For almost TEN YEARS, Miss Marge Marple has been puzzling over THIS research project. Here are the details -
Emma REID, born in Egmont Bay, Prince Edward Island, 17 Aug 1874, married Joseph McGOWAN, born in Ireland around 1862 , in Boston. Boston vital records show three sons, Francis J., born 1903, Martin R, born 1905 and Frederick P., born 1907.
The 1920 census for Suffolk County (ED 323, page 22, Ward 12) gives the following information:
Boston City Directories give the following information about the family.
Those are the "facts" - now comes the "family mythology".
According to an elderly cousin, only one of "Aunt Emmie"s sons married; the other son lived at home. The "married son", who had "some sort of cleaning business" and his wife were killed in a plane crash "on a trip to Hawaii". Their children were raised by their late mother's parents.
Now, Miss Marge Marple didn't have to use much brainpower to figure out from the census and city directory data that Martin was the unmarried son, and Francis was the married son. On one of her yearly "digging trips" to Boston, Miss Marge was able to search records for both Suffolk and Middlesex counties on the assumption that there would have to be SOME sort of probate or guardianship packet.
And what did she find??? NOTHING!!!
Then Miss Marge discovered that there is no "master list" of airline fatalities - to search Federal Archives, she'd need the date of the accident and/or the place from which the flight originated, which, of course, she didn't know..
Miss Marge would be the first to admit that she wasn't even sure where the late Mr and Mrs Francis McGOWAN lived! It seemed "reasonable" that they lived "somewhere in the Boston area", but that covers several counties - and there was always the possibility that the orphaned McGOWAN children were raised in yet another county - or STATE, come to think of it...
"Where to look next?", wondered Miss Marge Marple. "There's a good chance that these McGOWAN cousins are still living somewhere in Boston. But how to find them?"
Gentle Reader, THIS is the news for which you have been waiting! Miss Marge Marple has actually SOLVED this mystery! She's written about her success in a Thrilling and Heart-Warming article for Thrilling and Warm-hearted Marthe Arends' ON-LINE PIONEERS newsletter!
READ all about it in the OLP Archives !
Joseph McGOWAN, night watchman at factory, b Ireland 1862, living at 67 Batchelder St.
Emma McGOWAN, wife, laundry
Francis J. McGOWAN, age 16, errand boy
Martin R. McGOWAN, age 13
TYPE
McGOWAN, Joseph 1910 shipper house Batchelder St, 67 Boston McGOWAN, Joseph 1920 watchman house Batchelder St, 67 Boston McGOWAN, Emma C 1935 wid/Joseph H house Brook, 7 Roxbury McGOWAN, Emma C 1940 laundress house Brook, 5 Roxbury McGOWAN, Emma C 1941 laundress house Dunmore, 24 Roxbury McGOWAN, Emma C 1942 laundress house Dunmore, 24 Roxbury McGOWAN, Emma C 1943 laundress house Dunmore, 24 Roxbury McGOWAN, Emma C 1944 laundress house Dunmore, 24 Roxbury McGOWAN, Emma C 1945 died 2 Aug 1944 ---- ---- ---- McGOWAN, Francis J 1939 --- res Green st, 83 Charlestown McGOWAN, Frank M 1950 inspector house Russet rd, 88 West Roxbury McGOWAN, Martin 1935 chauffeur res Brook, 5 Roxbury McGOWAN, Martin 1940 chauffeur res Brook Av, 7 Roxbury McGOWAN, Martin 1945 chauffeur house Dunmore, 24 Roxbury McGOWAN, Martin 1946 ---- ---- res Shawmut av, 284 Boston McGOWAN, Martin 1947 ---- ---- Shawmut av, 284 Boston McGOWAN, Martin 1950 ---- res Shawmut Ave, 284 Boston McGOWAN, Martin 1951 truckdriver res Vine, 34 Roxbury
Marge Reid--[email protected]
This page was updated 4 January 1999.
copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 - Margaret V Reid