Frances Diamond Hardie: Ohio, 1897-1912

Her Early Years in St. Louis

After their marriage in St. Louis, Missouri in 1877, Daniel and Mary Jane Hardie lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for a few years. Their first son, Daniel Eugene, was born in 1878 in Cincinnati.[1]

The family returned to St. Louis around 1879 and remained there until 1897, living initially on Papin Street and subsequently on Caroline Street then Bell Avenue. In addition to Daniel Eugene, the family unit in 1880 included Daniel Senior’s three daughters (Janet, Isabelle, and Elizabeth) from his second marriage as well as Mary Jane’s son (Eugene O’Neil) from her first marriage. [2]

Hardie Family Residences, St. Louis, 1879-1897

Daniel and Mary Jane’s first daughter, Frances Diamond Hardie, was born in St. Louis in 1881. She was baptized at St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church, 2900 Clark Street in the Mill Creek Valley neighborhood. Her godmother was her maternal aunt Ellen (Ryan) Diamond, who would later marry John W. Allen.[3]

In addition to her three half sisters and her brother Daniel, Frances had a second brother, William Norval, born in 1883, and a sister, Marie Ellen, born in 1886.[4] 

Half Siblings & Siblings of Frances Hardie

About 1889, Daniel Hardie became the proprietor of a pottery manufacturing operation, “St. Louis Art Pottery”, on 2135 Washington.[5] He is described in 1891 as a pottery dealer at 2135 Washington street who “lives comfortably with his family on Bell avenue, and all the members of his household are so uniformly healthy that he has said to his friends, laughingly, sometimes that the physicians of the city would never think of complimenting him by an honorary membership in their medical society”.[6]

Business Listing, St. Louis Art Pottery, 1891, Gould’s St. Louis Directory

In 1893, his clay pipes were included in a visitor reference list for The Pennsylvania Museum’s collection of American potteries and porcelains. They are listed in the art pottery section, class J – Pipes and described as “Red and White Clay Pipe Bowls. Made by Daniel Hardie, St. Louis, Mo., 1892”.[7]

From 1894 through 1897, Daniel Hardie continued to reside at 3336 Bell Avenue. However, during these four years, his pottery business on Washington is no longer included in the St. Louis directory. Likewise, his occupation/business is inconsistently identified as: pottery/potter (1894-1895), electric (1896), and travelling salesman (1897).

There is a suggestion in a family record that his business failed.[8] If true, perhaps that influenced the family’s move to Ohio around 1897, when Frances was 16 years old. They moved initially to Ravenna, Ohio and subsequently to East Liverpool, Ohio, where they resided in June 1900.[9]

Prior to the Hardie family move to Ohio, three of Frances’ seven siblings were no longer living with the family in St. Louis.

  • Eugene O’Neil, her older half brother, died in St. Louis on 30 May 1890.[10]
  • Isabella, her older half sister, married Louis M. Schmidt in St. Louis on 08 October 1890.[11]
  • Daniel Eugene, her older brother, was living in Miami in 1894.[12]

Her Life in Ohio: Ages 16-31

Frances Hardie, c. 1897, 16 years old

The Hardie siblings who moved from St. Louis to Ohio with their parents were Frances’ two older half sisters Janet and Elizabeth, and her younger siblings William and Marie. The latter three, as well as her older brother Daniel, married over the next 10 years.

  • 30 July 1898: Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hardie (26) and Frank Nolan (30) married in East Liverpool, Ohio. They were married at 7:45 a.m. at St. Aloysius Catholic church. They initially settled in East Palestine, Ohio, about 15 miles north of East Liverpool.[13]
  • 31 May 1904: Daniel Hardie (26) and Annie E. Kelly (18) married at Holy Name [Gesu] Catholic Church in Miami, FL. They were married in the afternoon and afterwards were given a wedding supper at the private residence of her former employer.[14]
  • 27 June 1906: William Hardie (22) and Harriet (Hattie) Roy (19) married in Port Huron, Michigan, at Hattie’s home. They resided to East Liverpool afterwards.[15]
  • 18 June 1907: Marie Hardie (21) and John Smeltz (23) married in the morning at St. Aloysius Catholic church in East Liverpool. After the service, John’s parents hosted a reception at their home in Salem, Ohio. Marie and John resided afterwards in Salem.[16]  

In the years her siblings were starting their married lives, Frances lived with her parents and older half sister Jennie in East Liverpool, at 115 7th street and then at 507 College street. At times (1904-1911), she worked as a clerk in downtown stores:  The Boston Store and Young’s. Both were department stores, selling a wide variety of merchandise, including clothing and linens. This 1908 advertisement from Young’s illustrates women’s fashions of the period.[17]

1908 Advertisement, Young’s Store, East Liverpool, Ohio [18]

One of Frances’ daughters remembers being told that Frances married later in her life because she was frail and was concerned her children might inherit her frailty. Perhaps supporting this story are two brief items in the East Liverpool Evening Review. In June of 1906, Frances and her mother returned home after spending time at the Markleton Sanitorium near Rockwood, Ohio. The sanitorium was “a private hotel-like sanatorium where guests would visit for relaxation as well as treatment from every day “illnesses” like stress.[19] And in May of 1908 the newspaper reports that Frances was recovering from an illness.[20]

However, during this time Frances also worked, entertained, and travelled. She emerges from the personal items in the newspapers as an active socially engaged young woman.

  • Soon after leaving St. Louis, in October 1899, Frances returned there for a visit. Friends held a luncheon and a dinner in her honor.[21]
  • In August 1900 she travelled with two friends through Canada and the Great Lakes.[22]
  • In 1905 she went to Toronto to visit a friend.[23]
  • In January 1907 she visited with her brother Daniel’s family in Miami, Florida.[24]

In February of 1909 Frances attended her Uncle William Ryan’s funeral in Henderson, KY, and his burial in St. Louis, MO. William Ryan was the only living brother of her mother, Mary Jane (Ryan) Hardie and her aunt, Ellen (Ryan) Allen of St. Louis.[25]

In July 1909, Frances entertained Mayme Bedford of St. Louis with a card party at her home in East Liverpool. Mayme Bedford was also known as Mary Bedford. She was about Frances’ age and the granddaughter of her Aunt Ellen (Ryan) Allen and Uncle John Allen.[26]

In November of that same year, Frances and her parents travelled to Miami, Florida to spend the winter with her brother Daniel’s family.  Prior to leaving East Liverpool, friends gave Frances a going-away party. Her younger brother William Hardie was one of the entertainers.[27] 

Daniel was the Sheriff of Dade County, Florida in 1909. His oldest son, also Daniel Hardie, was about three years old. The following picture of the three Daniel Hardies dates from about this time.

Three Generations Named Daniel Hardie, c 1909

While in Miami, Frances attended several social engagements, sometimes with her sister-in-law, Ann Hardie, the wife of Sheriff Dan Hardie. Generally, the events were held by a social club, such as the Ladies of Elks, and included a card game competition, a prize for the winner, and either a special beverage or a meal.[28]

When a telegram arrived in Miami about 13 February 1910 with the news that her sister was ill, Frances and her parents immediately returned to East Liverpool. One newspaper reported the news with this sentiment: “Mr. and Mrs. Hardie left a few days ago for their home in East Liverpool, Ohio. They were accompanied by Miss Frances Hardie … much to the regret of her many friends she had acquired during her short stay here.” [29]

The news does not provide the sister’s name. However, not long afterwards, three of Frances’ siblings left East Liverpool for the funeral of their sister, Isabella (Hardie) Smith in Chicago: her brother Will Hardie, and her half sisters Christina Hulme (Tina Hardie) and Elizabeth Nolan (Lizzie Hardie). Isabella died on Sunday, 27 February 1910 after a short illness.[30]

Back in East Liverpool, Frances continued to travel and to participate in social engagements. In July 1910, Frances visited for several weeks in Detroit, Michigan.[31] And in July 1911, she assisted the hostess with a wedding party.[32]

Marriage: 1912

Frances’ 1912 marriage announcement relates that her romance with Edward L. Murray “had its foundation at the home of her uncle, Mr. John Allen of St. Louis, to which residence the charming young niece would so often wend her way.” [33] 

Frances’ Uncle John Allen died 24 January 1911 in St. Louis and his funeral Mass was held at St. Thomas of Aquin Catholic Church on Friday, 27 January 1911. Frances returned to East Liverpool from St. Louis on 06 February 1911, roughly a week after John Allen’s burial. [34]

Edward Murray’s family were parishioners of St. Thomas of Aquin and lived in the neighborhood at 4042 Nebraska Avenue. In 1911, Edward worked at Murray Brothers grocery, located nearby at 4110 California avenue. Edward might have attended John Allen’s funeral and perhaps he met Frances Hardie there.[35]

Murray Home, Allen Home, Murray Bros. Store, & St. Thomas of Aquin Church

Ten months later, in October 1911, Frances and her father, Daniel Hardie, made an extended visit to relatives in St. Louis. The timeframe gives some credence to the family story that Frances and Edward met in St. Louis at a funeral, after which they corresponded prior to their 1912 wedding.[36]

Frances’ marriage announcement describes her as “without doubt one of the most popular young ladies of the city, [who] has a host of friends who wish her every joy in this new venture on the sea of matrimony.” Edward is described as “a rising young business man of the south, where he is engaged [in] real estate”.[37]

In another wedding story, Frances is characterized as “a charmingly popular young lady of this city [who] enjoys a vast acquaintance of friends, to the more intimate of which she was familiarly known as “Sis.” Her ready hand of good-fellowship will surely be missed here, where she was the promoter of genuine good pleasure and her cordial manner was felt by all who associated with her.” In regard to Edward, the paper states that “while the groom is not so well known in this vicinity, his friends and business men of the south appreciate the sterling qualities of this rising real estate broker.”[38]

After the announcement, Mrs. Fred Furrer hosted an engagement party for Frances on Thursday, 25 January 1912. And Mrs. John Butler hosted a celebration to honor Frances the following week.[39]

St. Aloysius Catholic Church, East Liverpool [40]

The wedding was held at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in East Liverpool on 06 February 1912. It seemed to be a relatively simple event:

“Amidst a shower of rice, old shoes and the congratulatory farewells from a coterie of friends, a wedding party left St. Aloysius church this morning en route to the Pennsylvania depot, where the newly married couple boarded the 9 o’clock train for Pittsburg on their way south. The participants of the ceremony were Miss Francis D. Hardie, daughter or Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Hardie of College street, this city, and Edward L Murray of St. Louis.

Promptly at 7 a.m. in the presence of a close circle of friends, and with Miss Janet and Will Hardie as the only attendants, the Rev. Father T. M. Smythe officiated in the ceremonies which forever bound these two lives in the holy bonds of matrimony. Immediately following the celebration of the nuptials, Mr. and Mrs. Murray left the city for St. Louis, where they will be at home to their friends after March 1.”[41]

Afterword

Frances and Edward’s first child, Edward Hardie Murray, was born 07 December 1912. Frances’ mother, Mary Jane Hardie, was with her for the birth. Just over three years later, Frances returned to East Liverpool where her father, Daniel Hardie, died at home on 08 February 1916. Frances and some of her children were there for the funeral as was her Aunt Ellen Allen of St. Louis.[42]

In June 1918 Frances brought her four young children to East Liverpool for a visit with her mother, Mary Jane Hardie. The picture below shows Frances with her children at that time.[43] 

Murray Children: Edward (5), Norval (4), Eugene (3), and Janet (1)

[1] Marriage 06 Mar 1877: Miss Mary J Taylor and Daniel Hardie, St Louis, Missouri. “Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L989-M372?cc=2060668&wc=ZS1H-VZ9%3A352318101%2C158359350  : 7 December 2021), St. Louis > Marriage records 1873-1877 vol 16-17 > image 677 of 753; Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.; Williams’ Cincinnati directory [1870, June] (Cincinnati: Williams & Co., 1870), 277; also subsequent years by the same title: (1871) 316; (1873) 377; (1874) 415; (1876), 429; (1879), 424. Online images.   Cincinnati and Hamilton County Digital Library (https://digital.cincinnatilibrary.org/digital/ : accessed 21 October 2023).; Dan Hardy, Male, White, born 10/17/78. Address; 72 Carr St. Father: Dan., Scott [b. Scotland], Potter. Mother: Mary J., born Missouri. Physician: Dr. Culver. Archives & Rare Books Library, University of Cincinnati; Birth Record; Card number: 5692; (cross-reference) 1878 page 158. Genealogical Records, PO Box 2100113, Cincinnati, Ohio.

[2] David B. Gould, compiler. Gould’s St. Louis Directory for 1877 (St. Louis: Gould Directories, 1877), 407; also subsequent years by the same title: (1878) 396, (1879) 430, (1880) 453, (1881) 482, (1882) 495, (1884) 480, (1885) 500, (1886) 504, (1887) 507, (1888) 535, (1889) 536, (1890) 556, (1891) 587, (1892) 648, (1893) 604, (1894) , 625, (1895) 629, (1896) 682, (1897) 716. Online images. UMSL Digital Library (https://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu : accessed 10 October 2023).; “United States Census, 1880”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6NC-7BC : Wed Oct 04 17:53:07 UTC 2023), Entry for Daniel Hardie and Mary Jane Hardie, 1880. Household also includes Frank Hardie, son, 13; Janet, daughter, 12; Isabel, daughter, 11; Elizabeth, daughter, 8; Daniel, son, 2; E. J. O’Neill, stepson, 20.

[3] Frances was named after Ellen (Ryan) Diamond’s only child, Mary Frances Diamond who, along with her father Patrick Diamond, died from tuberculosis in November 1879.; Frances Diamond Hardy, baptized 25 Jan 1881, born 05 Jan 1881. Location: St. Malachy RC Parish, St. Louis City, MO. Online images. Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org  : accessed 03 June 2023). FHL film 1763772, Items 1 – 4, Baptisms, V 3 P3. 1881-1930.; Marriage, 1 February 1893, John W Allen and Mrs. Ellen Diamond, City of St. Louis, Missouri. Database and images. “Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991> St. Louis> Marriage licenses 1892-1894”; no. 49687. FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 18 October 2023). Celebrant: John H May, Catholic priest, 3949 Iowa St, St. Louis, Missouri. [St. Thomas of Aquin Catholic Church]

[4] William Hardie, born 11 September 1883 in St. Louis, MO. Missouri, U.S., Birth Registers, 1847-2002, page 207, line 13. Database and images on-line. Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 October 2023).; Marie Ellen Hardie, born 19 March 1886 in St. Louis, MO.  Missouri, U.S., Birth Registers, 1847-2002, Registry of Birth-City of St. Louis, March 1886, line 91. Online database and images. Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 October 2023).

[5] David B. Gould, compiler. Gould’s St. Louis Directory for 1889 (For the Year Ending April 1st, 1890) (St. Louis: Gould Directory Company, 1889), 1589; Online image. UMSL Digital Library (https://dl.mospace.umsystem.edu : accessed 10 October 2023).

[6] “Struck Him Dumb – The Strange Effect of Dan Hardie’s Frightful Dream,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri), 05 Jul 1891, Sun, p. 21, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 18 October 2023).

[7] The Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. 1893. “Pottery. Catalogue of American Potteries and Porcelains.” Prepared by Edwin Atlee Barber, 41. Philadelphia. Online book. Google.com (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pottery/JnmUzgEACAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1 : accessed 22 October 2023).

[8] Diane (Hardie) Matheson, Daniel Hardie-Mary Jane Ryan Family Unit Chart, copy supplied by Matheson, Brooklyn, NY, 2008. Eight charts offer details of vital events and miscellaneous data (dates, locations, nicknames) for four family units. Data was recorded by Matheson from stories she heard from various family members. No sources are cited for the data and Matheson states the data may contain inaccuracies.

[9] Compiled service record, Daniel Hardie, Pvt./Corp., Co. F, 1 Reg’t. Texas Infantry, Spanish War; NARA Records of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780’s–1917, RG 94; National Archives, Washington, D.C.; Emergency contact: Daniel Hardie, Senior, Ravenna, Ohio, 29 July 1898.; “The Week in Society – Gossip,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri), 22 Oct 1899, p. 20, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023); “ … a dinner party Monday evening in honor of Miss Frances Hardie of Ravenna, O.”;  1900 U.S. census, Columbiana County, Ohio, population schedule, East Liverpool City, sheet 4B, dwelling 81, family 90, Daniel, Mary, Jennie, Frances, William and Mariah Hardie; digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 October 2023); citing NARA, T623, roll 1249, p. 4.

[10] Death of Eugene ONeil, March 30, 1890, in the City of St. Louis, Missouri. “Missouri, U.S., Death Records, 1850-1931” “Register of Deaths in the City of St. Louis, March 1890, page 97, no. 2014. Images online. Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 October 2023). Age 27. Place of death: St. Louis Polyclinic Hospital. Cause of death: Carcinoma Ventriculi.

[11] “Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:66M6-T1HS : Wed Oct 18 13:08:28 UTC 2023), Entry for Louis M Schmidt and Isabel Hardie, 8 Oct 1890. Their first child, Ellen Mary, was born in St. Louis on 25 August 1891.

[12]  “Dan Hardie Dies at 74 After Colorful Career,” The Miami News (Miami, Florida), 02 Aug 1952, 1, col. 5-6 and p. 3, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 October 2023). ”Hardie came to Miami in 1894 as a boy of 17. He had started out on a tour of the world with Africa as the first stopping place. … Having seen the opening of the Oklahoma-Indian Territory before coming to Miami.” May have seen the 16 September 1893 Oklahoma Land Run, the fourth and largest of the Oklahoma land runs.

[13] “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9392-S5W9-61?cc=1614804&wc=ZR93-W38%3A121347301%2C122158201 : 15 July 2014), Columbiana > Marriage records 1898 vol 14 > image 41 of 135; county courthouses, Ohio. Entry for Frank Nolan and Lizzie Hardie, married 20 July 1898; p. 46.; “Married This Morning.”

[14] Gesu Church (Miami, Florida), Certificate of Marriage for Daniel Hardie and Annie E. Kelly, issued by John J. Druhan S.J., Pastor, December 29, 1949, from the Parish Marriage Register. Daniel Hardie and Annie E. Kelly were lawfully Married on the 31st day of May 1904 according to the rite of the Roman Catholic Church in conformity with the laws of the State of Florida, Rev. A. M. Fontan, S. J. officiating, in the presence of Wm Miller and May Bennett Witnesses. [In 1904 the church was named Holy Name.]; “A Pretty Wedding,” The Miami News (Miami, Florida), 01 June 1904, p. 1, col. 6; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 October 2023).

[15] William N Hardie and Hattie Roy, 27 June 1906, Port Huron, St. Clair, Michigan. Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952, p. 701, record no. 9357; online images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 October 2023). Groom: 22, resides in Ohio, born in St. Louis, MO, potter; father Daniel Hardie, mother Mary J Ryan. Bride: 19, resided in Port Huron, born in Kingston, MI; father Thomas D Roy, mother not recorded. Neither previously married. Officiant: George L Durr, Minister. Witnesses: C Everett.; “Roy-Hardie,” The Times Herald (Port Huron, Michigan), 19 August 1905, p. 3, col. 3; online image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 Oct 2023).

[16] Marie E Hardie and John J Smeltz, 18 June 1907, East Liverpool, Columbiana, Ohio. Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993, Columbiana County, p. 10, no. 1140; online images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 October 2023).; “Society, Church Wedding Next Week,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, Ohio), 12 June 1907, p. 6, col. 4; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 26 October 2023).

[17] R. L.  Polk, compiler. East Liverpool Directory, 1904-1905 (Pittsburgh, PA: R L Polk & Co., 1904-1905), 159; also subsequent years by the same title: (1906-1907), 186, online images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com: accessed 15 October 2023); (1908-1909) 192; (1910-1911) 179, online images, MyHeritage.com (https://www.myheritage.com: accessed 14 October 2023).

[18] “Young’s,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 01 May 1908, p. 6, col. 3-7; online image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 October 2023); Young’s – The Big Store; 5th & Market, East Liverpool, Ohio.

[19] “Markleton Sanitarium in Somerset Co., Pa.,” 1908, Meyersdale Public Library; online image, Power Library: Pennsylvania Electronic Library (https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/ : accessed 27 October 27, 2023). “The sanatorium had baths of salt, electric, Turkish, and vapor. … [It] would later be converted for use by the US Army as a tuberculosis sanatorium [1918-1919].”

[20] Anne (Murray) Lonnemann, daughter of Frances D. Hardie, St. Louis, Missouri, interview by Kathleen Murray, 04 April 2007, interview notes privately held by interviewer, Dallas Texas, 2007.; “Personal,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 20 Jun 1906, Wed, p. 8, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).; “Personal,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 29 May 1908, Fri, Tue, p. 8, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).

[21] “Society in Mid-Week,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri), 12 Oct 1899, p. 11, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).; “The Week in Society – Gossip,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri), 22 Oct 1899, p. 20, col. 5; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).

[22] “Personal News,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 14 August 1900, p. 4, col. 4; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).

[23] “Personal,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 16 May 1905, p. 8, col. 3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023). “Miss Frances Hardy, of this city, is the guest of Mrs. P. A. Gavin at Toronto.”

[24] “Personal News Notes,” The Miami News (Miami, FL), 10 January 1907, p. 5, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).

[25] “William Ryan,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 12 Feb 1909, Fri, p. 5, col. 4; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023). Death of William Ryan, brother of Mrs. Daniel Hardie, in Henderson KY.; Two Ryan brothers died earlier: John Ryan in 1862 and William H. Ryan in 1876; St. Louis Genealogical Society, comp., St. Louis City Death Records, 1850-1908, www.ancestry.com, Volume 7; Page 49; County Library RDSL 16; Missouri Archive C10374; SLGS Rolls 313.

[26] “Card Party,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 23 July 1909, p. 5, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 October 2023).

[27] “Personal,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 04 Nov 1909, Thu, p. 8, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).; “Society in Miami,” The Miami News (Miami, Florida), 08 Nov 1909, 8, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 24 October 2023).; “Society – Miss King Hostess at Hallowe’en Party,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 30 Oct 1909, p. 8, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023). Frances Hardie is departing soon to spend the winter in Miami. Her brother, Will Hardie, performed musical numbers.

[28] “Society – Ladies of Elks Played Bridge,” Miami Morning News-Record (Miami, FL), 07 Jan 1910, p. 4, col. 2-3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).; “Entertained at Five Hundred  Party,” The Miami News (Miami, FL), 07 January 1910, p. 7, col. 7; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).; “Society – Ladies of Elks Played Bridge,” Miami Morning News-Record (Miami, FL), 07 Jan 1910, p. 4, col. 2-3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).; “Society – Entertained a Few Friends,” Miami Morning News-Record (Miami, FL), 09 Jan 1910, p. 4, col. 2-3online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).; “Society – Entertained at Five Hundred,” Miami Morning News-Record (Miami, FL), 05 February 1910, p. 4, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).; “Women and Society – Stocking Club Guests of Miss Joyner,” Miami Morning News-Record (Miami, FL), 12 February 1910, p. 7, col. 2; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).

[29] “Women and Society,” The Miami News (Miami, FL), 14 February 1910, p. 7, col. 3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).; “Society.” Miami Morning News-Record (Miami, FL), 15 February 1910, p. 4, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 October 2023).

[30] “Personals,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 28 February 1910, p. 8, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 October 2023).

[31] “Personal,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 09 Jul 1910, Sat, Tue, p. 8, col. 1; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).

[32] “Society,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 21 Jul 1911, p. 9, col. 2; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).

[33] “Society – Popular Young Lady to Wed,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 23 Jan 1912, p. 7, col. 3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).

[34] Death John W Allen, 24 January 1911, City of St. Louis, Missouri. Missouri State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, File no. 4384. Online death certificate images. Missouri Secretary of State (https://www.sos.mo.gov : accessed 18 October 2023).; “Deaths – Allen,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO), 25 January 1911, p. 4, col. 1; online image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 31 October 2023).

[35] “United States Census, 1910,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRVV-9V2?cc=1727033&wc=QZZW-G2H%3A133639601%2C141939001%2C142115701%2C1589089099 : 24 June 2017), Missouri > St Louis (Independent City) > St Louis Ward 11 > ED 178 > image 18 of 32; citing NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).;

[36]“Personals,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 06 Feb 1911, p. 7, col. 4; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 October 2023).; “Personal”. The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 26 Oct 1911, p. 9, col. 3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 October 2023).; Anne (Murray) Lonnemann, daughter of Frances D. Hardie, St. Louis, Missouri, interview by Kathleen Murray, 04 April 2007; interview notes privately held by interviewer, Dallas Texas, 2007.

[37] “Society – Popular Young Lady to Wed,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 23 Jan 1912, p. 7, col. 3. Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).

[38] “Society – The Hardie-Murray Nuptials,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 06 Feb 1912, Tue, p. 7, col. 5; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 October 2023). 

[39] “Mrs. Furrer Hostess to Bride-Elect,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 27 Jan 1912, p. 8, col. 3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 October 2023).

[40] “Catholic Church, St. Al’s Church and School”, East Liverpool Historical Society (http://www.eastliverpoolhistoricalsociety.org/Stals.htm : accessed 02 November 2023).

[41] “Society – The Hardie-Murray Nuptials,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 06 Feb 1912, p. 7, col. 5; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 17 October 2023).

[42] “Society – A Son is Born,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 18 Dec 1912, Wed, p. 2, col. 3; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).; “Personals,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 03 Feb 1916, p. 2, col. 5; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).; “Personals,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, OH), 17 Feb 1916, Thu, p. 2, col. 4; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 October 2023).

[43] “Personals,” The Evening Review (East Liverpool, Ohio), 12 Jun 1918, p. 3, col. 4; online images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 01 November 2023).

Daniel Hardie (1838-1870): A Potter from Bo’ness, Scotland

Daniel Hardie was born in 1838 in Bo’ness, Linlithgowshire, Scotland. He was the fifth of seven children born to Robert Hardie and Janet Buchanan.

His parents were born and married in Bo’ness.[1] His paternal and maternal grandparents were married in Linlithgowshire: the former in Bo’ness and the latter in nearby Bathgate.

Daniel Hardie Family Tree

Between 1838 and 1870 Daniel Hardie lived in three locations in Scotland: (1) Bo’ness in Linlithgowshire, (2) Linktown in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and (3) Pollokshaws near Glasgow, Renfrew. All three locations are within easy driving range of Edinburgh and Glasgow. (See following map.)

Scottish Residences of Daniel Hardie

Daniel married twice in Scotland, in Linktown and in Pollokshaws, and he worked as a potter in both locations. He immigrated to the United States around 1870.


This article identifies events in Daniel’s life prior to his immigration and describes the potteries in the locations where he lived.


Continue reading “Daniel Hardie (1838-1870): A Potter from Bo’ness, Scotland”

Potosi, Missouri

On Saturday-Sunday, July 2 -3, 2011, a reunion of the descendants of Hugh Murray and Mary Maloney was held in St. Louis, Missouri. On Saturday morning attendees journeyed to Potosi, which is about 70 miles southwest of St. Louis. Most, if not all, of Hugh and Mary’s nine children were born in Potosi.

St. James Parish

Hugh and Mary’s nine children were likely baptized at St. James Church. The present church, located at 201 N. Missouri St., dates from 1859. The Parish Cemetery is located nearby at 213 N. Missouri St.

St. James Catholic Church – Potosi, MO

Mary Murray and Bernard Flynn

Hugh’s sister, Mary (Murray) Flynn (1832-1899), and her husband Bernard Flynn (1828-1892) emigrated from County Down, Ireland in 1851. They settled in Potosi, where Bernard worked as a wagon-maker. They had eight children, 6 boys and 2 girls, born between 1854 and 1873.

Mary and Bernard Flynn, as well as some of their children, are buried in St. James’ Cemetery, just north of the parish church.

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Murray Farm in Barnamaghery

Murray Farm Buildings c. 1900

One of the many things I learned while visiting with newfound cousins in Ireland in September 2019 is that “our Murrays are the Preagh Murrays”. Preagh Hill can be seen from the old Murray farm.

Preagh Hill, Barnamaghery, N. Ireland

There are many Murrays in this part of Ireland. Indeed a usual page in the old Catholic Parish registers from the 1800’s for the immediate parish of Carrickmannon and Sainthood is replete with Murrays, often marrying one another.

Who Occupied the Farm?

The following video traces the Murray descendants who occupied and owned the farm from 1831 to 1954. The current owner recorded the land and buildings as they were in 1996. That footage is included at the end of the video.

Created by Kathleen Murray, 2021 [License: CC BY 2.0]

Joan Murray (1921-1976)

An Abbreviated Timeline

02 May 1921
Birth, St. Louis, MO
Source:  Missouri State Archives; Jefferson City, MO; Birth Index, 1920-1999

Joan Virginia Murray – c. 1925

1930 Age 8
Residence: 4624 Virginia Avenue, St. Louis, MO
Source:  1930 US Census, enumerated 03 April 1930

1935 Age 13
Residence: 3164 Portis Avenue, St. Louis, MO
Source:  1940 US Census, enumerated 19 April 1940

Joan Murray – 1939

1939 Age 18
Graduation from Southwest High School, St. Louis, MO
Source:  1939 Southwest High School Yearbook

16 February 1940 Age 18
Death of Mother, Frances Diamond (Hardie) Murray
Source:  Missouri Death Certificate for Frances Diamond (Hardie) Murray

Continue reading “Joan Murray (1921-1976)”

Children of Michael & Catherine Murray of Barnamaghery

Murray Farm in Barnamaghery, Killinchy, Down, Ireland

Michael Murray (1799-1865) was a farmer in county Down, Ireland. He and his wife, Catherine (nee) Murray (1802-1882), had 10 children, five boys and five girls. In 1888 Hugh Murray, their seventh child, was a wagon maker and undertaker residing in Potosi, Washington County, Missouri, USA.[1]

One Son of Michael & Catherine Murray

Question: Who were Michael and Catherine Murray’s other nine children?


Read the Story


This question is challenging for two reasons. Firstly, civil registration of births began in Ireland in 1864, a few decades after the children were born. Secondly, the family was Catholic and parish sacramental registers that might identify the children’s baptisms were inconsistently kept and preserved in Ireland in the 1800s.

Adding to these challenges was the fact that only the Irish county of residence for Hugh and his parents was known at the outset, namely county Down. Identifying the townland and civil parish for Michael Murray’s farm in County Down was an essential key to unlock Irish records.

In mid-19th century Ireland, there were 70 civil parishes and 40 Catholic parishes within county Down.[2] Civil parishes in Ireland are administrative units that in the 1800s generally corresponded to the parishes of the established Church, namely the (Anglican) Church of Ireland. Civil parishes are comprised of townlands and many records of historical and genealogical interest are organized by townland and/or civil parish.

Catholic parishes in Ireland are organized by diocese and often cross civil parish boundaries. In some cases, the Catholic parish registers identify an individual’s townland in baptismal and marriage entries. Hugh Murray’s 1838 baptism was recorded in the baptismal register of the parish of Carrickmannon and Saintfield. The register also recorded BM (Barnamaghery) as the family’s residence.[3] Barnamaghery townland is in the civil parish of Killinchy in county Down.

These two location facts, townland and civil parish, enabled research access to Irish valuation, land, probate, census, and civil registration records for the family. Additionally, detailed obituaries in Irish newspapers proved vital to identifying three of the female children.

Ultimately, including Hugh Murray, nine of the ten children of Michael Murray and Catherine Murray were discovered. Additionally, 47 of their grandchildren were identified.


Read the Story


[1] History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford & Gasconade Counties, Missouri (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1888), 1006.

[2] Brian Mitchell, A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2002), pp. 63 & 66.

[3] Kathleen Murray, “A Farmer in County Down,” Kathleen Murray, My Family History, 27 March 2017 (http://www.rayson.us/KRMurray/2017/03/21/michael-murray-northern-ireland/ : accessed 10 February 2021), para 12.

Virginia Brown Murray

Education & Employment: 1929-1965

Virginia Murray, 1937
Virginia Brown, 1937

I was influenced to write this post about my mother at this time by the upcoming college graduation of my great-niece, which will be a virtual commencement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it has been 83 years since my mother graduated from college, it struck me that both she and my niece chose teaching careers, graduated with NY State teacher certification, experienced a pandemic, and had their graduation experiences altered by grave societal events. While my niece has her future career to experience, I wanted to understand my mother’s experience in regard to career and employment.

As I pieced together relevant events from her life, it became clear that social context greatly impacted her success. Ultimately, her various efforts to gain employment were thwarted by three factors: the Great Depression, World War II, and the dominance of traditional sex roles. This story describes her efforts and the end results.


Virginia Pauline Brown was born on July 22, 1917 in Ogdensburg, NY.[1] The influenza pandemic raged in her young life from January 1918 through December 1920. Just a month shy of her twelfth birthday, on June 23, 1929, she received her elementary diploma from Holy Family School in Watertown, NY.[2] A few months later, in August of 1929, the US stock market crashed, ushering in the Great Depression.

Virginia Brown, c. 1921
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Who was Ella Moloney?

Calvary Cemetery, St. Louis, MO

Ella Moloney is Ellen Moloney (1849-1920). She is my great-grandaunt, the younger sister of my great grandmother Mary Moloney (1844-1912), the wife of Hugh Murray.

To the best of my knowledge, her parents were Michael Moloney (c. 1812-1870+), a shoemaker born in Ireland, and Ann Geraghty or Anne Garrity (c. 1816-1895), also born in Ireland. They had 8 children: Ann (b. 1838 in NJ), Andrew (b. 1842 in NY), Mary (b. 1844 in NY), Michael (b. 1846 in CT), Ellen (b. 1849 in CT), Thomas (b. 1851 in CT), Daniel (b. 1854 in CT), and Charles (b. 1855 in CT).

When did the Moloneys move from Connecticut to Missouri?

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Mary Ellen Watson (1855-1899)

Family tree drawn by Virginia Brown Murray

I first learned the name of my great-grandmother, Mary Ellen Watson (1855-1899),  from a family tree drawn by my mother, Virginia Brown Murray. She wrote “Watson” in parentheses, with a question mark above. She also wrote “Pembroke” below her name, perhaps as a reference to where Mary was born.

The Parish Register for St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ogdensburg, New York records the marriage of Mary Watson and my great-grandfather, Patrick Brown (1839-1901), on  7 August 1884. Mary was about 29 and Patrick was about 45.

Mary Watson was a Protestant and a dispensation was granted to allow, Patrick, a Catholic, to marry Mary in the Catholic Church. The dispensation is noted in the parish register by the priest who performed the marriage. (I note that the priest recorded the letter “S” prior to Mary’s name. I’m not certain what that means.)

Continue reading “Mary Ellen Watson (1855-1899)”