Tragic update on the special shoemaker

My June 15th post mentioned the namesake of my great great grandpa, Charles Arnold Webber.  I had found from census records that he was named after a man who lived with them named Charles M. Arnold who died at the age of 33.

After a little bit of digging, I found that Charles and Mary Ann Arnold were not just boarders in the household with the Webber's.  Mary Ann was Lucy's sister.  So Charles was their brother-in-law.

I decided to do a little bit of digging to find his cause of death.  One word: wow.

Here is the typed version of the document below:
"An incident of him, occurring was the closing sum of his mortal career, was this: He was confined by sickness to his room; his disease was typhoid fever, accompanied with fits or seasons of mental aberration and estrangement.  In one of these turns he sprang suddenly from his bed, hallooing "murder," and made for a window, with the declared or manifest intention of going out; his wife, the only attendant present, attempted to prevent this, but was unable so to do; he abstracted himself from her grasp, leaped from the window to the pavement or ground outside; the window was in the third story of the building, and by force of the fall both his legs were broken just above the ankle joint.  His death ensued a few days after from the combined effect of his anterior disease and the injury received from his leap from the window."

I can't imagine the heartbreak! What a tragic loss.  And what an amazing account to leave to posterity.  The account continues:
"He was a man of rather prepossessing personal appearance, of fair intelligence, and general good behavior."

You know what?  People in the 19th century did amazing things.  My theory is that they just had more time.  No TV, no internet.  They came home from a day's work and said "what do I want to do tonight?" And then had no distractions.

During the mid-1800's, record keeping was meticulous in Massachusetts.  There is so much detail.  I have never encountered a document like this, but the author was amazingly thoughtful, poetic and prolific.  He wrote a short summary of all the individuals in the town, even if they only lived there for a short time.  There are over 350 pages of families.

4 ways to NOT find your ancestor on Ellis Island

I currently live in a very cool place. From my living room window I can see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  I actually have very few ancestors who came through there, so I was excited at the prospect of my great-great-grandma. These days it almost seems to be a feather in the cap of genealogist to find an Ellis Island immigrant ancestor. 

Family member name: Ellen Fripp Bromley Wahlgren

Lifetime: 1851-1941
Tree branch: Bromley
Relation: My 2x great-grandmother (my dad's mom's mom's mom)

But I was running into brick walls. It was a learning experience. Of what not to do.

1. Search on only one name 

This is especially true of females. She was born Ellen Fripp, married young to a Bromley and married a second time to a Wahlgren. What name did she have when she immigrated?  Match the year of immigration with the year of marriage, right? For some reason I was certain she came here when she was single. Couldn't find her. 

2. Search on only one database

I was certain she had to come through Ellis Island, so I searched the Ellis Island website. I entered her name, her other name, various spellings, various years of crossing. Nada. 

3. Assume you have your historical facts straight

I knew from later documents that her year of immigration was 1881. So, "of course she came through Ellis Island, since the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France for the US's centennial in 1876", said Miss Smartypants Me to myself.  Why couldn't I find her? 

4. Stick to your guns

I went across the river to the National Archives in NYC where I performed these same searches again, hoping that a passenger list had recently been found in the bottom of a box (eureka!) and scanned by an intern.  Nope. 

My advice is to not take any of the above advice.

Finally, I asked the nice lady volunteer with glasses and a lanyard what she recommended. She informed me that Ellis Island was not built until 1892, and before that, immigrants sailed by the Statue of Liberty and landed at Castle Clinton at the tip of Manhattan in Battery Park. (Duh! The Statue of Liberty is not the same as Ellis Island!)  "Why not try the Castle Clinton website?"  Boom. One search and done. I could even print it out. 

Passenger list of the Celtic

October 30, 1881.

3. Ellen Bromley, 29, F, Spinster, From England

A five minute walk from the National Archives to Castle Clinton and I was feeling successful. It's not Ellis Island, but I got to visit the spot where my great great grandma started her new life. And I didn't have to stand in line for a boat. Here I am.

And then my husband took me out for a glass of wine. :)

Distinguishing marks

Passport applications back in the day were not politically correct.  However, it's kind of cool for us to look back on them, as it gives some great additional information. 

Family member name: Herman Emanuel Wahlgren

Lifetime: 1866-1944
Tree branch: Bromley

Places lived: Sweden; Massachusetts
Relation: My 2x great-grandmother's husband

I have seen several pictures of my great-great grandmother's husband, Herman Wahlgren.  Although not my biological great-great-grandfather, he is the grandfather that my grandma knew.  They lived right down the road from her and saw each other often.  Each picture shows him as a distinguished older gentleman wearing a suit and tie.  Most often in a dapper hat.

However, his passport application gives another detail.  Under the area "Distinguishing marks" is written "Letters 'H.V.' tattooed on left..." and the page is cut off.  Left leg? Left arm? Not sure.  But I wonder if old Herman had a wild side as a younger man, or perhaps was in the Swedish navy.

Why H.V. when his name was Herman Wahlgren?  In Swedish, there is no letter W.  In rare cases where there is a W, it is pronounced as a V.  So I wonder if his name was Vahlgren?

Maybe some further digging will reveal those answers.  For now, it's nice to have a little more insight into my grandma's grandpa.