G-G-Great Grandparents (Maternal) Henry & Harriet A. Dodd

Henry & Harriet A. Dodd

DOB:  Henry: 1821  Harriet: 1823
Death:
Marriage:


Links: (click on image to enlarge):

1850 NY Census Saratoga Quaker Springs

Henry, age 29
Harriet A., age 27
William H., age 4
Lydia A., age 3
Joseph Hill, age 18, border, farmer

G-Great Grandparents (maternal) James S. & Minnie Dodd Hanna

James S. and Minnie Dodd Hanna

DOB:  James: 1868, Minnie: 1869
Death:
Marriage


Links (click on image to enlarge):

1905 NYS Census Quaker Springs Dodds & Hannas

James S. Hanna, age 37, farmer
Minnie, age 36
Caroline B., age 12
Charles, age 9
William, age 8
Sterrett, age 4
Irma, age 2
Cornell William, age 18, border, farm laborer

G-Great-Grandparents (maternal) William H. & Caroline Dodd Hanna

Caroline Dodd Hanna & William H. Hanna

DOB:   William: 1845  Caroline: 1844
Death:
Marriage:  1907




Links: (Click to enlarge)

1910 US Census Saratoga Quaker Springs, NY

William Hanna, age 65, farmer, married 43 years
Caroline, age 66, married 43 years, birth to 4 children, 2 living
Edward, age 38, home farm laborer

G-G-Great-Grandparents (maternal) Jane & Robert Hanna

Robert & Jane Hanna

DOB:  Robert: 1810  Jane: 1820
Death:
Marriage:
Spouse: Jane


FILES: (Click image to enlarge)

1860 US Census Hebron, Washington Co., NY
Robert Hanna Family

Robert Hanna, head of household, age 50, occupation: Farmer, born in New York
Jane Hanna, age 40 (DOB 1820), born in New York, value of personal estate: $1900
NOTE:  William would have been 24 years old and, most likely, on his own in 1860.
Mary, age 18
David, age 16
Jane A., age 14
Samuel, age 11
Nancy, age 9
Frances, age 5
Caroline R., age 1
Samuel, age 56, (DOB: 1804) occupation, Farm laborer, Value of personal estate: $1700

G-Great-Grandfather (maternal) William S. Hanna

William S. Hanna

DOB:    1836,  Hebron, Washington Co., New York
Death:
Marriage:
Spouse:  Elizabeth "Betsy"


Files: (click on file to enlarge)

1892 NYS Census, Hebron, Washington Co., NY William S. Hanna Family

William S. Hanna, age 56 (DOB: 1836), occupation: Blacksmith, birth:  US
Elizabeth, age 49, (DOB: 1843), birth: US
Alida, age 27, (DOB: 1864), occupation: Milliner, birth: US
Ella, age 19, (DOB: 1872), occupation: Teacher, birth: US
Abbie, age 17, (DOB: 1875), birth: US
Albert, age 17, (DOB: 1875), birth: US

1900 US Census, Hebron, Washington Co., New York

Wlm S. Hanna, age 64, (DOB: May, 1836), occupation: Blacksmith, Married for 38 years, both parents & himself born in NYS
Betsy, wife, age 57, (DOB: April, 1843), Marriedf for 38 years, Mother of 7 children, 6 living in 1900, both parents and herself born in NYS
Theodore C., son, age 16, (DOB: March, 1884), at school, both parents & himself born in NYS

Marriage of William & Betsy's son, Albert on January 1, 1916 to Florence Barnes, daughter of Wallace Barnes (second cousins?)

Albert, 39 years old, occupation: farmer, Parents: William S. Hanna and Betsy McMillan
Florence, 28 years old, Parents: Wallace Barnes and Alice Broughton

G-G-Grandparents James William & Sarah Jane Charter Toleman

James William Toleman
aka James W. Toleman
aka J. William Toleman

DOB:   1841, England
Death:  1896, Age 55, Salem, New York
Marriage:  
Spouse: Sarah J. Charter Toleman

Sarah Jane Toleman

DOB:   1843, England
Death:  1932, Age 89, Salem, New York
Marriage:  
Spouse: James W. Toleman



Files: (Click to enlarge)

James William Toleman Baptism In England, 1841

Baptised in the Parish of St Leonard, Shoreditch, on May 2, 1841. Son of James & Mary Toleman of Tabernacle Walk.  James William was 4 weeks, 20 days old at baptism.  Father's occupation listed as "Tailor".

1875 New York Census, Salem, NY Toleman
and Albert Broughton (Alice's brother) families

James W. Toleman, age 34, (DOB: 1841) born in England, occupation: machinist
Sarah J., age 25, (DOB: 1850) born in England
Fredrick W., age 8, (DOB: 1868) born in Washington Co.
Clarrie (Clara), age 1, (DOB: 1874) born in Washington Co.

Also in household:

George F. Wayman, age 17, Sarah's nephew,  born in England

I cleaned and photographed the family gravestones May 27, 2012:

James William Toleman & Sarah Jane Charter Toleman Gravestone

On the reverse of the stone is the grave markers for two of their three children.  Clara and Albert Toleman never married and were buried in their parents' plot at Evergreen Cemetery.

Clara Toleman:  1875 - 1953

Albert Toleman: 1888 - 1919

and the grave of Sarah's nephew, George Wayman, son of Harriet Charter Wayman, who settled and married in Salem is across the road from the Charter and Toleman plots.

G-G-Great Grandfather Ira Broughton

Ira Broughton

DOB:   1815 or 1819, Vermont
Death:
Marriage:
Spouse: Emeline

Files: (Click to enlarge)

1860 US Census from Salem, NY with Ira Broughton household

Ira Broughton, Age 41, Engineer (possibly for D&H railroad in Salem)
Emeline, wife, Age 36, (1814) Vermont born
Albert, Age 20, (DOB 1840) Vermont born
Alice, Age 17 (DOB 1843) New York born
Fanny, Age 8, (DOB 1852), New York born
Kate, Age 9, (DOB 1853), New York born

Also in household were a Music teacher, age 22; and Mary Dwyer, a household servant, age 22 from Ireland.

June 1875 NY Census for Salem, NY with Ira Broughton
 and Thomas Charter/Wayman Households

Ira Broughton, age 59, Owner of Railroad Shop and Machinist in D&H (Railroad)
Emaline C., age 53 *which would put her DOB at 1822
Kate F., age 21

Border, Jeremiah Corstigan, age 33, Born in Washington Co., works at D&H RR Shop, machiniest & joiner

Update July, 2014:
In May 2013 I finally found the Broughton grave site in Evergreen Cemetery. It is in a back section, directly across from the fish pond and old willow trees next to it.  It is a lovely stone for the family with individual small headstones behind it. Ira was, apparently, married twice:

Albert K. Broughton, son of Ira, pictured on a steam engine in Salem, NY.  Note regarding Ira (his father) in the caption.

G-G-Great Grandmother Mary Anne Purchase Charter

Mary Anne Purchase Charter

DOB:  1810,  England
Death:
Marriage:
Spouse: Thomas Charter, Jr.

Files: (Click image to enlarge)

1851 England Census from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England

G-G-G-Great-Grandmother (Paternal) Mary Purchase

Mary (maiden?) Purchase

DOB:  1780
Death:
Marriage:
Spouse:      ? Charter

Files: (Click image to enlarge)

1851 England Census from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England
Living in household of son-in-law & daughter, Thomas & Mary Anne Charter, Jr.

Files: G-G-Great-Grandparents (maternal) Thomas & Mary Ann Purchase Charter

Mary Anne Purchase Charter

DOB:  1810,  England

Death: March 17, 1890, age 80 years, Salem, New York 

Marriage:

Spouse: Thomas Charter, Jr

Thomas Charter, Jr.

DOB:  May 24, 1804  Bluntisham, Huntingdon, England
Death: May 2, 1886 Salem, New York
Marriage:
Spouse: Mary Ann Purchase

Files: (Click image to enlarge)

1851 England Census from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England for Thomas Charter, Jr. and family:

Thomas Charter, age 47, profession: Relieving Officer
Mary Ann, wife, age 41 (DOB: 1810)
Harriet, age 16 (DOB: 1835) *Went on to marry ? Wayman
John Smith, age 12 (DOB: 1839)
Sarah Jane, age 2 (DOB: 1849) (my great-great grandmother, Sarah Jane Charter Toleman)
Betsy (?), age 14 (DOB: 1837)

Also living with them were Mary Ann's mother and younger sister:

Mary Purchase, age 71 (listed as "farmer's widow")
Sarah Purchase, age 39

1861 England Census from Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England for Thomas Charter, Jr. and family:

Thomas Charter, age 56, profession: Relieving Officer
Mary Ann, wife, age 51 (DOB: 1810) born Bluntisham, Huntingdon, England
John Smith, age 22 (DOB: 1839) born in Bluntisham, Huntingdon
Sarah Jane, age 12 (DOB: 1849) born in Haddenham, Huntingdon

1875 New York State Census from Salem, New York after immigration from England

Thomas Charter, age 71, born in England, occupation: Gardener
Mary Ann, age 65,  born in England
Samuel T. Wayman, age 15, grandson,  born in England
Arthur Wayman, age 10, grandson,  born in England
Mary Ann Wayman, age 8, granddaughter,  born in England

I cleaned and took photos of the Charter graves in Evergreen Cemetery, Salem, NY on May 27, 2012:

CHARTER Family Headstone

Files: Great-Grandmother (paternal) Mary Lafferty Sinnott

Mary Lafferty Sinnott

DOB:  1855 approx.     ?, Ireland
Death:
Marriage:
Spouse:  Edward Sinnott

FILES: (Click on images to enlarge)

August 25, 2014: Updating Great-Grandmother to include the correct date of her son (my Great-Uncle), Joseph Miles Sinnott, birth: 20 Sept 1887. Birthplace: Manhattan. Lists Edward Sinnott and Mary Lafferty Sinnott as parents.

Additionally have found on familysearch.org the birth listing for Martin Joseph Sinnott of 25 January 1889, also in Manhattan.


July 12, 2014:  I'm updating my great-grandmother Sinnott's entry as I want to include the 1905 NYS Census record that shows her, widowed, living with her oldest son, Nicholas, then 29, at 545 West 37th Street in Manhattan.  She was marked as 50 years old, from Ireland, and a US Citizen (WHERE IS THE RECORD?!) for 32 years, so since she was 18 years of age.  My grandmother, Julia Sinnott, still lived there, too, at 18 years old and is listed as a bookbinder. The youngest surviving brother, Martin, is listed as 15 (so DOB 1890) and a 'Pattern Maker'.  Nicholas, listed as Head of Household, was - like his Father - a 'Box Maker'.  I've included the clip from the Census
below.

How frustrating it is to spend years looking for their town in Ireland and not be able to find it.  My time in Ireland two years ago saw three Ballymore Cemeteries and NO Sinnotts or Laffertys.  Discouraging.

Continuing to search on 7/12/14 and returning to some old census records which state - in dispute of the 1905 record - that Mary was born in May, 1858 in Ireland. In 1900 Nicholas was Head of house at 156 West 32nd Street. I note that the Farrells lived in the same apartment building in both 1900 and then moved together, living at the address on West 57th Street.  By 1900, age 42, my great-grandmother had given birth to 10 and only 6 survived. How sad.

NY Times Death Announcement
1911 for Mary Lafferty
NOTE: Unknown if this is
Mary Lafferty SINNOTT 

Files: Great-Grandfather (paternal) Edward Sinnott

Edward Sinnott

DOB:  ?     ?, Ireland
Death: January 23, 1897, New York City
Marriage:
Spouse:  Mary Lafferty Sinnott

FILES: (Click on images to enlarge)

Edward Sinnott's
Death Announcement
New York Times
Jan 23, 1897

NOTE: Unknown if the correct Edw Sinnott
Naturalization Form 1855 NYC

NOTE: Unknown if the correct Edw Sinnott
Edward *P* Sinnott Civil War Record

NOTE: Unknown if this is the correct Edward Sinnott's
 NYC Naturalization Index Card from 1864

NOTE: Unknown if this is the CORRECT Edward Sinnott

Friday, May 25, sent $22 to NYS Vital Records for Edward Sinnott's certificate of death and am PRAYING it comes back with his date of birth and parents and place of birth.  ANYTHING would be a help! :)

New York State Department of Health

Vital Records Section, Genealogy Unit

P.O. Box 2602

Albany, NY 12220-2602

Telephone: (518) 474-3055 

http://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/

Genealogical copy fee: $22

Great-Grandfather Sinnott's Death Announcement FOUND

I was so excited late, late last night when I decided to go for the one week trial membership of Fold3.com and within an hour of searching a very important piece of information was found: Great-Grandfather Edward Sinnott's death announcement from the New York Times.  He died - sadly - at the age of 40 at his home at 445 West 32nd Street in New York City on January 23, 1897.  He left six children and his widow, Mary.  Below are both the enlargened announcement and the full annoucement from the New York Times.

Now that I have this vital piece of info, I may be able to go to NYState and find the actual death certificate which may - I pray to God it does - list his place of birth in Ireland and his parents' names.

I'm really enjoying this ancestry search but it is sad to find these hard facts about what my family went through so long ago. I think about how difficult it was for me to lose my Dad when I was 26 years old, but I can't imagine losing a parent at 12 years old as my Grandmother Coffinger did.  Very sad.  I hope, somehow, they know I'm searching for them and will send a little good Irish luck my way! : )

Click to
enlarge

November 2016 UPDATE:

I cannot thanks the ROOTS Genealogy group enough for pointing me toward this INCREDIBLE clue to my ancestors in Ireland.  I wept when I read the post and following information:

The NY Municipal Death records have listed my Great Grandfather Edward Sinnott's death on FamilySearch.org as SINNATT.  The info is correct, though, as it coincides with the information for the Death Notice reported in the newspaper, same address and death date... and here is the news:

My GREAT-GREAT GRANDPARENTS NAMES are Edward and Kate (Catherine, I imagine) and are from Ireland.

Furthermore, the lovely people at ROOTS followed up with a report of two baptisms in Dublin.  I'll post more info in the next few days... but I'm elated... and so thankful to the people who took personal time to find me this information!

Here is the FamilySearch.org screen shot! : )  (Insert thrilled look here!!!)

The Sinnott and The Lafferty Families...

I'm sitting here, with scraps of papers from genealogy sites, old newspapers, and hand written notes spread across my lap... trying to make some sort of order of the little bits of my ancestry. I've been able to piece together who my paternal great-grandparents were, but not where they hailed from in Ireland, when they immigrated to the States - heck! IF they immigrated to the States or to Canada.  I am searching for the Sinnotts and the Laffertys. I've been researching them on and off for about ten years now and as I plan a third trip to Ireland in September of this year (2012), I've renewed the search with great determination.  I *WILL* find this information before I leave in September... come hell or high water, as my Dad used to say.

But let me start out with information I *do* know.

My name is Janice Beth Coffinger and I was born in Glens Falls Hospital, Warren Co., Glens Falls, NY on June 2nd, 1958 to Paul Harlan Coffinger (born May 10, 1925, died February 4, 1985) and Marian Louise Toleman Coffinger (born November 1, 1926, died June 1, 2013 in Saratoga, NY).  I was their third child, my brother, Paul Ernest, born October 3, 1948, and my sister, Carol Ann, born October 10, 1951.  I realize as I type this info that I am expecting some relative to find this information on the blog and find it fascinating and the key to unlocking someone they have been searching for as I have my great-grandparents. (I'm also aware that my sister will probably want to kill me because I just included her birth date!)

50th Wedding Anniversary ~ August, 1958:
Anne, (Julia's neice whose name I don't remember), Julia Sinnott Coffinger,
 Paul (my Dad), Earnest Abram Coffinger, Vi, Julia "Judy", (Margaret missing)

February, 1999 in Kenmare, Co. Kerry, Ireland

It is my Dad's mother's side of the family that I am searching for.  It is not that the Sinnotts and Laffertys are any more important than the Coffingers or the Tolemans or the Hannas... it is just that Grandma Coffinger's parents were born in Ireland and the very first time I stepped onto Irish soil in February of 1999, I felt like I was "home". There is definitely Irish blood in my veins.

During that same trip I took a train ride from Killarney to Dublin and on the ride I was chatting with an older couple who asked me about my ancestors.  "Well, I know there were Sinnotts from Ireland", I said to them.  "But from where?", the man asked me with great interest, "Sinnott isn't a common name in Ireland but it isn't uncommon, either. You need to know what village they lived in."  "I think my Aunt told me County Cork", I said to him, hopefully.  "Maybe Cobh." he said and then began another topic.  I felt defeated and like I was a bad great-granddaughter for having no idea where they were from when here I was - the first in my immediate family - to visit 'Eire'.  It was then and there, on that train from Killarney to Dublin, that I decided to learn more and find where they were from.  "Come out, come out, wherever you are!", I thought to myself!

More of What I Know:

My grandmother was born in New York City in 1885 (according to her tombstone in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Schuylerville, NY) but some NY Census records state 1886.  I've sent away to NYS for a copy of her death certificate but have not yet received it.  My cousins, Gene and Bill Phillips, both confirmed that she died in 1964 in Middletown, NY Hospital where their Mom, my Aunt Margaret Phillips, worked as a nurse. I'm hoping the death certificate will state her exact date of birth and location of birth and - what I am really praying it reveals - is where her parents were born in Ireland!  Long shot, but I'm always hopeful! : )

For years I searched for the names of Grandma's parents... I knew Sinnott was her maiden name, but didn't have the first name of her Father.  I had been told by my Aunt Anne Coffinger Miner that Lafferty was great-grandmother Sinnott's maiden name, but I didn't know her first name.

Click to see full size

Olly! Olly! Oxen free!

Many of these questions were solved with the finding of one piece of paper from my grandparents' marriage in Salem, NY in 1908.  It reveals that my great-grandparents were Edward Sinnott and Mary Lafferty, both born in Ireland.  EUREKA! 

When my grandparents were married, my grandfather, Earnest Abram Coffinger, was a milkman, and my grandmother, Julia Agnes Sinnott, was a book binder. (I love that because of my own fascination with Victorian era books with their gold gilt and beautiful engravings!) They were both 23 when they married and - here is the 'it is a small world' fascinating finding - their Marriage Certificate was signed by the Salem Town Clerk, F. W. Toleman, my great-grandfather on my MOTHER's side!  The families had no reason to know one another in 1908, but less than 40 years later would be united when my parents wed.

I will admit to crying when I found this important piece of family history. Not only did it unlock the correct names of my great-grandparents, it also shows the signatures of three of my great-grandparents - from both sides of my family, and I treasure the comparison of my Grandfather Coffinger's signature to that of my Grandmother.

Click to see full size

The book to the right is the Washington County Record of Marriages in 1908.  I find the names fascinating as I recognize so many from growing up in Salem.


Once I had both of my great-grandparents' names, I was able to begin searching Census records and the first record I have found is the 1880 US Census. I don't have a photo of this Census. Listed in the household in New York City, NY were:

• Edward - Age 31 (DOB: 1849 appr), born in Ireland, occupation: Box Maker
• Mary - wife - Age 30 (DOB: 1850 appr), born in Ireland, occupation: keeping house
• Catherine - daughter - Age 6 (DOB: 1874 appr)
• Nicholas - son - Age 4 (DOB: 1876 appr)
• James - son - Age 3 (DOB: 1877 appr)
• James Sinnott - brother - Age 35 (DOB: 1845 appr), born in Ireland, occupation: Clerk in Grocery
• Guy Spears - a 39 year old 'box maker' born in Scotland, widowed, relationship to head of house (Edward): Other... my guess is the connection is their occupation or Guy Spears was the husband of a Sinnott sister (if there was one...) who died

I have not, to date, been able to locate NY State or US Census records for the next 20 years.  The 1900 US Census tells a very sad story of what happened to the young immigrant Sinnott family in the missing twenty years and also new provides information.  The Census record is penned over for the Sinnott household, where Nicholas, at age 23, is now listed as Head of Household - Mary being listed as a Widow.  Nicholas' birth is listed as July, 1876 and he is now listed as having the same occupation as his late father, a 'heavy box maker'.  Oddly, Nicholas' birthplace is listed as Brooklyn, NY while all others in the family (with the exception of Irish born, Mary) are listed as New York City.

Perhaps, to me, the saddest statistic on the Sinnott family census records, is for Mary and listed under the headings "Mother of How Many Children" (10), and "Number of These Children Living" (6).  This census also contradicts the 1880 US Census by listing Mary's birth as May, 1858 which put her at the age of 42 in 1900.  Having given birth to her first born (according to the 1880 census) Catherine, in 1874, she would have been only 16.  This census also states that Mary immigrated to the United States in 1872, which would have been (if the 1900 birthdate is correct) at the age of 14 as Mary Lafferty. So, by the time Mary Lafferty Sinnott reached her 42nd birthday, she had immigrated from Ireland to the US, married (I am presuming, although I have not found any record of their marriage), bore ten children (they were, after all, good Catholics), watched her husband and four of her ten babies die.  Such a tragic life for such a young age!

A 1900s NYC kitchen replica
Photo from Tenement Museum NYC
Photo by Amy Neiman

The Sinnott family lived at 445 West 32nd Street in New York City in 1900. I believe this area is today where Penn Station is located. I do not know if - in 1900 - this was an Irish tenement building or an apartment house and haven't been able to yet find historical references to that exact era.  

The 1900 US Census does tell us this about the Sinnott family in 1900:

• Nicholas, Head of Household, Single, DOB: July, 1876, Age 23, "Heavy Box Maker"
• Mary, Widowed, Age 42
• Edward, Brother to Nicholas, Age 18, DOB: May (?) 1882, "Assistant Shipping (?) Labor (?)"
• Mary, Sister to Nicholas, Age 16, DOB: January, 1884, "Cash Girl"
• Julie*, Sister to Nicholas, Age 13, DOB: October, 1886, "At School"
• Martin, Brother to Nicholas, Age 10, DOB: July, 1889
• and Joseph O'Donnell, listed as a 'border', Age 29, DOB: October, 1871, "Clerk in a Paper Store"
• NOTE:  Nicholas' older sister, Catherine, is not listed on this Census and would have been 25 or 26 years old

* Julia was listed as "Julie" in 1900 Census

When looking at the ages of the children, there is a noticeable gap after Nicholas' birth in 1874 and before Edward's in 1882.  One of the deceased children could be James, born in 1877 and listed on the 1880 Census but not on the 1900 census.  It is possible, too, that he had moved out of the home, being 23 years old.  I have also located a New York City Birth Record from 1887 for Joseph Miles Sinnott, born September 20, 1887 and son of Edward Sinnott and Mary Lafferty Sinnott. Joseph would have been 3 years old in 1900 and there is no record of him.  Martin was born in 1889 and has as a middle name his deceased brother's name.  Given this information, Edward, Sr. (my great-grandfather) must have died sometime between 1889 and 1900.

I also was able to verify Martin Joseph Sinnott's birth as January 25, 1889 in Manhattan, New York, NY and son of Edward Sinnott and Mary Lafferty. 

1890s children with toy train
Photo from thebirdfeednyc.com

Having opened hundreds of records with the name of Sinnott and having parents of "Mary" and "Edward", I have come up empty to date with any other possible children.








That, therefore, gives me the following list of children of Edward Sinnott and Mary Lafferty Sinnott:

• Catherine
• Nicholas
• James (deceased?)
• Edward
• Mary
• Julia Agnes (born October 26, 1885 according to SS#)
• Joseph Miles (deceased)
• Martin Joseph

Two Sinnott children and their names are still unaccounted for.  I hope to discover who they were as I continue to search for more concrete information.

May your neighbors respect you,

Troubles neglect you,

The angels protect you,

And Heaven accept you.

Next up: the Coffinger side...