Funeral Cards

Mary Josephine Coyle

Funeral cards can give us new information: the full name of the deceased, the date of death and the name of the funeral home. Some even give the birth date and other details of the person’s life. 

My mother and grandmother kept these little cards and tucked them into prayer books, Bibles and other books. They kept the cards as a remembrance, a connection to someone they loved. Those same cards helped me to continue that connection. 

Mary Josephine (Mullane) Coyle was born in August 1867 in Ireland and died 17 December 1927 in New York City. Mary Jo was the mother of seven children. She died just four month before the birth of her only grandchild, Alberta Joy (Gardner) Brown.

Helen Frances (Coyle) Gardner was born 9 January 1897 in New York City and died 13 October 1965 in Germantown, New York. She had one daughter and four grandchildren. 

Be sure to look for and hang on to these small treasures.

October Birthdays, October 16 - 31

Is your birthday coming soon? Maybe you share your special day with someone in our family who came before. Look below and see. Happy Birthday!

16 October          

1836       Louisa Ollevia FORTENBERRY

1868       Margaret NEE

1888       Lucy Viola BROWN was born in Mississippi, daughter of Jasper Pascal & Rose Ella (Brumfield) Brown. She married Tate Edward Fortenberry in 1908. Their children: Kenneth, Shirley & Cecil.

17 October          

1871       Algedena GRUISSY was the second child of Augustus Ceaser & Esther Barbara (Wolf) Gruissy. She died in Ohio the year she was born. Of Esther & Augustus’ five children, three died as children.

1884       Mary C. SMITH

18 October          

1781       John George WOLF

1877       Milton Adolphus SMITH

19 October          

1917       Nathalee SMITH was the oldest child of Denny Herbert & Mavis Marie (Brown) Smith.  She married Jerry Sidney Comeaux in 1941.

20 October          

1794       Susan GREEN

1813       Margaretha RITTER

1860       Gabriella SANDERS

1866       Bartholomew Anthony BRADY was born in Ireland, son of Thomas & Catherine (Gibney) Brady. He married Mary Agnes Reddan in 1900 in New Jersey.  Bartholomew was a policeman for East Orange, New Jersey. He retired in 1931.

21 October          

1857       Anna Esther WOLF was born in Iowa. She was the daughter of William and Sarah Jane (Wilson) Wolf. She married Thomas Filmore Dickson. James Frederick Dickson was their son.

23 October          

1805       Maria RITTER

1863       Caroline Louise GRUISSY was born in Ohio, daughter of Augustus Ceaser & Mary Ann (Everett) Gruissy. In 1882 she married Peter Jonathan Moore. Their children: Emaline, Lillian Vera, Floyd, Frances Gertrude, Elizabeth & Ralph. She died in 1936.

1900       Donna Strom BROPHY

1900       Alva Edwin ELLZEY

24 October          

1824       Henry William Leander LEWIS

1852       Emma Abbline FLORY was the first wife of William Mark. They married in 1870, after he returned from the Civil War. They had two children: Cora Bell & Marian. She died in 1877, at the age of 24.

1863       Martha E. ALFORD

1887       Clarence WOLF

1899       George Washington CUTRER

25 October          

1790       Mary Magdelena RITTER

1853       Richard FORTENBERRY was born in Mississippi, son of Alfred & Aderine Mary (Faulk) Fortenberry. He was my first cousin, 4 times removed.

1869       Julius ALFORD

1908       Theodore Roosevelt MORRIS

1909       Delphin Delmus MORRIS

26 October          

1779       Nancy Ann DILLON was born in North Carolina, daughter of Richard & Anne (Lawrence) Dillon. She married John Stallings. Nancy died in 1869.

 1852       Leah E. BRUMFIELD

 1878       Frank Samuel WEISSBERG

27 October          

1765       Cornelia KNIGHT

1845       Elias McDANIEL

1888       Frances Gertrude MOORE was born in Ohio, daughter of Peter Jonathan & Caroline Louise (Gruissy) Moore. She married William Clarence Brophy. Their children: Glen, Caroline & Donald. In 1920 William worked for the Gas & Fuel Company.

28 October          

1877       Jason Abraham ALFORD was born in Mississippi, son of Needham Edwin & Mary Louiza (Stafford) Alford. Jason lived to be 96 years old.

1896       James Everett MARK

1918       Woodrow Wilson SIMMONS

29 October          

1718       Maria Barbara WOLF

1808       Salome ROTH

1869       Frances Dora ALFORD

1874       Dewitt William ALFORD

1909       Shirley FORTENBERRY was born in Mississippi, so n of Tate Edward & Lucy Viola (Brown) Fortenberry. He married Thelma Ginn. They had three children: Charles, Dorothy & Shirlene.

1929       Barbara A. KOZLAK

30 October          

1875       Clarence Lee Guy WOLF was born in Iowa, son of Isaac Ezra & Mary Cathrina (Wireman) Wolf. He married Maude E. Collins in 1901 in Oklahoma. 

31 October          

1916       Kathleen Gloria COYLE was born in New York City, the youngest child of Michael & Mary Josephine (Mullane) Coyle. She never married, living with her sisters.  She died in Arizona in 2007.

1919       Selwyn Alex BRUMFIELD

1930       Seth O. DILLON Jr.

Family Treasure: 1915 School Notebook

Notebook cover

A genealogist must be part detective and part pack rat. It can be difficult to know which yellowed papers, brittle documents or old photos to wrap in acid free paper or place in archival safe boxes for future generations. I cannot part with anything that once belonged to my Nana, 

Helen Frances (Coyle) Gardner
1897 – 1965. 

Anything that was once in her hands is a treasure.

I have a notebook that Helen used about 1915. It was made by the National Blank Book Company of 52 Duane Street, New York City and Holyoke, MA, patented in 1892. The metal rings that hold the hard cover and lined pages together are ‘National School Rings’, “the best fastening device to use in connection with university covers.”

Inside the cover, my young, future maternal grandmother wrote:

“Helen F. Coyle, Morris High School, Domestic Science 114” 

The school was in New York City.

 

Inside are recipes for things like Cranberry Jelly, Biscuits, Black Pudding, Cherry Wine, Fudge, and Muffins in Helen’s handwriting. There are also notes on how to remove stains, how to make hair tonic and how to brew coffee.

Boiled Coffee

For one cup of coffee allow one rounded tabsp [sic] of coffee, 1 tabsp [sic] of cold water, a little uncooked egg and a cup of freshly boiled water. Scald the coffee pot, mix the coffee, egg and cold water thoroughly and add the boiling water. Put over fill and let boil then move off fire and keep warm.  Keep cover on. Coffee is a stimulant both to the heart and to the nerves.  Coffee also acts as a narcotic. Coffee with cream and sugar retains the actions on the liver and also makes one bilious.

Strong coffee aids digestion in the stomach and 

is used for that purpose after a heavy meal.  Coffee should not be used by young people.

Cherry Wine

2 lbs. wild cherries, fresh

2 lbs. Sugar

2 qts. Water

Boil water & sugar in pot there add cherries & Let stand 3 weeks. Then bottle.

100 Years Ago, 1 October 1911

Lillian Agnes Coyle, First Communion

Lillian Agnes Coyle

18 September 1911  NY - 

3 Jun 1987 AZ

Daughter of Michael Coyle & 

Mary Josephine Mullane

Lillian Agnes Coyle, born 18 September 1911 in New York City, was the daughter of Michael and Mary Josephine (Mullane) Coyle. She was baptized on 1 October 1911. The Baptismal Certificate does not list a specific Roman Catholic Church. It does show that her godparents were Daniel Mullane (her maternal uncle) and Helen Coyle (her oldest sister and my maternal grandmother). Lillian was my grand aunt but I had very little contact with her.

Lillian's mother died when Lillian was just 16 years old. Lillian lived in New York City most of her life, graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1929. In 1930 she lived with her sisters, Marguerite, Marion and Kathleen, on Walton Avenue in the Bronx. Lillian was a bookkeeper at the time. The sisters liked to travel, visiting their Mullane family in Clonmel, Tipperary, Ireland, several times. She also took trips to Puerto Rico, South America and Japan.  Lillian worked for T.W.A. Airlines for many years. Later she worked for American Telephone and Telegraph Company. She worked for them for over twenty years.

In 1976 Lillian and her sisters moved to Sun City, Arizona. Lillian died in Arizona in 1987.

October Birthdays, October 1 - 15

Is your birthday coming soon? Maybe you share your special day with someone in our family. Look below and see. Happy Birthday!

1 October            

1894       Hubert Allen BROWN was born in Mississippi, son of Jasper Pascal & Rose Ella (Brumfield)  Brown. He married Freddie Smith in 1920. They had six children. Hubert was a veteran of World War II. He was a farmer. He died in 1971.

 1932       Robert M. BERISWELL

2 October            

1847       Jesse L. ALFORD was born in Louisiana, son of Reverend Warren Jackson & Celia Ann (Lewis) Alford. He died in 1911.

1850       William Jesse FORTENBERRY

1867       Harrison H. BURCH

3 October            

1880       Alice Leota HEACOCK was born in Ohio. She married William M. Mark, son of William & Elidia Rebecca (Ritter) Mark. They were married in 1899 and had seven children.

4 October            

1847       Ira Newton ALFORD was born in Louisiana, son of Ira Payne & Elizabeth Hope Alford.  He married Samantha Ott. They had seven children.

1907       Mirian M. MINTER

5 October            

1800       Susanna RITTER

1819       Joanna SMITH

1851       John Narvel FORETNBERRY was born in Mississippi, son of Burrell Taylor & Eliza Jane (Ellzey)   Fortenberry. He married Eliza Jane Smith. He died in 1920.

6 October            

1892       Elizabeth Lodema MOORE was born in Ohio, daughter of Peter Jonathan & Caroline Louise (Gruissy) Moore. She married Albert Edward Good. They had six children: Ethel, Catherine, Harold, Joel, Margaret & Helen.

7 October            

1745       Richard DILLON was born in Norfolk, Virginia, son of James Theopilous & Mary Dillon. They were married about 1776. They were my 5x great grandparents. They had eight children. Richard died in Mississippi in 1833.

8 October            

1932       Elvera Lucile WILSON was the daughter of Thomas Clarence & Euna Clarabelle (Fortenberry) Wilson. She’s my fourth cousin, once removed. 

9 October            

1805       Jane SMITH

1873       Isaac J. WOLF

 1917       Joel Moore GOOD was born in Ohio, son of Albert Edward & Elizabeth Lodema (Moore) Good. Joel married Helen Delores Janisky in 1942. They had five children. 

10 October          

1842       George Washington WOLF was the son of Frederick & Louisa C. (Goetz) Wolf. He married Margaret Ann Culp in 1864. Their son was Joseph William Wolf.

 1879       Elmer Howard WILSON

 1881       Elizabeth SHIFFERLY

11 October          

1807       John Seaborn ALFORD & Seaborn John ALFORD were twin brothers born in North Carolina, sons of Julius & Lucy (Newton) Alford.  Seaborn John died in 1884 in Mississippi. John Seaborn died in 1891 in Louisiana.

1872       Lynnie Blanche SMITH

12 October          

1848       Ruth Anna SCOTT married John William Ritter in 1871 in Ohio. He was the s on of Isaac and Isabell (Fisher) Ritter. They had eight children.  Ruth died in 1900.

1857       Joseph Millen NEE

1927       Gordon Eugene JOLLIFF

13 October          

1928       Margaret Louise GOOD was born in Ohio. She married Howard Wendal Hixon. Four children: Howard, Harold, Patricia & Kathleen.

1774       Maragaretha RITTER

15 October          

1845       Needham Edwin ALFORD was born in Mississippi, son of Rev. Warren Jackson & Celia Ann (Lewis) Alford. In 1869 he married Mary Luzina Stafford. They had twelve children.

1862       James Miles THORNHILL

An Expanding Family Gathering

top: Pat & Colleen; Middle: Tara & Lisabeth; botton: Marcia & Lucille

Many people are intimidated by the thought of family reunions. They visualized scores of people and a logistical tangle. You can however, think small and have a successful gathering with plenty of time to talk, share and enjoy each other.

This weekend was our annual connection with our Coyle Cousins. In 2008 we met for a long afternoon in Waterbury, Connecticut, the home of our mutual ancestors, Patrick & Margaret (Brady) Coyle. We talked for hours in an Olive Garden and realized we needed more time to connect. In 2009 we spent a weekend at Pat’s waterfront home in New Jersey. Besides comparing family trees we enjoyed the water, shopped for antiques and discovered many things we have in common (like freckles!). In 2010 the cousins came to my house in New York State. We expanded from Pat Brady, Tara (Herbert) Cousins and myself to include a newly found cousin, Lisabeth Timothy and her family. A BBQ and a boat ride on the Hudson River were fun components of the weekend. 

This year we were in Massachusetts at Tara’s & Ashley’s marvelous house. We had a beautiful Saturday for our visit to the Minuteman National Historic Park in Concord and a stop at a farm stand for the best corn on the cob ever. Despite all the pampering by Tara & Ashley the best part of the weekend was meeting even more family members! Lisabeth brought along her delightful parents, Charles & Lucille (Coyle) Timothy. Lucille greeted me by reaching out and touching my face and saying, "I know that face. You are a Coyle!" Lucille brought along photos & stories to share. A surprise guest was Tara’s sister, Marcia Cass Herbert, who came over from Cape Cod to meet more family. We took a tip from old photos we were looking at and gathered on a set of steps for a fun photo.

Home again, I am anxious to analyze all the new family information I now have. I look forward to next year’s gathering! Maybe we can discover more cousins to join us then.


Related Posts:

Our 6th Irish Cousin Gathering
Annual Family Gathering

September Birthdays, September 16 - 30

Is your birthday coming soon? Maybe you share your special day with someone in our family. Look below and see. Happy Birthday!

16 September

1870       William WOLF

1933       Howard Merton HURD JR was born in Michigan, the son of Howard Merton &     Marian Louise (Lehman) Hurd. In 1955 he married Fern Marie Atkins.  They had three children. 

17 September   

1825       Annette ROMICH married Daniel Ritter, son of Henry & Lydia (Knappenberger) Ritter. Annette & Daniel had seven children: William, Rebecca, Montana, Peter, James, Alfred, & Milton.

1828       Isaac Fortenberry

1853       Murrey J, SCHILLING

18 September   

1767       John WOLF

1898       Roy Milton SWAGLER

1911       Lillian Agnes COYLE was born in New York City, the daughter of Michael & Mary Josephine (Mullane) Coyle.  Her mother died when she was 16. Older sister, Marguerite Coyle raised Lillian and their younger sister, Kathleen. Lillian never married. She lived her life with her sisters.  She died in 1987 in Arizona. 

19 September

1909       Ray Luther FORTENBERRY married Zelda Marie Alford in 1932. They had three children. Ray died in 1989.

20 September   

1788       Maria Barbara RITTER

1893       William F. CASS married Maryanne Coyle, daughter of Patrick & Margaret (Brady) Coyle.

21 September   

1921       Anna J. DAMUCH married John Leo Brady, son of Bartholomew Anthony & Mary Agnes (Reddan) Brady.

22 September   

1812       Calvin SMITH

1817       Olevia FORTENBERRY

1895       William Frances KUNEMUND

 1902       Golda Mae WARNER was born in Ohio. She married Eslie Guy Mark in 1922. He was the son of William & Elidia Rebecca (Ritter) Mark. Their children: Guy, Glenn & Dana. She died in 1982.

23 September   

1885       John Charles RITTER was born in Ohio, son of John William & Ruth Anna (Scott) Ritter. He married Jennie Madora Hartsel. Their son: Donavan Eugene Ritter.

1887       Fannie MCDANIEL

24 September   

1828       Lacey ALFORD was born in Mississippi, daughter of Edwin Barksdale & Martha P. (Smith) Alford. She married James Michael Ball. 

26 September   

1796       Maria WOLF

1820       Pernecia SMITH

1839       Susan WOLF

1885       Martha Elizabeth ALFORD was born in Mississippi, daughter of Needham Edwin & Mary Luzina (Stafford) Alford. She married Robert Thomas Hollingsworth.  She died in 1966.

27 September   

1838       Jessie Alexander BRUMFIELD

1853       Nancy FORTENBERRY

1879       Dezzie CUTRER

1894       Ralph Ely MOORE Sr. was born in Ohio, son of Peter Jonathan & Caroline Louise (Gruissy) Moore. He married Dorothy Otella Derhammer.  Their children: Howard, Joyce & Ralph. He died in 1976 in Oklahoma.

28 September   

1914       Rosemary Veronica COYLE was born in Texas, daughter of James Joseph &       Madeline (Herbst) Coyle. She married Richard F. Wolff in 1939 in Connecticut.

       

29 September   

1766       Frances SEABORN

1892       Mildred Mae WOLF was born in Ohio, daughter of Joseph & Anna Eliza (Kohr) Wolf. She married Urban Robert Zengler. Their children: Dorothy, Donald & William. She died in 1972 in Ohio.

1919       Pershing Hoover MORRIS

30 September   

1845       Elizabeth Rebecca PIGOTT  married William Jackson Fortenberry, son of Calvin Kennington & Narcissa (Simmons) Fortenberry. She died in 1883. 

1886       Ruby V. SCHILLING

Back to School

School Photo, Ohio

This photo was taken in the mid 1930s. Delbert Keith Brown, my father is on the far left in the back row. He was the oldest of seven children of Roy Jessie and Ivy Regina (Mark) Brown. The family moved often and my father had to change schools frequently. Because of that, he was never a strong student. He was, however, skilled in repairing engines. I think his little smiling face is adorable.

One Year Blog Anniversary

One Year Ago I began this blog about my genealogy research and my family’s history. I was happy to find a place where I could reach out to others: ‘old’ family connections who are interested in results of my research and new family connections for expanding our family information. 

 

My first post, Pennsylvania Research for the Mark family, centered on the discoveries I had recently made. I was unsure how to add photos yet and my page set up was quite simple but I was excited about improving and expanding my blog. Since then I’ve added pages for family branches and links to other genealogy blogs. I was surprised to be ‘interviewed’ by Geneabloggers for their “May I Introduce You to” section in April and to be given the One Lovely Blog Award.

Some topics I have written about this past year

• Further Pennsylvania research
• Monthly family birthdays
• 150^th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War & our Civil War Soldiers
• Irish ancestors
• Rittersville, Pennsylvania; a town founded by our family
• Connecting with a new cousin
• Formatting my Mark Family book to get it ready for publication

Some future topics:

• Funeral cards
• Back to School, a 1930s photo
• My double great grandparents
• Findings in the 1940 US Census
• Updates on printing the Mark Family book
• Cemeteries

My hopes for the future of my blog include connecting with more cousins & solving more family mysteries. I hope I have helped others by sharing the information I have gathered over the years.

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog, commented on the blog or contacted me through my blog! Colleen