Chasing Squirrels Leads to BIG Find

  © Copyright Peter Trimming and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Chasing squirrels: a genealogy term used when you start researching one person, then pick up the scent of another, and start chasing them instead. Frowned upon by many, but sometimes quite productive.

Case in point: I ocassionally Google my Fratoddi surname in Italy, and after filtering out three of my cousins there that regularly rank high on Google's results, I sometimes find little nuggets.

This was how I came across a newspaper article in Germany about my great grandfather which you can read about here.

This weekend I came across Carolina Fratoddi, who had the luck of being included in a Google book in Italian, which translated as Inscriptions of churches and other edifices of Rome from the eleventh century to the present day, published in 1877.

This photo was included:

I reached out to the Italian Genealogy group on Facebook, where I received exactly what I needed. "What you're looking at is a description of a memorial to Carolina Fratoddi from 1866 located in in the "Basilica di Santa Maria in Montesanto" in Rome. Carolina was Roman, the daughter of Angelo and her husband was Alexandro Rinaldini. The memorial is described here as a portrait in marble, in bas-relief (probably at the top, then the inscription in a plaque beneath). It says here this memorial can be found on the left wall of the second chapel on the right (inside the church)."

How awesome is that! Further discussion led to another comment that Rome records were now included in the Italian website Antenati. 

I dropped Carolina like a hot rock and headed over. I bagged my 2x great grandfather and several of his children, which thanks to the incredible detail of Italian records, led to his parents in Montereale.

Stay tuned, details coming soon!

Sarah Jane McNamara Baine 1880-1972

Sarah Jane McNamara Baine about 1900

The elegant lady in the above photo is my 2nd great aunt, Sarah Jane McNamara Baine. She was born January 6, 1880 in Clarksville, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Irish immigrants Daniel McNamara and Jane McKenzie. She was one of at least 11 children.

1880 Census Clarksville, Allegheny, Pennsylvania

Sarah married John William "Dock" Baine January 1, 1903.

Sarah's age was "adjusted" just a bit.

John and Sarah made their home in Universal, Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. They had at least one child, Catherine, born in 1904.

Sarah lived to the age of 92, dying July 23, 1972. She is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

Sarah Baine's signature as informant on her husband's death certificate, 1943

Kicking Butt in 1789, Isaiah and Joel Jr Phillips

I discovered an interesting court case while researching Phillips in Wilkes County, Georgia. This case concerns Isaiah and Joel Phillips Jr., sons of Joel Phillips. Both were born about 1760. I found this in the Georgia Archives

According to the plaintiff, John Hardee, Isaiah and Joel Phillips Jr, "on the fifth day of December in the year of our [Lord] one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine in the county aforesaid, with force and arms, to Whit, with Swords, Staves, Gunns, knives, Clubs, fists & feet, made an assault upon your petitioner, and then and there did beat, wound and evily treat, so that his life was Greatly dispared of and other enormities then and there did, to your petitioner against the peace and dignity of the State, and against the welfare of the Inhabitance thereof, to the damage of your petitioner, five hundred pounds."

In other words, it appears Isaiah and Joel beat the stew out of John Hardee, and he was suing for five hundred pounds. Unfortunately none of the juicy details were included in the four page document.

Isaiah and Joel (or their attorney) were required to appear in court the fourth Monday in July 1790. They were charged with trespass, assault, and battery.

There appears to have been a jury trial, and the defendants were found guilty. The funny thing is, they were only required to pay 10 pounds instead of the 500 pounds that John Hardee was suing for.

I was curious as to how this would work out in today's money. I found a nice currency converter at the National Archives. It converts old money to new, at least to 2005's standard, which is close enough for me.

John Hardee sued for 500 pounds.
In 1790, £500 would have the same spending worth of 2005's £28,015.00.

A little google search and

28015 British Pound equals

42797.11 US Dollar

And the result:
In 1790, £10 would have the same spending worth of 2005's £560.30

A little googling with that result and we come up with this:

560.30 British Pound equals

855.94 US Dollar

It looks like they got off fairly easy. It is not stated if they had to pay this individually or together. Either way it's a BIG drop from what they were being sued for.

It makes you wonder what was in those court minutes, doesn't it?

DNA and Dumplings

Am I Irish? AncestryDNA says I am 31%, although I suspect some of that Western Europe may be a bit of Irish too.

Some of my known Irish ancestors from my paternal side are:

James McGowan born 1833. He immigrated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 18, 1850 aboard the Barque Creole, and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He died there March 18, 1889.

Bridget Conlon born May 18, 1837. Her parents were Michael and Ellen per her death certificate. On the 1900 census, she states she immigrated in 1855. She married James McGowan. After his death she moved to Birmingham, Alabama with her son Patrick.

Archibald McKenzie christened October 11, 1818 in Macroom, Cork, Ireland. He was the son of Murdock and Sarah McKenzie. He immigrated about 1863 and settled in Beaver Falls, Beaver, Pennsylvania.

Jane McKenzie born on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 1842, probably in Macroom, Cork. She was the daughter of Archibald McKenzie and Elizabeth Brown. She immigrated to New York June 23, 1864 on the Ship Marianne Nottebohm.

Daniel McNamara born March, 1841, possibly in Cork. He immigrated to New York December 28, 1863 aboard the ship Universe. He married Jane McKenzie and settled in Universal, Pennsylvania. Their daughter Lizzie married Patrick McGowan.

My maternal side also has Irish surnames, but they have all been in the US much longer than my paternal side. I have not been able to trace most of them back to Ireland yet. Some of those are:

William McCullough born 1793 in South Carolina.

Daniel Gibson born about 1680 in Augusta, Virginia.

Samuel Cargo born about 1745 in Augusta, Virginia.

James McDole or McDowell was born in Ireland about 1745 and died November 6, 1840 in Laurens, South Carolina.

I also have the Warnick surname on my maternal line. I haven't been able to determine for certain if it's an Irish or German line. Warnock is Irish, and Warnecke is German. Online trees have my Warnick line connected to Ireland, but I'm not entirely sure that's correct. There are some gaps in the paper trail. Oral history of this family line says they are German. Hopefully DNA will provide further clues....and then there are the chicken and dumplings. My mom's recipe handed down from the women in her family were the German style, made like fist sized simmered biscuits, and not the rolled out noodle style.. maybe there's a clue in that?

I'd love to hear the origins of dumplings in your family...which type and family origins.

Fortunatus Dodson 1700-1737 #52Ancestors #49

Fortunatus Dodson was born about 1700 in Richmond County, Virginia. He was the son of Charles Dodson and his wife Ann Stone.

Fortunatus was bequeathed property in his father's will "son Fortunatas all land below my spring branch". The will was probated May 2, 1716.

You would think Fortunatus Dodson would be an unusual name, but there are several land records for Fortunatus Dodson that go back to the 1600's in Richmond, Virginia. I'm not going to include those here as they belong to one of the other Fortunatus Dodsons that were in the same area. There were at least four by the name in the area in the 1700s.

Fortunatus married Alice Goad September 9, 1726 in North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia. Alice was the daughter of Abraham and Katherine Williams Goad.

North Farnham Episcopal Church from Library of Congress

Fortunatus and Alice had the following children, all born in North Farnham Parish:
Lucy born 1728
James born 1730
Ann born 1732
Alice born 1733
Samuel
Hannah born 1737

Fortunatus died on September 9, 1737 in North Farnham Parish, Richmond County, Virginia. He did not leave a will. His widow Alice then married John Fowler and had several more children.

Murder in the Family- James Joseph McGowan 1875-1940 #52Ancestors #41

Sometimes you come across something you never expected to find in your family tree. James Joseph McGowan was my grandfather's uncle. He was the son of James McGowan and Bridget Conlon. He was born February 15, 1875 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Jacobum, {James} born 15 Feb 1875; baptized 18 Mar 1875; father: Jacobo [James] McGowan; mother: Brigit Conlon; sponsor: Winifred Gowey.
James was baptized at St. John the Evangelist in Southside Pittsburgh. He was the seventh child of eight born to this family.

He is found in 1880 in Pittsburgh
1880 United States Census Household:

Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
James MC GOWAN Self M Male W 42 IRE Boiler IRE IRE
Bridget MC GOWAN Wife M Female W 40 IRE Keeping Bdg House IRE IRE
Patrick MC GOWAN Son S Male W 19 PA Boilers Helper IRE IRE
Mary A. MC GOWAN Dau S Female W 16 PA At Home IRE IRE
Joseph MC GOWAN Son S Male W 13 PA Wks In Rg Mill IRE IRE
James MC GOWAN Son S Male W 5 PA IRE IRE
Thomas MC GOWAN Son S Male W 2 PA IRE IRE
James CONAWAY Other S Male W 40 IRE Boiler IRE IRE
Edwd O'MALLEY Other S Male W 30 IRE Boiler IRE IRE
William RILEY Other S Male W 36 IRE Boiler IRE IRE


In 1900 James was living with his widowed mother and his brother in McKeesport:
1900  PENNSYLVANIA ALLEGHENY 5-WD MCKEESPORT

Series: T623 Roll: 1368 Page: 224
630 Jerome St,

MCGOWAN BRIDGET 57 F W IREL Jan 1843, Widowed. 5 children, 5 living, Immigration 1855, Years in US 45
McGowan, James, son, Feb 1875, 25, born PA, parents Ireland, laborer pipe mill
McGowan, Thomas, Oct 1878, 21, born PA, parents Ireland, laborer pipe mill


Sometime after the 1900 census, James married Clara Elizabeth Wordtt of McKeesport.
They had a daughter, Catherine, born October 31, 1915 in Monessen, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania.

By 1920, James and his family had followed other members of the McGowan family to Birmingham, Alabama.
1920  ALABAMA  JEFFERSON  BIRMINGHAM

Series: T625 Roll: 22 Page: 145
Surname GivenName Age Sex Race Birthplace

MCGOWAN JAMES J 42 M W PA , parents Ireland, Machinist-Crane Co
Claire, wife, 35, born PA, Father Germany, Mother Ireland
Catherine 4, born PA

They were still in Birmingham in 1930.

James J Mcgowan M 48 PA parents Ireland
spouse Clona E Mcgowan F 46 PA father Germany mother Ireland
child Catherine E Mcgowan F 14 PA parents PA

I was unable to find James in the 1940 census, so I searched for an obit in the Birmingham papers using the Obituary Index : Birmingham Area Newspapers. Two entries came up:

Name: McGowan, James J.

Newspaper: Birmingham NewsDate: May 12, 1940

Edition: Section: Announcements/Deaths Page: 10*

Notes: *Sports; Financial/Want-Ads section

Name: McGowan, James J.

Newspaper: Birmingham NewsDate: May 12, 1940

Edition: Section: Page: 1

Notes: article; murder

I couldn't wait to get to the library and check this out!

I found the obit as expected.

And then the murder:

What a sad end! I was unable to find if anyone was ever charged. The distance from Ensley to Brewton is almost 200 miles. It's also interesting that his trailer was still in Ensley, so I would think that he was not on a jaunt to the Brewton area. The article makes no mention of his car, which in 1940 you would have had to have to pull a trailer.

I wonder if I could get any more info from the sheriff's office?

Murder Creek near Brewton from http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Rivers%20and%20Streams.html

Giuseppe Fratoddi of Italy #52Ancestors #40

I know very little about Giuseppe Fratoddi. I estimate his date of birth to be about 1830. He was married to Flavia Salieri. The surname Fratoddi is rare, even in Italy.

Per my cousin Manlio Fratoddi, Giuseppe lived in Rome and had a shop that sold charcoal. He was also a soldier of the Pope that defended Rome before and during the unification of Italy. He fought against the unification of Italy which ended in 1870 with the fall of Rome.

The Capture of Rome (Public Domain) Porta Pia Pagliari Vizzotto

From Wikipedia article: The Italian Army, commanded by General Raffaele Cadorna, crossed the papal frontier on 11 September and advanced slowly toward Rome, hoping that a peaceful entry could be negotiated. The Italian Army reached the Aurelian Walls on 19 September and placed Rome under a state of siege. Although now convinced of his unavoidable defeat, Pius IX remained intransigent to the bitter end and forced his troops to put up a token resistance. On 20 September, after a cannonade of three hours had breached the Aurelian Walls at Porta Pia, the Bersaglieri entered Rome and marched down Via Pia, which was subsequently renamed Via XX Settembre. 49 Italian soldiers and four officers, and 19 papal troops died. Rome and Latium were annexed to the Kingdom of Italy after a plebiscite held on 2 October. The results of this plebiscite were accepted by decree of 9 October.

Giuseppe was the father of at least three children:
Vincenzo born 1862
Bernardino born June 26, 1869 in Montereale, L'Aquila, Abruzzo
Nazzareno

There are others that I have found with a father named Giuseppe Fratoddi. They may or may not be the same family; possibly there was a Junior Giuseppe:
Fernanda born 1890. Resided in Rome in 1923.
Pietro born 1892 in Porta
Nazzareno born 1892

There is a Fratoddi tomb in the oldest part of the Cimitero del Verano in Rome.

Photo taken by Manlio Fratoddi

Owners:

MONALDI ZESTRINI GIUSEPPE
FRATODDI PIETO
FRATODDI SALVATORE
FRATODDI GIOVANNI
FRATODDI FILIPPO
FRATODDI ANTONIO
FRATODDI VIRGILIO

Burials:

LATINI GIUDITTA
FRATODDI PIETRO
ZAMPERINI TERESA
FRATODDI SALVATORE
DEL MATTE EMILIO
FRATODDI ANTONIO
MELVINE ALESSANDRO
CASALDI GIUSEPPA
MANEGGIANTI GIULIO
FRATODDI GIUSEPPE
GIANNUZZI CARLO died Nov 5 1960
FRATODDI VIRGILIO died Apr 3 1965
FRATODDI FILIPPO
FRATODDI GIOVANNI
FRATODDI VIRGILIO
FRATODDI FERNANDA
PELLICCIONI GRAZIA died Mar 5 1974
FRATODDI ROSA died Dec 13 1983

Since they are all buried in the same tomb, I can be fairly certain they are all related. I'm not sure if they are listed in order of death.

If you are one of my cugini (cousins), I would love to hear from you.

Thomas Billingsley 1782-1850's #52Ancestors #39

It's possible I'm barking up the wrong Billingsley tree. The Billingsleys were quite fond of the name Thomas (and William, James, and Samuel). I do know that Nancy Billingsley married John Yielding November 23, 1819 in Blount County, Alabama. Thomas Billingsley is found in the 1850 census with them, so it's a good bet that he is her father. Nancy was born about 1802 in Tennessee from all her census records.

So who was Thomas Billingsley? My main suspect for Nancy's father:
Thomas Billingsley was born December 30, 1782 in Onslow, North Carolina. He was the son of Revolutionary War Soldier Samuel Billingsley and his wife Mary Griffin.

The family moved to Sullivan County, Tennessee at some point. Thomas supposedly married Nancy Courtney Allen there in May, 1801.

Thomas and family moved around east Tennessee, and for a while lived in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Before 1822 they moved to Blount County, Alabama. November 30, 1825 Thomas purchased land in Blount County, Alabama.


The 1800 census for Tennessee was burned by the British in the War of 1812.
The 1810 and 1820 Tennessee census records I need were lost, as well as 1820 Blount, Alabama, so I have no census records to confirm the above, although the birthplaces of most of their children are in Tennessee, with one in Kentucky, and the youngest in Alabama.

Children were:

Nancy, was born February 1802 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Samuel was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
James was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee. (twins)
Thomas was born 1805 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Edward Council was born April 4, 1811 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. (have also seen Jan 1809)
Sarah was born 1812 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Mary Eliza was born 1813 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Barton was born May 1815 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Elizabeth was born August 1816 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Catherine was born 1818 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Rebecca Courtney was born March 1820 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
William G was born April 19, 1822 in Blount County, Alabama.

Much of this info comes from the book The Billingsley Family in America.

There were four Thomas Billingsleys found in the 1830 Blount Alabama census. There were three Thomas Jrs, all born 1800-1810. The Thomas I was looking for was found on page 13A, line 7:

Billingsley Thomas (age 50-60) 1770-1780

1 male 15-20, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 56-60, 2 females 5-10, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 15-20, 1 female 40-50, 1 female 80-90. I'm curious if this was Thomas' mother living in the household. It is said that she died in 1838. The ages of the children are puzzling. Perhaps William G was enumerated as a girl? The four oldest children were already married. It's possible that some of the others were visiting them. 

There are also a Samuel (age 20-30) and William (age 40-50)

In 1840 Thomas had moved to Morgan County, Alabama.

Billingsly, Ths. 010110001 000  (age 60-70, no females in household)
1 male 5-10
1 male 15-20
1 male 20-30

1 male 60-70

I assume his wife had died before the 1840 census, unless she is staying with one of their children. She is not found in their son James' household nearby.

In The Billingsley Family in America, Nancy died in 1843 in Morgan County, and Thomas was said to have moved to Pontotoc County, Mississippi with his son William, and died there in 1849.  I found a Thomas Billingsley in 1850 living with Nancy Billingsley Yielding and family in Blount County, Alabama.

In the above record, found on familysearch here, the place of birth is indexed as Virginia, although it may be something else, possibly Georgia? I have not found another Thomas Billingsley born in either state born between 1760 and 1775.

In Pontotoc, Mississippi in 1850 there are LOTS of Billingsleys, and three that were easy to pick out from the list of children above.

Page 115    Line 40 BILLINGSLY COUNSEL 40 KY
Page 115B Line 10 BILLINGSLY JAMES 46 TN
Page 107    Line  3 BILLINGSLY WILLIAM 28 AL

So am I barking up the Wrong Billingsley tree? If he's not the Thomas born in Onslow, NC, then who is he? I'm still not sure yet. I'd love to hear what you think.

Nancy Courtney Allen Billingsley 1783-1843 #52Ancestors #38

I recently ordered a DNA test for myself from AncestryDNA's flash sale. While awaiting the results I figured I had best get my direct maternal line in order.

I've always had a problem with Nancy Courtney Allen. I have found no documentation for her whatsoever. I've seen her on the internet and in books, but none have sources.

This is a press photograph from the National Photo Company Collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known restrictions on the use of these photos.

Per these few resources, I'll share what I've found, but please keep in mind, none of it is verified.

Nancy Courtney Allen was born about 1783 in North Carolina to unknown parents.
She married Thomas Billingsley May 1801 in Sullivan County,  Tennessee.

Their oldest child, Nancy, was born February 1802 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Samuel was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
James was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Thomas was born 1805 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Edward Council was born April 4, 1811 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. (have also seen Jan 1809)
Sarah was born 1812 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Mary Eliza was born 1813 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Barton was born May 1815 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Elizabeth was born August 1816 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Catherine was born 1818 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Rebecca Courtney was born March 1820 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
William G was born April 19, 1822 in Blount County, Alabama.

The family moved to Morgan County, Alabama at some point, where Nancy supposedly died in 1843.

From the book The Billingsley Family in America by Harry Alexander Davis (1936)
{Thomas Billingsley} Born in ­Onslow County; North Carolina 30 December 1782, moved to Sullivan County, Tennessee with his parents. He married in May 1801 Nancy Courtney Allen, born in North Carolina in 1783. They resided in East Tennessee to about 1807 then moved to Cumberland County, Kentucky where they resided to 1811 then returned to Tennessee. In 1821‑22 they moved to Blount County, Alabama. He was granted 80, 12/100 acres of land on 30 November 1825, certificate No. 1868. Resided in Blount County to about 1837 then moved to Morgan County, Alabama where Nancy died in 1843. He survived her a few years, moved to Pontotoc County, Mississippi with his son, William, and died in 1849.
Unfortunately, the book is unsourced.

This I do know, Thomas Billingsley's wife (Nancy or not) died before the 1850 census, as Thomas is found with his daughter Nancy's family in the 1850 census in Blount County, Alabama, and not dead in Mississippi as stated in the above book.

Name: Thos Billingsly
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1850
Event Place: Blout county, Blount, Alabama, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 78
Race: White
Race (Original):
Birth Year (Estimated): 1772
Birthplace: Virginia
Household ID: 133
House Number: 132
Line Number: 4
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: M432
Affiliate Film Number: 2
GS Film Number: 2344
Digital Folder Number: 004187292
Image Number: 00265

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
John Yielding  M 57 North Carolina
Nancy Yielding  F 48 Louisiana (transcribed incorrectly, shows Ten)
Joseph Yielding  M 17 Alabama
Mary Zielding  F 15 Alabama
Samuel Yielding  M 14 Alabama
Nancy Yielding  F 8 Alabama
Thos Billingsly  M 78 Virginia?

Citing this Record:
"United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHPR-R5K : accessed 19 Oct 2014), Thos Billingsly in household of John Yielding, Blout county, Blount, Alabama, United States; citing family 133, NARA microfilm publication M432.

In 1840, Thomas is found in Morgan County, Alabama, but there are no females in the household. James lives close by, but the only female is his wife, age 30-40.
I think Nancy died before 1840.

One of the other mistakes I've found in the above book also says this about daughter Nancy:

Nancy: b Feb. 1802. She m Henry C. Jones, b S. C. 1800, both were living in 1870, resided Blount Co., Ala. No children.

I am unable to find a Henry Jones residing in Blount County, Alabama in 1870, and no record of a Nancy Billingsley marrying a Henry Jones.

I haven't given up searching for Nancy Courtney Allen. If you have any information to share, I would love to hear from you!

Daniel McNamara 1841-1904 #52Ancestors #37

Updated March 8, 2015
Daniel McNamara was born March 1841 in Ireland. I first found his name on his daughter Lizzie's death certificate.

He also consented to Lizzie's marriage.

This also gave me a location of Penn Township, Pennsylvania in 1888. This was important because I had never been able to find Lizzie in a census record before she was married. It also matches the location of his wife Jane McKinzie McNamara in the 1920 census.

1880 "Dan Mc Namor"

Dan Mc Namor	39
Jane Mc Namor	39
John Mc Namor	15
Mary Mc Namor	13
Lizzie Mc Namor	12
Kate Mc Namor	10
Ella Mc Namor	8
Allice Mc Namor	5
Annie Mc Namor	3
Sarah Mc Namor	5m

Thank you cousin David for finding these guys for me! Mc Namor wasn't being picked up by ancestry or familysearch as McNamara.

1900

I was able to find children born in Pennsylvania:
John born 1865, married Mary Ellen Mullen
Mary born 1867
Lizzie born 1868, married Patrick Henry McGowan
Kate born 1870
Mary born 1872, married James Gallagher, divorced and married John Rogers, Sr.
Alice born 1875
Rose born 1878, married John W Hogan
Sarah Jane born 1880, married John William Baine
Margaret born 1889 married Richard Johnston.
Anna born 1890 never married.

I turned to the city directories to see if Dan could be found. Finally some info!
Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1888
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1888

McNamara Danl, lab, rr 6359 Penn av

I worked my way backward and found something interesting. He ran a saloon.

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1887
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1887

McNamara Danl, saloon, 6365 Penn av

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1886
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1886

McNamara D, 6365 Penn av 

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1884
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1884

McNamara Danl, saloon, 6365 Penn av 

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1883
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1883

McNamara Danl, saloon, Penn av, n Station 

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1882
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1882

McNamara D, lab, Penn av, n Station ay

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1881
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1881

McNamara Dani, saloon, Penn av, n Station

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1880
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1880

McNamara Dal, saloon, Penn av, n Station,e e Ninth and Liberty, h 2S5 Penn av 

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1878
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1878

McNamara Daniel, saloon, Penn av, ab Sta- 21st wd tion, e e 

Two Daniels were found in several years previous. Mine was the coal miner.

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1876-1877
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1876

McNamara Daniel, lab, Penn av, opp Dennison av, 21st wd, e e

 McNamara Daniel, coal miner, n Lincoln av, city line, 21st wd, e e

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1874
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1874

McNamara Daniel, lab, r Liberty hall, Penn av, 20th ward 

McNamara Daniel, miner, Sable coal works, A V R R, 21st ward

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1870
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1870

McNamara Daniel, lab, 21st ward

I tried moving forward from 1888 and found daughters? at the same address, although this may not be the correct Daniel.

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1889
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1889

McNamara Danl, lab, rr 6359 Penn av

McNamara Mary, dress mkr, rr 6359 Penn av 

McNamara Maggie, dress mkr, rr 6359 Penn av

I was also able to find a death certificate for a Daniel, but he is not the correct one. He threw me off track for a while, but I'll leave this posted for his family.

At the time of his death, the above Daniel was a gas inspector living at 6389 Penn Ave. No location in Ireland for his birth, but it did list parents and the cemetery.

I googled all the addresses in the above city directories. The locations are now a huge shopping center called The Village of Eastside, but I did stumble on a great image on Flickr of the Stone House Gas Station.

Photo used by the kind permission of Karen Majewski

This address is where Daniel McNamara was living in 1902. It's quite possible the house itself was converted into a gas station. Unfortunately it turned out to be the other Daniel. His widow Anna is living at the same address in 1903 per the city directory.

Thanks to my DNA match to David (who has been wonderful by the way) I have some new info on my Daniel and family.

Daniel was a boarder living with Archibald McKenzie in the 1861 census in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales.

1861 McKenzie and McNamara census

This led to a further search, and I was able to find a marriage for Dan and Jane in the 2nd quarter of 1861, also in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales. 

Daniel and his brother-in-law Murdock McKenzie blazed the way to the United States. They sailed on the ship Universe and arrived in New York December 28, 1863. Destination is stated as Pennsylvania.

His wife and her family would arrive in 1864.

Per "The Changing Hills, Vol. 2", by Gary Rogers and Jane Hawkins, Daniel's wake was held in the downstairs parlor of his Penn Hills home while his granddaughter Catherine Baine was being born upstairs. She was born February 10, 1904.

If you have any info on the people mentioned in this blog, it would be great to hear from you!