in St. Joseph Nursing School and John was in the Navy. Sometime after this, the ship John was on was torpedoed and sunk and the crew was forced to abandon ship. John and many of his fellow crewmen were rescued. A few years after this, when John had reached the rank of W-4 warrant officer, John was on another ship that got torpedoed and sunk off the coast of Italy. After being rescued, based on his previous experience, John knew of the chaos that would follow. As an officer, John was able to send a telegram to Eileen telling her he was okay. In the ensuing chaos the Navy listed John among the dead and the San Francisco papers carried the story. Because John had been erroneously reported as dead, when he got out of the Navy, the San Francisco newspapers did a brief bio on him. The bio included the fact that he and his wife, the former Eileen Bradshaw now had a son.

Richard Bradshaw left Colorado and ended up in the San Francisco bay area in California. Somewhere along the way Richard married Edna Cresswell. Edna saw the article in the San Francisco newspaper along with Eileen’s maiden name, Bradshaw. She realized this could be the long lost daughter her husband had told her about. At that time Richard and Edna had a summer place in Almaden, California, about 25 miles from Los Altos, where John and Eileen lived. Father and daughter reunited. Of course there was some mistrust at first, but over the years they became very close. When Richard could no longer live alone he moved in with John and Eileen and spent his final years in their home.

Told by Jerry Juracich, Eileen’s son.

Juracich Family, Eileen, Jerry, John, 1944

Richard Martin Bradshaw – Photo Taken in Denver CO 1916

March 31, 2018April 28, 2020

Richard Martin “Brad” Bradshaw 1882-1957

This post about my great-uncle Richard Bradshaw has been a lot of fun to write, not only because of its gregarious subject, but also because his grandson Jerry Juracich was gracious enough to collaborate with me. Jerry knew Richard (or “Brad” as he was known to his contemporaries), and shared some personal recollections.

Richard Martin Bradshaw was born in Chateaugay, NY on November 11, 1882.

In 1890 he was living in Chateaugay, NY at the age of 8 with this Parents, (Patrick and Johanna) and Brothers Patrick (born 1881), Agnes (born 1884), and Matthew (born 1889). He was the closest in age to my grandfather Patrick.

We don’t know much about his early years as a young adult, but he certainly moved around a lot.

By 1902, at the age of about 20, he had moved to New England. Various articles in the “Chateaugay Record and Franklin County Democrat” indicate that he lived in Providence Rhode Island in 1902, Boston, MA in 1906, and Worcester, MA in 1909.

The May 14^th 1909 edition of the Chateaugay Record stated that “Richard Bradshaw, Son of Patrick Bradshaw left on Monday for Seattle, Wash. , here he expects to locate.”. It would seem that he didn’t quite hit his target, since the 1910 Federal Census shows him living in Portland, Oregon. His occupation is listed as Hardware Salesman.

He married Myrtle Chase in 1916. Their Daughter Eileen Evelyn Bradshaw was born April 22^nd, 1918 in Alamosa, CO.

His 1918 draft card showed him living in Alamosa, CO married to Myrtle. The occupation listed was “Traveling Salesman for the W.C. Nevin Candy Company”.

Sometime later, Richard and Myrtle Divorced. Richard lost contact with Myrtle and Eileen.

Richard stayed in contact with his brother William (Billy), who lived in Nevada, Colorado, and finally San Francisco, CA. Richard is the only one of Billy’s siblings mentioned in his 1927 obituary.

The 1930 Federal Census shows Richard living in San Francisco, CA. By that time he was Married to Edna (Cresswell) . He was working as a Sales Manager in the Ice Cream business.

In 1933, the Oakland, CA City Directory shows Richard and Edna living at 4801 Melrose Avenue. His occupation is listed as Manager at the Samarkand Ice Cream Company.

In August, 1938, he attended a family reunion in Chateaugay NY. He brought Edna, and his niece Leona Bradshaw Cannon (daughter of his brother Billy). Click here for a link to the article in the August 19^th , 1938 edition of the Chateaugay Record.

This picture was taken on the front porch of the family farm during the reunion. Richard is in the front, third from the left. They’re a grim-looking bunch for the most part. My dad (age ten or so, first boy on the right) is probably scowling because he and this brothers and father had to sleep in the hayloft. Getting hay in your knickers is no fun. Richard, squinting at the camera is the only one displaying even the slightest bit of amusement.

His 1942 draft registration card shows him living with Edna at 1700 Fremont Way, Oakland. He was running two taverns in Oakland, both named Brad’s. One was at 4900 Bond St. The other was at 2045 Hopkins Place (now in Berkeley). The Bond St. Brad’s was at the intersection with Bancroft Ave. which formed a small triangular wedge of land and the tavern occupied the entire wedge. Richard once advertised by buying an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records stating that Brad’s was the only tavern in the world occupying an entire city block. The Hopkins Place Brad’s was also on a small triangular wedge of land, but it was a little bigger and had some parking.

Richard reconnected with his daughter Eileen when she was in her twenties. They remained close for the rest of his life.

In 1992 I corresponded with Richard (Brad’s) daughter Eileen Bradshaw Juracich. According to Eileen, her father…

“Had a wonderful Irish sense of humor. Loved to be with people. In one of his taverns, named “Brad’s”, the baseball legend Billy Martin was a frequent visitor. Edna and Dad sponsored a Sunday bus to the Oakland baseball games. In their other tavern, movies of their guests were taken Wednesday night and shown to standing room only audiences on Saturday nights. They had a Summer Cottage in Almaden, CA where he was the unofficial “Mayor” on Almaden day.”

Description from Jerry Juracich: My grandfather front and center at Almaden Days, stogie in his hand as typical. He is uncharacteristically serious because he is running the show. For several years he was chairman of the New Almaden Improvement Committee; it was the governing body of the town so he was the de-facto mayor. On Almaden Day the men had to have a beard and were expected to carry a whiskey bottle around – if you didn’t, you were thrown in jail – tongue-in-cheek.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Jerry Juracich, Eileen’s son and Richard’s grandson. He sent along the following recollections:

“Grandpa kept a trailer house in our back yard in Mountain View. Sometimes he’d hook up the trailer and go on trips. He told me Mercy Hot Springs was a fun place. This is about 100 miles from us, so I visited it once in about 1995. Not much there other than some geyser springs – Oh well. He told me about going to New Orleans and Havana, Cuba. I’ve been to New Orleans a few times and it is fun! I’ve never been to Havana.

We lived on an apricot and cherry ranch with a long gravel driveway and we often had 3 mean dogs. The dogs would kick up a fuss if a stranger came up to the house. For some reason, when Grandpa Bradshaw visited, the dogs didn’t challenge him. He’d tell them to stop smelling and licking and he’d smack them with his tobacco pouch. He’d fallen asleep in his chair in our living room once and I walked in and one of the dogs was sitting beside him licking his arm. He’d smack me with his tobacco pouch too.

I remember yelling “Grandpa’s here.” Living on an apricot and cherry ranch was pretty boring, so when Grandpa showed up it was a big deal. He’d bring candy and gifts and a bottle for my dad and him. Plus, I think my mom was a little easier on us when he was there.

In the winter of 1955/56 we had severe flooding. The phones to Almaden were out and my mom was worried about how her dad was doing. He lived in a summer cottage named “La Casita Escondido” that backed up to a creek. My mom and I drove out to ‘rescue’ grandpa. Near Almaden, the water completely covered the road. It was a great adventure for a 12 year boy. Grandpa lived on the other side of the creek from the main road. There were 2 bridges that could be used to get to Grandpa’s house. The first one was a wooden single track that had already washed out by the time we got there. The second was a cement bridge which is still there, even today. We drove to Grandpa’s house, but he wasn’t there. Then by a stroke of genius or something, mom checked the neighborhood bar/restaurant. Many of the old guys, including Grandpa were there, smoking and drinking and watching the creek rise from the bar’s back window and generally having a grand time. Grandpa did not want to be rescued, but mom insisted, and he came back with us to Mountain View.

Grandpa Bradshaw and I shared a room in my parent’s house in Mountain View, CA where he eventually died. I think he had survived 3 or 4 heart attacks, but not this one. He was buried at the catholic cemetery in Santa Clara, CA on Winchester Blvd.”

Richard died on April, 23, 1957.

Here’s a timeline of his life.

Thanks again to Jerry for calling me out of the blue and sharing his memories with me. As I’ve said many times in this blog, the Chateaugay branch of the Bradshaws has been out of contact with the rest of Patrick and Johanna’s descendants for many decades. It was a real treat to hear from a long-lost cousin and get his personal recollections. It made this post much different from those about older siblings Katherine and William. Those posts were more like archaeological research – trying to build a story by digging up fragments of historical data. This post about Richard feels more like biography than anthropology.

Genealogical research aside, it’s been great to connect with Jerry (and also his sister Kate who I found through Ancestry DNA). Thanks, cousins!

As always – I comments are welcome. Let me know what you think!

November 8, 2017November 9, 2017

Love, Affection and Other Good and Valuable Considerations

On July 26th, 1889, Patrick Bradshaw sold the family farm in Chateaugay, NY to his wife Johanna for the sum of “Four hundred dollars, love and affection, and other good and valuable consideration.” That’s about the same time that their son William (Billy) left home to travel west. Family oral history says that when Billy Went west, his father Patrick went with him. Billy found work in the mines of Nevada and Colorado and stayed for the rest his life. Patrick ultimately returned. The US census shows him back by 1900.

Johanna retained ownership of the farm until 1905 when she sold it to their son Patrick Joseph.

So did Pat transfer the farm to Jo because he knew he would be out of the picture for an extended time? Was the $400 his seed money for making his fortune out west? Why on Earth would he embark on such an endeavor at the age of 45, leaving behind his wife and 11 children, ages 3 months through 20 years? Was the farm failing?

Of course we will never know the answer to most of these questions. I got the story of Patrick leaving to go west from my Uncle John, and it’s an interesting coincidence that he sold Johanna the farm about the same time.

Whatever the reason for the sale, something fishy was going on at the Bradshaw farm.

P.S. The terms from the deed (“Love and affection and other good and valuable consideration”) appear at first to be a touching addition to an otherwise dry legal document. However, they’re real legal terms that are still in use today. So much for my initial impression that my whiskey-loving great-grandfather Patrick had a bit of a soft spot.

October 18, 2017March 31, 2018

Rank Speculation and Wild Guesses

This is one of a few pictures that I have with infuriatingly little information to go along with it. “Bradshaws” is written on the back in pencil. No date. No first names.

There are four people in this posed photograph, taken at the studio of A.E. Holmes, in Chateaugay, NY. Three boys and a girl. The boy on the left is wearing a lacy shirt and is holding a straw hat. The others are older, the boys wearing suits, and the girl wearing a dress with a lace collar. At first, the dress clothes, the stiff poses and unsmiling expressions make the older three appear to be almost young adults. On closer inspection they appear to be much younger – probably in their early teens at the oldest.

My dad looked at this picture a number of years ago, and was reasonably certain that this photo depicts his father and some siblings.

So here’s my guess:

Left to right: Matthew Bradshaw (1889-1996), Richard Bradshaw (1882-1957), Patrick Bradshaw (1881-1959), Agnes Bradshaw (Boss) (1884-1966).

Here’s my reasoning.

These four were the youngest of Patrick and Johanna Bradshaw’s children.
The 1900 federal census shows them as the only children living with Patrick and Johanna.
The picture was taken by A.E. Holmes, who was in business in Chateaugay, NY from 1886 until 1899.
The youngest boy (who appears to be none too thrilled about his attire) is about 7 – so if that’s Matt then this was taken about 1896. In that case Richard would be about 14, Pat 15 and Agnes 12.
Based on pictures I have seen from a 1938 family reunion, the three boys look like Matt, Richard and Pat. I don’t have a picture of Agnes, but she was the youngest daughter.

I could be wrong about who’s who, and it’s even possible that they’re not Patrick and Johanna Bradshaw’s children. Patrick’s brother Richard lived nearby also, and had plenty of kids of his own. In any case, I’m confident that they’re family.

I have a couple of requests for the blog’s dedicated readers:

1) If there are any Bradshaw cousins out there who recognize an ancestor, let me know.

2) If anyone can help identify the year more closely (through clothing, the logo at the bottom or some other feature), I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance.